Release Notes for melbpt.com

2025-08-07

Background

Changes

1. Faster load times due to even more caching. I now cache all metro train locations just in case you will ask about any of them.
2. I am also tracking and saving tram locations like a gunzel on a long weekend, so they should work too.
3. Buses are more tricky because the government publishes them somewhere else, and also that somewhere else does not work. They are in the pipeline.

Known Issues

Currently tested with metro trains, and to a lesser extent trams. I wanted to restart the website sooner rather than later, rather than make sure that all services were just *so*.

PTV have also brought in the notion of replacement bus services. I am completely ignoring these and filtering out that data; I'm here for speed in everyday use, not for planning alternative routes when a truck hits a bridge.

2021-10-16

Background

This is the first version to now use Version 3 of the Public Transport Victoria (PTV) Application Programming Interface (API). This version is a beta release, so there are likely to be bugs.

Use of the latest API version allows melbpt.com to display real-time vehicle information where available. Currently this seems to work with trains and buses. Trams do not seem to be providing real-time information through this mechanism, and I am not sure why at this stage. V/Line is also not reporting vehicle information.

Changes

Significant updates from the last version are:

1. Realtime support for all transport modes where provided.
2. Additional of mapping functionality at bottom of 'stops' page.
   1. Easy buttons to scroll between map and timetable information.
   2. Full screen support for maps
   3. If the user does not move the map around, the map will follow the
3. Added a "what's new" section with release notes (this document).
4. Friendlier dealings with times after midnight

Known Issues

As this is currently beta, there are some known issues which need to be resolved:

1. Not all methods of transport (modes) are displaying real time data. There is particularly a need to resolve trams.
2. Some pages may partially break and complain about not knowing what 'mode' it is. I needed to introduce a 'mode' component because PTV decided to re-use stop IDs across trains/trams/buses, resulting in /departures/<stop_id> no longer working. For example, on the departure page for the 58 tram, a bus route also showed up. In later versions, the mode will be integrated into URL more cleanly.
3. Cache invalidation: the V3 PTV API returns a time by which a new vehicle position should have been reported, and I use this time alongside some other logic to set the cache expiry time. However it seems that sometimes items stay in the cache (a Redis database) for longer than they should. This means that updated vehicle positions and stop progress are not displayed to the end user.
4. Page load times: a key objective in the delivery of melbpt.com is speed of page loads. This whole project exists because I was unsatisfied with the time it took to load public transport results from other sources. Particularly on the stops page, page loads are slightly slower now. This is mainly due to the integration with the API, which takes time to request.
5. Times after midnight — these have always been tricky, but should be nicer to use in this update. Currently this is not 100% tested (can involve staying up fairly late into the evening).
6. Merging between my database (GTFS dataset) and the realtime API, which use difference identifiers. They way that match these up mostly works, but can sometimes result in confusion/errors, at best meaning no real-time information, and at worst showing you the wrong trip as the 'real-time' status. I would like to resolve this.
   Possible workaround: move to another stop on the line and view realtime information from there.

As always, this website is best viewed in a phone, and will always be made chiefly for a mobile-first experience.

Correspondence can be directed towards gday@melbpt.com