Working out a timetable for a large bus or train network is a complicated job. New York has almost 5000 buses running on 300 routes, making over 50,000 individual journeys every day! Organising this requires computers.

Often the task is split into two parts. First we work out which buses from which depots will run which routes. Secondly we work out which driver will drive each bus. There are many things to think about - each driver can only drive for a set number of hours each day, and must have breaks for food and rest.

The first computer-generated schedule was produced by the University of Leeds in 1963. The University's latest system is called "TRACS II" and is used across the country.

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