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2. BUS SERVICE INFORMATION

Why we need effective Bus Service Information

2.1 Good quality, accurate, up-to-date and clear bus service information is essential for regular and occasional bus users, for tourists and other visitors, and for non-users who argue that a lack of suitable information prevents them from using buses.

2.2 Bus service information may be provided in a wide variety of ways, including real-time information displays at stops, Traveline Scotland telephone and website facilities, SMS texting and via WAP enabled mobile devices. But the traditional methods of printed timetable information in leaflets, stops and stations are still the most commonly used for accessing bus service information. The quality of this information throughout Scotland, particularly at bus stops, varies widely. A more consistent approach to the provision of bus service information at bus stations and stops, and also by other printed, electronic and telephonic means, would assist greater modal shift.

2.3 A stakeholder task group established under the auspices of the Bus Action Plan took advice from Bus Users UK on what national standards of bus service information might be most beneficial in attracting and satisfying passengers, as well as what would be practical for bus companies and public transport authorities. The recommended minimum standards outlined below reflect the advice received from Bus Users UK.

2.4 Recommended Minimum Standards

2.4.1 Bus stop infrastructure

• Bus stops should be easily identified with flags carrying the words 'Bus Stop' and the recognised pictogram. At principal boarding points such as interchange points, a broad indication of the destination or direction of the buses serving the stop - 'To City', 'From City', 'To Elgin', 'From Elgin', etc - as already provided by some public transport authorities, is desirable.
• The flag should display the location of the stop, though if there is a space problem, this should be clearly indicated on the shelter or at the top of the bus stop information panel. The location is important both for boarding passengers and alighting passengers, who seek the reassurance of a stop location to ensure they alight at the correct place. The name shown on the stop should be the same as used in other promotional and timetable material.
• The bus stop flag should display the route numbers of services calling there, though it is accepted that the space on many flags and the number of route changes in some areas may prevent this. Inclusion of route numbers on bus stop flags is clearly essential where passengers have a choice of several stops in, typically, a town or city centre location.
• The inclusion of the Traveline Scotland (or equivalent) logo and phone number is also highly beneficial, either on the bus stop flag or prominently on the information panel.
• Where there are unique stop numbers for SMS texting, these - together with adjacent instructions on how to use the facility - should be clearly displayed.
• Public transport authority and/or operator logos displayed on bus stop flags ought not to be disproportionate in size to more important bus service information.

• Consideration should be given to providing bus stop information that is legible during the hours of darkness. Although illuminated displays are provided at some stops, these can be expensive to provide. Bus stop information should be positioned to take account of adjacent street lighting.
• Bus timetable information in shelters should be placed where passengers can consult it without disturbing other passengers, typically away from the point where passengers board their buses.
• Bus companies should encourage their drivers to report instances of damage to bus stops and shelters. A hotline phone number for the reporting of damage and faults would be a welcome facility so that passengers' needs are promptly re-established.
• Bus shelters, stops and information should be kept clean and graffiti-free.

2.4.2 Bus stop information

Every bus stop panel should display the following information, relating to all of the services calling at that stop:

• Route numbers.
• Bus stop location/stop name (unless already displayed on the bus stop flag).
• Route details, which should list all main points and not just simply the final destination.
• Times of all departures from the stop, with Monday-Friday, Saturday and Sunday departures clearly distinguished. A note should be included to the effect that service patterns may be different on public and local holidays. Where services running on a regular frequency call at the stop, a 'then every fifteen minutes at these times' type of statement may be more valuable than a confusing mass of times. Times should be stop-specific.
• An indication of journey times, particularly for longer or less frequent services. In an urban situation where the number of departures is likely to be greater, the same level of information about journey times may be unnecessary. A simple line plan of the route with typical peak point-to-point timings would help passengers to plan their journey times.

The information should be presented in a simple, passenger-friendly way, with the minimum of complicated codes and footnotes and be free of bus industry jargon. The benefit of using colours to indicate route variations is questionable; colours fade, are difficult to read under street lighting, and are of no use to people who are colour-blind. Simple instructions describing how to use the bus stop code to obtain bus times by SMS texting and via WAP devices should be provided. A nationally accepted standardised form of wording could be provided by Traveline Scotland.

The display should carry an indication of the date when the timetable went into operation. It may be difficult to include a date when the timetable expires, but a starting (or 'updated from') date provides reassurance to passengers on the currency of the information provided. New timetables should be in place prior to (and as close as possible to) the introduction of any service changes, with a clear starting date to avoid confusion for passengers. The name of the bus operator should be visible where different operators use the same route numbers, or compete on services to the same destination.

The provision of fares information at bus stops benefits customers, but it may be difficult to show these when the fares structure is a complex one, and out-of-date fares information is potentially worse than none at all. Urban operators can, and often do, provide fare information, as this is usually much simpler, but an indication, perhaps of fares to main points, or maximum fares, would help passengers. There are still places where companies operate an exact fare/no change policy, and passengers should be warned of this at the bus stop, and ideally given fares information that will allow them to have the correct change ready and help speed the bus journey. Where operators offer day or similar tickets, details at the bus stop would clearly benefit passengers. In the absence of fares information, passengers should be referred to other sources, possibly a telephone number for Traveline Scotland.

Operators and public transport authorities are encouraged to restrict the number of timetable changes that are made to minimise the number of times displays require to be changed. Ideally, timetable changes should be undertaken in close consultation with public transport authorities.

Bus operators might use timetable information panels to publicise their websites, particularly where they provide timetable downloads.

Details of an appropriate contact telephone number should be provided for passengers wishing to make a complaint ( e.g. for a bus operator or public transport authority who can re-route the complaint if it is not for them).

2.4.3 Real-time information

Real-time information ( RTI) is best regarded as augmenting rather than replacing printed information at bus stops, particularly as RTI normally only displays the ultimate destination of bus routes. The increasing provision of real-time information at urban bus stops with high-frequency services is welcome, but RTI is equally important at stops in smaller towns and more remote points where late or non-running could cause significant inconvenience.

In response to increasing internet access via mobile devices, Traveline Scotland has agreed to extend stop specific bus departure information to WAP users. The cost of accessing bus service information via WAP is a cheaper option than SMS text-based data. WAP devices should give passengers access to real-time information for every bus stop in Scotland. This development, and more widespread use of real-time information display screens, will allow bus users, particularly in those areas where services are less frequent and where delays or cancellations could cause real inconvenience, more certainty over bus arrival and departure times. For many passengers, the ability to receive real-time information by mobile phone or similar device will be an attractive option.

In partnership with public transport authorities, some operators are developing systems linked to Automatic Vehicle Location ( AVL) equipment installed to improve fleet usage and reliability. These allow passengers to input postcode or address details to a computer and receive RTI about departures from the nearest, or a designated, bus stop. This may be for the entire range of services using that stop or for one specific service. Funding may be required if all operators are to have AVL software allowing them access to this level of information.

Although it is sometimes suggested that passengers might reasonably pay for this information, it should be recalled that AVL has wider implications than the provision of passenger information; it allows operators to respond to delays caused by roadworks or diversions and ensures that passengers are kept informed and can enjoy a regular service with delays minimised.

2.4.4 Passengers with special needs

The Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland ( MACS) produced a report 'Valuable for anyone, valuable for everyone', which is concerned with providing accessible information about travel. There are a little over a million disabled people in Scotland, around one in five of the population; this includes people with learning difficulties, hearing-impaired people, visually-impaired people and mobility-impaired people. Within an ageing population, MACS suggests it will become increasingly important to take account of the needs of disabled groups if they are to be able to travel independently.

The Department for Transport's 2005 report, 'Inclusive Mobility', includes a useful guide to best practice for the provision of bus stops, shelters and bus stop information for all passengers.It provides precise positioning details and should be read in conjunction with this guide.

MACS quotes from the Royal National Institute for the Blind's guidelines on printed information, which require a typeface that is at least 12 point (and preferably 14 point), a clear preferably sans-serif font, text that contrasts clearly with its background, a clear and unfussy page layout. This same clarity must be reflected in bus company timetables and leaflets. Bus companies and public transport authorities should consider the production of large-print timetables for visually-impaired passengers.

While it would be difficult to cater for all passengers with special needs at every bus stop, public transport authorities and operators may wish to consider such matters as the positioning of bus stop information panels for wheelchair passengers, and the provision at significant stops and in bus stations of an audio facility, perhaps in the form of a link to Traveline Scotland. Some authorities have developed their own no-cost solutions.

2.4.5 Additional information at specific stops

Where clusters of stops exist, typically in town and city centres, it is important that passengers easily find the stop they require, so 'where to catch your bus' maps are useful. At designated interchange points, simple maps indicating the range of options are equally beneficial to passengers.

2.5 Responsibility for Provision

Bus information is best provided through effective partnership working between public transport authorities and operators. The following guidance on responsibility for the provision of bus stop information should be read in that context.

2.5.1 Bus stop infrastructure

Bus stops, bus stop flags, bus shelters and bus stop information panels are generally the responsibility of the relevant public transport authority, though this can be sub-contracted to another party. The public transport authority should also be responsible for the maintenance of all at-stop infrastructure.

2.5.2 Bus stop information

The provision of bus stop information is generally the responsibility of the public transport authority, although local arrangements may be made by agreement with operators who prefer to supply and affix their own timetable details. In practice, some public transport authorities provide timetables for their supported services, leaving operators to supply their own information. This can mean that some operators will provide timetables and others will not. If the public transport authority is providing all of the information, this may not be a problem. But if operators are to supply information, and some choose not to, public transport authorities are empowered to provide this information in accordance with the authorities' bus information standards and pass this cost on to operators, and in keeping with best value.

In circumstances where public transport authorities are not managing the information there can be conflict where one operator is dominant and other operators feel they are not achieving equal prominence. Bus stop information displays should reflect an even-handed approach. It is also important that operator identities and brands should be clearly visible and not abandoned in a standardised format. Passengers regularly equate brands with a quality of service and may be confused where several operators compete over common corridors, often using identical or similar route numbers.

2.5.3 On-bus information

Destination displays on buses should clearly show the route number and ultimate destination as an absolute minimum. The inclusion of intermediate points is to be encouraged, either using additional blind displays or additional place-names on electronic versions. Side-mounted destinations, visible to boarding passengers, should display the route number and ultimate destination, and a route number, at least, should be displayed on the rear, subject to relevant disability discrimination requirements.

2.5.4 In-bus information

GPS technology allows visual and audible information to be provided in buses and these are increasingly found in light and heavy rail vehicles. Information showing the next stop and repeating the ultimate destination can be reassuring for occasional passengers but irritating to regular passengers, particularly on services that stop frequently.

2.6 Timetables

Printed timetables should be easy to use in terms of the clarity and presentation of information and the ease with which passengers with impaired vision can read them. They should be available in libraries, tourist information centres and similar public buildings, and in places that people regularly travel to and from by bus, such as hospitals and shopping centres. Additionally, maps and fare information are very important to customers.

In some cases, public transport authorities have assumed responsibility for the production and distribution of timetables while in others the onus rests with the bus operators. This is acceptable provided responsibilities for the provision of information, publication and distribution of timetables and the financial arrangements are clear. These responsibilities might be clearly set out in public transport authorities' information strategies and might include provisions to pass costs on to operators, in keeping with best value.

There are various views about the style and format of timetables. Some authorities favour comprehensive booklets covering discrete areas and these are particularly valuable in rural areas. The preferred format of timetable leaflets works well in urban areas and allows for changes to individuals services without the need to reprint entire timetable books.

2.6.1 Digital Timetables

Availability of timetables by electronic means is increasingly popular and bus companies should be encouraged to offer access to timetables on screen and in downloadable PDF format. For many passengers this is an acceptable alternative to seeking out a printed timetable, with the added security that such a timetable should be completely up-to-date. Some public transport authority websites provide links to bus company websites, and vice-versa.

Traveline Scotland and Transport Direct telephone helplines and websites provide a high level of accurate and up-to-the-minute information, including multi-modal journeys and are invaluable when journeys cross boundaries or involve several different transport modes. The publicising of the Traveline Scotland telephone number at all stops offers passengers a back-up to printed information.

2.6.2 Network Maps

For many passengers, simple maps showing local transport networks provide useful information and encourage bus use. These can quickly become out-of-date when service changes are made. Ideally, changes should be undertaken in close consultation between bus operators and public transport authorities. Increased use of technology will help public transport authorities to update maps quickly. Network maps can be provided in printed form as a leaflet and at bus stops and stations where space permits, and should be downloadable from public transport authority or operator websites.

2.7 Tourist Information

Tourism is an essential ingredient in the economy of Scotland. It is also environmentally responsible to encourage greater use by visitors of public transport. Bus operators and public transport authorities should work with tourism authorities to ensure that good and regularly restocked and updated bus information is easily accessible in places where tourists would expect to find it. Not all tourist information centres have bus leaflets or timetables available, and the knowledge of staff about public transport facilities can be patchy and even misleading. Tourist offices that close early or remain closed on Sundays do little to help the situation, and there is often little or no 'out of hours' information available. Where bus and coach operators have developed services, tickets and other facilities aimed at the tourist market, these should be be made available to the widest possible audience.

Other transport gateways, such as seaports, airports and railway stations, should have prominent displays indicating where arriving passengers can find bus services and what bus services are available. Even in major railway stations it can be difficult to find any reference to forms of transport other than taxis.

2.8 Phased Introduction

A phased approach for meeting the minimum standards is recommended. Annex A provides an indication of the potential stages of their introduction. The exact timings will depend on public transport authorities having access to software and funding that will allow automatic production of bus stop information.

2.9 Monitoring

Bus service information should be regularly monitored by its providers. Minimum standards and performance indicators should be specified and reviewed regularly for their appropriateness. Regular monitoring of provided bus service information would help to ensure that passengers have access to the quality of information they seek.

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