The big plan for better buses
(22 votes, 4.41 out of 5)
Loading ...Better information on buses
Knowing when my bus goes, whether I use the internet, or rely on signage at bus stops. Knowing where my bus leaves from and whether it is running to time.
Have you noticed those electronic boards at bus stops? They look really useful, but how many times has the board told you that a bus is due any moment, then it suddenly disappears from the board but no bus has passed? This is because the displays are often just giving information from the timetable rather than real-time updates form the buses. With huge cost of these systems, and the potential for them to do good, this is truly a waste of resources, as well as a source of frustration for us bus users. Bus information is now on the internet, with many apps for smartphones bringing information right to you at the bus stop, there is so much potential to draw together the information and have it available to people right at their fingertips. The internet is all very well but wouldn’t it be useful to have a map too? Bus travel in Glasgow seems to be designed to stop an invading force finding its way into the suburbs. Many bus stops have no indication of where a bus is going and where it stops apart from the terminus. Where is the map showing where the buses can take me and which stop I should use to get the bus to where I need to go? Shouldn’t all bus companies be required to supply maps and timetables for all bus stops, and send real-time information out to the internet for us all to access? How about even showing the ticket prices at the bus stops?
You’re spot on with this one, Patrick. This really used to annoy me in Glasgow. In Aberdeen, I can always find out which bus takes me to a particular place, but in Glasgow I often found myself having to phone up travel helplines to find out, only to be told that one of the buses at the stop outside my flat went where I needed to go. It’s just daft. And yes, those electronic displays are utterly pointless at the moment. At the very least, they could state why a bus is late so people can make up their own mind whether to wait.
It’s obvious why fare information is so poor – it makes it easier to fleece you. If that’s not the reason, then it’s certainly the impression you get.
Hope this campaign has an impact. Here in the east of the City, many buses are of old stock (pre year 2000), regularly unclean, timetables out of date mixed in with current timetables for the same routes, little route information, never fares information and NEVER service changes. Occasionally – once this year so far, I have seen / heard a driver (female) being helpful, most of the rest of the time drivers are at best surly and uncommunicative. Electronic information has yet to reach parts of the east end – maybe too far from head office or something?
I did hear that the route planning for one of our First services is done not even in Glasgow, but in a garage in Motherwell – local knowledge? The recent massive, compared to Citylink and Scotrail, increases on FirstBus have now ensured that I will use other services to travel to the city.
Visit London. they no how to do it.
See Lothian Buses as an example of good (or at least better) practice. All bus stops have a barcode that can be scanned with a smartphone, giving passengers a live countdown to the next arrival, as well as route information.
I appreciate that not everyone has a smartphone, and a simple map and timetable printed and pasted to the bus stop is still required, but if Edinburgh can do it, why can’t we?
Agree totally on signage-have been fighting that one with First bus./councilors Alan Moir/Duncan Cummings.
The digits should be far larger.
Illegibity is amddening-and offputting for users.
I don’t have a smartphone but the
electronic tape info. is inferior to that in Edinburgh which is maddening.
And I couldn’t understand the proposed changes on the website.