Question of the Fortnight

Time your journeys better (and pay less) in a new “golden age”

Will data sharing revolutionise UK buses in 2020?

Few things in life are as depressing as standing in the rain at a bus stop not knowing how long you’ll have to wait. Technology may not be able to do anything about the weather, but it will soon give you all the information you need to time your journeys to the minute, helping you spend less time getting soaked.

This is what’s promised by a “golden age” for buses. That bold claim, from buses minister Baroness Vere, refers to the Government’s Bus Open Data Service scheme, which will force English bus companies to share their data with other firms.

They’ll have to standardise information about prices, routes and timetables to make it easier for developers to include in their software. These apps will show ‘realtime’ data such as where the nearest bus is, and how long it’ll take to arrive, giving you

“more confidence to ride” (to use Baroness Vere’s rather peculiar phrase).

It’s the kind of data train passengers have been using for years to plan journeys, after rail companies agreed to share data.

The Government also hopes that revealing fare information will increase competition among bus companies, forcing prices down.

To see how you could benefit from this bus data, visit Citymapper https:// citymapper.com, then scroll down and click the Bus icon under ‘Nearby’. You’ll see a Google Map of Birmingham,

Apps will show ‘real-time’ data such as where the nearest bus is, and how long it’ll take to arrive

London or Manchester (whichever is nearest to you) showing the location of buses.

These are the only areas Citymapper currently provides info for, but the Government’s plan will allow it to extend its service to smaller cities, towns and villages across the country. Other developers will also be encouraged to use the data to build apps. The Government expects route and timetable data to be available by the end of 2020, followed soon after by real-time location information.

Vere hopes the plan will reverse years of declining bus use, which has seen the annual number of bus journeys fall from nearly 8.64 billion in 1970 to just under 5 billion in 2019 (half of which are in London).

Not all of this drop is down to passengers actively opting for other forms of transport: in many cases they’ve had no choice.

The Campaign for Better Transport says that more than 3,000 routes have been cut since 2010, partly as a result of reduced funding from local authorities and central government.

Darren Shirley, head of the group, says fewer services lead

to “isolation and social exclusion and hinders access to employment, education and training as people find it more difficult and costly to travel”.

It’s clear that buses still remain essential for millions of people, accounting for nearly 60 per cent of journeys on public transport. But the public doesn’t have much faith in the reliability of the service. Research from watchdog Transport Focus shows that only half of bus users think it’s easy to stay up to date with timetables and fares.

Still, sharing data is a vital first step in making bus passengers feel like they matter to the powers that be. However, there will be no golden age without more buses, and that will require an increase in funding, and perhaps restoring routes that have been axed.

Up-to-date info is fine, but not if all it tells you is cancellation after delay after cancellation. Just ask any train passenger in recent months.