Council looks at introduction of smart bus stops

COUNCIL finance officers are being asked to produce costings for an electronic overhaul of key bus stops in Perth and Kinross.

The l ocal authority i s considering the introduction of bus tracker screens displaying up-to-the-minute i nformation about scheduled services.

It coincides with a new study of smart technology bus stops across the wider Tayside region.

The move towards realtime i nformation ( RTI) boards in Perth and Kinross has been proposed by local Liberal Democrat councillors and could be put forward during next year’s budget.

Kinross-shire councillor Willie Robertson said: “The lack of real-time information at major bus stops makes life hard for the travelling public.

“Standing in the cold at the Kinross Park and Ride, for example, you could be waiting for a bus which is coming all the way from Inverness.

“You are never sure when it will arrive or even if it will arrive. The technology now exists to provide real-time information as to where the bus is.

“This allows the travelling public to make informed choices.”

Depute provost Willie Wilson said: “I would like to see RTI boards at Broxden park and ride and at major bus interchanges such as South Street and Murray Street in Perth.

“These information boards are in use in most of the UK and Europe, so why not in Perth and Kinross?”

He added: “It should be a thing of the past that passengers have to stand and wait for a bus without knowing when it will arrive.”

The council’s public transport unit has been asked to provide costs for the installation of boards at park and ride sites, as well as other locations in Perth.