Bus eco-drive leads to furore
MANY Stockport residents say they are angry after plans to trial online bus timetables were announced.
Paper copies of the bus schedules will be removed from bus stations and Travelshops as part of the eco-friendly pilot.
Instead of the traditional leaflet-style timetable, passengers will be able to scan a QR code on their mobile phone which will take them to a web page containing up-todate information about which services will be arriving and when.
Bosses at Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) say it will mean passengers getting live and more accurate information about services, as well as reducing paper waste.
Although paper timetables will no longer be freely available at the sites, staff will be able to print out PDF versions of the schedule for anyone not able to access the online version during the pilot running until September 30.
However, many passengers have taken to the My Stockport Facebook page to hit out at the idea.
In particular, they cite the large number of elderly people who rely on the bus network, pointing out they may not have a smartphone or be as technologically savvy and point out this could make journeys more stressful for them.
Several people branded it both ‘stupid’ and ‘ridiculous.’
Daniel Zieba said: “What about my 89-yearold grandmother who doesn’t have the facility or the ability to scan a QR code?”
Oliver James Gray said: “So what about the elderly who don’t have smartphones? Public transport is a public convenience, it’s not convenient for people to not know what time their bus is coming.”
Carl N Griffies said: “Stupid idea, not everyone uses technology, it uses barely any paper to print out a timetable that I’m sure is recyclable.”
One user said live departure boards would be much more useful.
However, others pointed to the fact that paper copies would be still be available if needed and that schedule boards at the stops were also not being removed.
TfGM Customer Director Stephen Rhodes said: “While the pandemic and associated government guidance have presented challenges, it has also been an opportunity to reassess how we can best provide information to our customers, as well as a chance to innovate and make use of new technologies.
“The paperless timetable pilot will mean that, as we welcome more people back on to our public transport network, customers can access the most accurate information from our travel shops and bus stations, making their return as smooth and stress-free as possible.
“It will also be a more sustainable method of delivering customer information, substantially reducing paper waste.
“The pilot will be conducted in two locations and customer usage data and anecdotal feedback will be monitored closely throughout the trial in order to gauge success or changes needed before a roll-out to all travel shops is considered.”