Bus travel en route to greater efficiency with data service

THE boredom while waiting for a bus could soon be over, as passengers will soon be able to plan their journey down to the minute.

Baroness Vere, the buses minister, has announced new “transforming” project the bus open data service, which will enable bus passengers to estimate journey times, plan routes and understand travel costs in advance.

Information on routes and timetables will be available from early 2020, followed by location and fares data by 2021, in a bid to encourage more people to choose buses. Baroness Vere, said: “Buses are the most frequently used form of public transport – to get to work, to the library, to the doctors or to see family and friends.

“By harnessing the transforming power of data and technology we could be on the threshold of a golden age for buses. Sharing data on routes, bus locations and fares will give passengers even more confidence to ride.” The new regulations will make it easier for people to use the bus to visit friends, commute to work or get out and about in their local community by providing live information on location, and helping to keep fares down by providing greater transparency across different operators.

Developers will be able to add the information into existing apps or develop their own new products to keep passengers informed.

While some bus operators and local authorities already publish route and timetable information, there has not been a standardised way of publishing fares and ticketing data to date.

Only half of bus users think that it is easy to stay up to date with timetables and fares, impacting the number of journeys taken and the user experience, according to Transport Focus.

David Sidebottom, director at Transport Focus, said: “Making it easier for passengers to find bus times and fares is good news. Ensuring that information is accurate and timely will be crucial to the success of the open data service.”