Better Transport

Too often, information about buses is hard to come by. People who use the bus regularly might know when it goes, where it goes to and from which bus stop it leaves.. But people who are trying that bus for the first time, or visiting the area, may be very confused. With a bit of effort you could help your area have been bus information.

What’s the problem you’re trying to solve? Do other passengers agree things could be improved? Can you show there is a problem, for example, by listing bus stops where no information is provided or taking photos?

Find out who is the officer responsible for bus information and promoting bus use in the local transport authority. Tell them about the problem you’ve found and ask them to take action to sort it out.

If your transport authority doesn't want to improve bus information, remind them that they have a duty to provide people with information about public transport.  The Government’s Place Survey records how satisfied people are with local transport information and local bus services. On average, only about half the population is satisfied, but there’s quite a range: 29% of people in Sevenoaks are satisfied with local transport information whereas 70% in Brighton and Hove are; 29% of people are satisfied with local bus services in East Dorset whereas 69% in Newcastle are. Download results from the Communities and Local Government website for your own area and show them to your authority. 
"Quite a bit can be achieved with micro-campaigning on bread-and-butter points," says Aidan, who has improved local bus signage.Talk to your parish council or community council about providing better information – they have the power to publish information about bus services or help others to do so.

Remember, bus information needs to tell people who've never taken the bus before what they need to know. Too often, bus information is just a timetable that only regular passengers can understand – or even worse, there’s no information at all. New passengers need to know straightaway where the bus is going and when. Many authorities provide a public transport map for the area online, but often the bus stops themselves do not provide the information people need. Pressure from you can change this.

Be sure to look at our general bus campaigning tips and to use bus facts to support your work. 

• Increased reliability
• More priority for buses
  
• Better stations and stops  
• Clearer signage 
• Low-floor buses
• More buses 
• Lower fares