Project to share bus data announced

Bus passengers across England will soon be able to plan their journeys down to the minute thanks to a pioneering project to share bus data.

Buses Minister Baroness Vere said that move will standardise and openly publish information from operators, which will enable bus users to plan routes, understand costs in advance and predict bus arrival times.

Transport Focus has previously claimed that 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.

Information on timetables will be available from early 2020, followed by location and fares data during 2021, encouraging more people to choose buses by making them easier to use than ever. This in turn should improve connectivity for communities and boost the environment as more people turn to public transport.

Baroness Vere said: “We know the value of our buses - responsible for around 12 million trips a day, they take us on the everyday journeys that make up our lives. But we want to create a golden age for our buses, and we can only do this if passengers find them easy to use and understand how much journeys will cost. This pioneering project will bring transparency to passengers, boosting bus use and helping the sector thrive – just one example of how government is harnessing technology to make journeys across the UK greener, easier, safer and more reliable.”

The announcement follows the government’s recent announcement of new low-fare, high-frequency ‘Superbus’ networks, Britain’s first all-electric bus town and contactless payments on every city bus.