Bus stop information-experience in the deregulated environment

In the deregulated environment, where services can, and do, change frequently, the prospective passenger is unlikely to be aware of the services on offer if he or she has to rely upon the traditional timetable. It is now recognised that to attract passengers to services about which they have little, if any, prior knowledge it is necessary to make information available in different and easy to use fashions. The advent of information technology enables operators to provide quality information at all stages of a journey related to their own services, and for passengers to find out details of competing services. This data ranges from information in the home or office before the journey starts, to information presented during the journey itself. Key to this information revolution is the provision of real time information at the bus stop and its integration into a total information system. The author discusses the type of information required by the customer and the technology used to implement the information system