News
25 Jul 07Bus Times At The Touch Of A Button
Borough of Poole has launched a service that will enable bus passengers to access bus times on their mobile phones anytime, anywhere, making bus travel as easy and convenient as ever.
Borough of Poole's Transportation Services is working in partnership with Wilts & Dorset 
Bus Company to offer the service throughout Poole which sends a text message direct to passengers' mobiles telling them when the next bus will arrive.
The mobile text service will provide up to the minute information through the Council's 'Real Time' system, provided by Trapeze UK Ltd . This uses satellite tracking to constantly estimate the arrival time of buses.
This information is currently only available to passengers via electronic departure screens at 110 bus stops on major routes in Poole.
The new service means passengers will now be able to access accurate bus times at all of the borough's 800 bus stops.
Every bus stop will be assigned a unique seven-letter code which will be displayed on distinctive signs being put up at each stop over the next couple of months.
Mobile phone users will be able to text this bus stop code to 84268. In response, they will receive a text stating the times of the next three buses from that stop.
Users of the service will also be able to save the bus stop codes to their mobile phones so they can access real time information at their convenience - such as at home, school, out shopping or on the beach.
In addition to providing "Real Time" information on most Wilts & Dorset services, the message will also give scheduled times for other operators such as Yellow Buses .
The scheme is a first for the region and is jointly funded by the Traveline service. Calls will cost 25 pence plus standard network charges.
Cllr Ron Parker, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Local Economy, said: "The aim of this service is to make bus travel more flexible for all, even those with the busiest of lives. We hope this technology will encourage those who do not currently use buses to give them a try."
Julian Mclaughlin, Head of Transportation Services, said: "This is an exciting new initiative which will improve the bus users' experience tremendously. Now if people are busy shopping or enjoying leisure time with friends, they can find out when the next convenient bus is due without having to stop what they're doing."
Chris Harris, Public Relations Manager for Wilts & Dorset, said: "We are proud to be involved with this scheme, which will be of major benefit to the travelling public."
Details of the new text service and how to get the bus stop codes are available here.
Directgov