Brand New iBus announcements coming?

[jaig]

Today, something so unexpected happened on the 23 bus. There was major traffic on Edgware Road and so the driver used an iBus announcement to announce that the destination had changed - unexpected part is that the voice was not Emma Hignett's!! Does anyone know the name of this voiceover artist and perhaps why these announcements have been changed without Emma Hignett? I made a video to show these announcements courtesy of a 23 bus driver who played quite a few announcements so that I can record them!!

https://youtu.be/5Yrct00jdCA

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[Bletchleyite]

The thing that gets me about the "destination has changed" announcement is that it isn't immediately and automatically followed by "this bus is now <route> to <destination>". This leaves passengers guessing for a while until that is triggered after the next stop. It seems a huge gap in the design.

"The next bus stop is closed" could also be improved by specifying precisely which one is closed. And there could do with being one for diversions automatically triggered when iBus can't follow where the bus is (which is when you get * on the display).

 

[jaig]

Yes, I agree, but mostly with the 'change of destination' announcement - people are just left confused as to where the bus is terminating if the driver doesn't use his tannoy!!

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The thing that gets me about the "destination has changed" announcement is that it isn't immediately and automatically followed by "this bus is now <route> to <destination>". This leaves passengers guessing for a while until that is triggered after the next stop. It seems a huge gap in the design.

"The next bus stop is closed" could also be improved by specifying precisely which one is closed. And there could do with being one for diversions automatically triggered when iBus can't follow where the bus is (which is when you get * on the display).

Yes, I agree, but mostly with the 'change of destination' announcement - people are just left confused as to where the bus is terminating if the driver doesn't use his tannoy!!

I prefer Emma Hignett's announcements because these ones sound very amateurish compared to Emma's more professional-sounding ones. Btw I hope she becomes more recognised outside of London, for example, by announcing at UK wide train stations and on UK bus networks (I'm sure this is already done on one bus network outside of London - but needs verification).

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Here we go: https://youtu.be/PnKkgV68IO8 - Emma in Tyne and Wear

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[prod_pep]

"Please listen for furver information."

Unprofessional is definitely the word.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

Last time I has to get a bus I don't think that there was even a visual "next stop" display working. When I last had to regularly get a bus it was hit and miss as to whether the system picked up the correct stop (more miss then hit)

 

[jon0844]

"Please listen for furver information."

Unprofessional is definitely the word.

Most likely a PR exercise by TfL to use local voices, rather than posh ones - even if they aren't as clear.

Was it FGW or National Express they got a local Essex lad doing announcements on trains along the GEML?

 

[londonbridge]

Don't like 'em! Amateurish and unprofessional. Give me Emma over those examples in the video any day.

On a different note, whenever I hear Phil Sayer I sometimes wonder how my fellow passengers might feel if they knew they were listening to the voice of a dead man.....

 

[Busaholic]

New development on iBus is to show a 'visual image' of the next stop as an aide memoire. I believe these may be in use on the electric BYDs on the 507/521.

 

[jaig]

New development on iBus is to show a 'visual image' of the next stop as an aide memoire. I believe these may be in use on the electric BYDs on the 507/521.

Yes, but on all of the rides I've taken on those brand new electric buses, the iBus has not been on for some reason, but with the addition of 66 plate buses on that route now, I think they may be on and functioning properly, well I hope!!

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[Busaholic]

Yes, but on all of the rides I've taken on those brand new electric buses, the iBus has not been on for some reason, but with the addition of 66 plate buses on that route now, I think they may be on and functioning properly, well I hope!!

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Some of the drivers apparently have an issue with the equipment on these buses, so it could be that they have unilaterally made a decision to not operate iBus or, maybe, the union have got involved.

 

[jaig]

Some of the drivers apparently have an issue with the equipment on these buses, so it could be that they have unilaterally made a decision to not operate iBus or, maybe, the union have got involved.

That would be such a waste of money lol

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[Deerfold]

Yes, but on all of the rides I've taken on those brand new electric buses, the iBus has not been on for some reason, but with the addition of 66 plate buses on that route now, I think they may be on and functioning properly, well I hope!!

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All TfL buses are fitted with the equipment - if there's a screen then everything will have been fitted as that's the last thing to go in.

Contractually the operator is supposed to report any faulty equipment to TfL within 24 hours. I'd suggest reporting anywhere it's regularly not on.

There seems to be some confusion about what iBUS is, this is not just the system that announces the next stops, but the system that tracks and reports back on the bus. If iBUS is not working at all then the operator will have to explain that they had a faulty bus out if they want to get paid for operating the journey. If it's just the OBNSS screen not working the driver may have turned it off. They are only supposed to do this if it is providing incorrect information.

 

[Busaholic]

All TfL buses are fitted with the equipment - if there's a screen then everything will have been fitted as that's the last thing to go in.

Contractually the operator is supposed to report any faulty equipment to TfL within 24 hours. I'd suggest reporting anywhere it's regularly not on.

There seems to be some confusion about what iBUS is, this is not just the system that announces the next stops, but the system that tracks and reports back on the bus. If iBUS is not working at all then the operator will have to explain that they had a faulty bus out if they want to get paid for operating the journey. If it's just the OBNSS screen not working the driver may have turned it off. They are only supposed to do this if it is providing incorrect information.

Thanks for clarifying that. I think it's the screen provided to aid passengers we're talking about.

 

[GatwickDepress]

Gosh, the amount of snobbery over a local accent! It's a bus service not the Queen's Speech. The focus is on intelligibility.

 

[nottinghamcity]

Gosh, the amount of snobbery over a local accent! It's a bus service not the Queen's Speech. The focus is on intelligibility.

When TrentBarton first introduced stop announcements at the launch of Indigo, many moons ago, they used some female local TV type, with the most hideous squarking voice. The effect was like someone scraping their fingernails over a blackboard at each of the many dozen stops between Nottingham and Derby. Thankfully she was replaced on the first refit of the buses!

 

[jon0844]

Gosh, the amount of snobbery over a local accent! It's a bus service not the Queen's Speech. The focus is on intelligibility.

It's also likely to be cheaper if you do the voice recordings in house, perhaps using a member of staff already employed who is asked to take a few hours out here and there, than hiring a professional.

The problem is that you only end up realising why voice artists can charge a lot of money.

 

[telstarbox]

New development on iBus is to show a 'visual image' of the next stop as an aide memoire. I believe these may be in use on the electric BYDs on the 507/521.

Interested to see what a non-visual image would look like...

 

[Busaholic]

Interested to see what a non-visual image would look like...

'Visual image' was the term used by the London General bod, which was why I put it in quotations. Actually, you could well have a non-visual image, eg a voice intoning 'it's the stop where all the local dogs go to pee that's opposite a particularly rank kebab shop', which would provide a picture of sorts.

 

[jaig]

Interested to see what a non-visual image would look like...

Dot-matrix?

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[Deerfold]

Dot-matrix?

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How is that not visual?

 

[Bungle965]

It's also likely to be cheaper if you do the voice recordings in house, perhaps using a member of staff already employed who is asked to take a few hours out here and there, than hiring a professional.

The problem is that you only end up realising why voice artists can charge a lot of money.

Yes TPE did their announcements in house. Not only that but it also makes it easy to make amendments if needed.
Sam

 

[jaig]

How is that not visual?

Not as visual as a map

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[Bungle965]

Not as visual as a map

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However it is still visual.
Sam

 

[Via Bank]

Emma Hignett on Twitter has indicated that these new voices aren't replacing the full set. Emma remains the main voice, but some of the "special" announcements have been re-recorded by bus drivers.

The new iBus screens mentioned above on the BYD/AD electrics on the Red Arrow routes are very impressive. Not only do they list upcoming stops, they also list upcoming departures when approaching a NR station (presumably pulled from Darwin.)