Audio/visual "next stop" announcements on buses

[JD2168]

I saw this Arriva Enviro 400 on Friday at Leeds Bus Station & thought this is the strangest location for a next stop board I have seen so far upstairs, being on the bottom of upstairs front window grab bar. Most I have seen have been under the stopping sign or at the top of the bar at the top of the stairs.

First South Yorkshire have started fitting the announcement board’s & speakers to the 57/08/58 plate B9TL Gemini’s

 

[joieman]

I saw this Arriva Enviro 400 on Friday at Leeds Bus Station & thought this is the strangest location for a next stop board I have seen so far upstairs, being on the bottom of upstairs front window grab bar. Most I have seen have been under the stopping sign or at the top of the bar at the top of the stairs.

First South Yorkshire have started fitting the announcement board’s & speakers to the 57/08/58 plate B9TL Gemini’s

And is that the actual spot for an NSA display that I see behind the offside front row of seats?

 

[AB93]

And is that the actual spot for an NSA display that I see behind the offside front row of seats?

CCTV repeater monitor on these.

 

[Cesarcollie]

And is that the actual spot for an NSA display that I see behind the offside front row of seats?

Not sure that position below the front screen complies with the regulation. It has to be viewable - if memory serves me right - from 50% of the seats on that deck.

 

[sytransport]

Not sure that position below the front screen complies with the regulation. It has to be viewable - if memory serves me right - from 50% of the seats on that deck.

Technically will be, and they’ve exploited that ruling clear as day here. Front 4 seats will see it and it’ll be viewable every seat in the aisle, as well as the centre middle seat which will take it just above 50%.

 

[Cesarcollie]

Technically will be, and they’ve exploited that ruling clear as day here. Front 4 seats will see it and it’ll be viewable every seat in the aisle, as well as the centre middle seat which will take it just above 50%.

Not sure the front four seats will see it. And as for the inner seats down the aisle, there could well be elbows sticking out, or bags protruding from laps into the gangway. I guess it depends on the way the regulations are interpreted! You may be right, but I’m not sure I’d want to risk it! A high position (say behind the stairwell) is a much safer bet. The few seats forward of this have no visibility, but for those behind there’s a 100% view.

I do accept that downstairs , standing passengers could create the same issue, at least for some seats!

 

[markymark2000]

Not sure that position below the front screen complies with the regulation. It has to be viewable - if memory serves me right - from 50% of the seats on that deck.

The specific rules are "uninterrupted line of sight" for 51% of the seats on each deck, and any priority seats and wheelchair spaces (front facing wheelchair spaces on older vehicles, or all wheelchair spaces on newer vehicles)

The Public Service Vehicles (Accessible Information) Regulations 2023

These Regulations require operators of most local bus and coach services to provide information to passengers about their journeys while they are on the vehicle. Although the Regulations come into force on 1st October 2023, they are subject to a phased introduction so that older vehicles are...

www.legislation.gov.uk

Requirements regarding visual information​

14.—(1) This regulation applies to relevant information which is provided in visual form.

(2) Disregarding any standing passengers on the vehicle, there must be an uninterrupted line of sight between at least one display of the relevant information and—
(a)at least 51% of the passenger seats on the vehicle or, where the vehicle has more than one passenger deck, at least 51% of the passenger seats on each passenger deck of the vehicle; and
(b)each priority seat.

(3) Disregarding any standing passengers on the vehicle, there must be an uninterrupted line of sight between at least one display of the relevant information and—
(a)in respect of a vehicle which is first used to provide local services before 1st October 2024, each forward-facing wheelchair space on the vehicle; or
(b)in respect of a vehicle which is first used to provide local services on or after 1st October 2024, each wheelchair space on the vehicle.

 

[py_megapixel]

You may be right, but I’m not sure I’d want to risk it!

Enforcement of the regulations seems pretty poor anyway

I do accept that downstairs , standing passengers could create the same issue, at least for some seats!

The regulations do specifically say, "in circumstances where there are no standing passengers on the vehicle". I suppose they recognise that it's not really possible to mitigate a situation where a passenger just decides to stand directly in front of the display, which would then obscure it for everyone.
(Notwithstanding the slightly strange phrasing, which feels as if it should be "in the vehicle" not "on the vehicle" - makes me wonder if an earlier draft said "on the bus" and they just did tried to find and replace "bus" with "vehicle"...)

On the other hand, I have seen some buses where it's mounted to the back of the driving cab with a seat directly behind. In that case, a tall individual sitting in that seat can obscure the display for all other seats on the bus!

 

[MCR247]

Even new vehicles place them in badly thought of locations. Nottingham City Transports Ultroliners have a screen above the wheelchair spot that faces most of the passengers. Except, if you’re sat on the same side of the bus as it, you won’t be able to see it at all. Why? Because the backwards facing display for the wheelchair space is directly facing the other one

 

[SSmith2009]

Even new vehicles place them in badly thought of locations. Nottingham City Transports Ultroliners have a screen above the wheelchair spot that faces most of the passengers. Except, if you’re sat on the same side of the bus as it, you won’t be able to see it at all. Why? Because the backwards facing display for the wheelchair space is directly facing the other one

Arriva have this issue with the 74 plate electroliners but the newer 75 plate ones have the rear facing screen and an led screen fitted on the other side which is still visible to both wheelchair bays.

 

[DanielTheEMid]

Transdev also use real voices for their announcements.
As of note, I think the latest Arriva Leicester streetdecks have forgot to install speakers upstairs (I've noticed zero!) because when I did a 74 reg electroliner on 127, only downstairs was working. Hopefully Salisbury Reds and Southern Vectis remember to install theirs upstairs before entering service

Other operators I've noticed in the past: Does anyone know if Blackpool still uses the 3 (or was it 4)-tone before every single announcement? I find that so annoying and needed to be removed.

Does any other operator have like a loud tone (like 2-tone, similar to East Midlands Airport "ladies and gentlemen...") at the very start of the route? I'm aware High Peak do (even Hulleys by High Peak).

Another observation (only happened once), was on one of the 73 reg Mansfield MMC's, even if a bus didn't stop, it still says "this is..." passing it, sometimes cut off as the next voiceover part was played.

Anyway our local network (NCT) now plays an announcement if a bus is on diversion, something they never did in the past. Trent also do but only if the drivers feel like pressing the button.

Yeah transdev are excellent at the announcement systems, they even did commentary on the 840 through goathland. The mobitec displays even do a countdown when at a timing point early

 

[BuhSnarf]

I saw this Arriva Enviro 400 on Friday at Leeds Bus Station & thought this is the strangest location for a next stop board I have seen so far upstairs, being on the bottom of upstairs front window grab bar. Most I have seen have been under the stopping sign or at the top of the bar at the top of the stairs.

First South Yorkshire have started fitting the announcement board’s & speakers to the 57/08/58 plate B9TL Gemini’s

Not only is it a poor place for line of sight, I'd imagine it's a pretty poor placement for getting damaged. Can imagine some of the unsavoury users using it as a foot rest or just plain kicking it where it is there.

Like others have said, though, enforcement of non-compliance is almost non-existent with most of my recent trips being only around 60% compliant for buses newer than 2014 and atrociously low when it comes to pre-2014 which only have 4 months to get everything in order.

Yeah transdev are excellent at the announcement systems, they even did commentary on the 840 through goathland. The mobitec displays even do a countdown when at a timing point early

Transdev have always been excellent at announcement systems. I would say from my experience that Transdev, TfL and NCT are probably the only buses on which I've travelled where I've seldom had a NSA system not working.

 

[MCR247]

Arriva have this issue with the 74 plate electroliners but the newer 75 plate ones have the rear facing screen and a led screen fitted on the other side which is still visible to both wheelchair bays.

This NCT batch of Ultroliners are 75 plates but still have the old placement weirdly

 

[thenextstopis]

I saw this Arriva Enviro 400 on Friday at Leeds Bus Station & thought this is the strangest location for a next stop board I have seen so far upstairs, being on the bottom of upstairs front window grab bar. Most I have seen have been under the stopping sign or at the top of the bar at the top of the stairs.

First South Yorkshire have started fitting the announcement board’s & speakers to the 57/08/58 plate B9TL Gemini’s

Are they having a laugh? Why is it installed so low!
I really don't understand the logic. If it is about not wanting to shell out a lot for a mount, why not just attach it to the CCTV monitor like some National Express Buses do?

 

[py_megapixel]

Are they having a laugh? Why is it installed so low!
I really don't understand the logic. If it is about not wanting to shell out a lot for a mount, why not just attach it to the CCTV monitor like some National Express Buses do?

There will already be a power supply, and wiring from the display controller, in the compartment below the front window because the front destination display is there. So installing the display in that position might be as simple as just drilling a hole, feeding some short wires through from the compartment below, and bolting the whole thing to the grab rail.

It's a silly solution, but I suspect it is in fact the absolute cheapest one that complies with the letter of the regulations.

Incidentally, the vast majority of retrofitted buses I have seen place the lower deck display (or the only display, in the case of single-deckers) near the compartment for the side-mounted destination display. I suspect this is for similar reasons.

 

[polskism]

They were originally installed on the E400s at the top below the bus stopping display, but they were moved to the position that they are at now because they received too many complaints about people banging their heads on it.

 

[DanielTheEMid]

I had been on the PC Coaches 26 plate E400MMC and no system at all is installed on them.

 

[thenextstopis]

I was actually wondering if anybody had any photos/videos/descriptions of older next stop screen before they became mandatory/the expected standard.
I'm curious to see how they've evolved (if at all).

 

[polskism]

Found a few of Arriva's old ones.

 

[thenextstopis]

Found a few of Arriva's old ones.

Thanks very much! It's crazy to see how we've changed...

 

[Fletcj10]

I was actually wondering if anybody had any photos/videos/descriptions of older next stop screen before they became mandatory/the expected standard.
I'm curious to see how they've evolved (if at all).

These are mine dating back to 2017....

Flickr Search — “PIS”

www.flickr.com

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 14 Jun 2026 ==

I was actually wondering if anybody had any photos/videos/descriptions of older next stop screen before they became mandatory/the expected standard.
I'm curious to see how they've evolved (if at all).

Reading Buses started doing Next Stop from about 2007ish on their Olympus buses, audio then started around late 2010 early 2011 with their Enviro 400H's

 

[kevjs]

I was actually wondering if anybody had any photos/videos/descriptions of older next stop screen before they became mandatory/the expected standard.
I'm curious to see how they've evolved (if at all).

Nottingham City Transports' now retired diesel Optare Solo displays - this from 2018



vs the current Yutongs

 

[MCR247]

Nottingham City Transports' now retired diesel Optare Solo displays - this from 2018

View attachment 205952

vs the current Yutongs

View attachment 205953

Not totally retired, still in use on pathfinder 90! Still with the same (first picture) init screens, also fitted to the majority of the double deck fleet apart from the new Ultroliners. I think NCT started using those displays around 2010

 

[BuhSnarf]

Yes, they've got most of their fleet with that early style of display - it also would normally have the CCTV displaying in that blank space under bus stopping.

They are prone to crashing though and I've seen several stuck on a Windows boot up screen.

 

[py_megapixel]

Credit to First South Yorkshire, whose bus this evening displayed the message while waiting at a stop "The bus will wait here to regulate running time".

The audio was not working on this bus (which of course is quite a major problem!) but I imagine there would have been a corresponding audio message if it had been.

They, as with most operators, still have a very long way to go when it comes to the quality and reliability of their information, but it is nice that someone seems to care enough to implement more than the bare minimum required functionality, and that the driver cared enough to use it.

 

[CMDBob]

Something I have noticed about all the Sheffield buses is that the displays only show the second half of the bus stop names. When they were starting to be introduced, they had both parts of the stop name. Seems a bit weird to be honest, but there's probably a reason. Still, the displays are nice when they work.

 

[Simon75]

Something I have noticed about all the Sheffield buses is that the displays only show the second half of the bus stop names. When they were starting to be introduced, they had both parts of the stop name. Seems a bit weird to be honest, but there's probably a reason. Still, the displays are nice when they work.

Ive also noticed that aswell in Stoke-on-Trent/Cheshire East. eg 3 Hanley to Crewe, Red Bull Crossroads (after a pub nearby) its says Crossroads !

 

[BuhSnarf]

Rode a few of Transport for Cornwall buses at the weekend and all of them lacked audio/visual notifications even though they have the kit installed. The rear facing large TFT screens were just displaying notifications such as "bags don't need to go on a seat" etc and the forward facing single line display for the disability spaces was just showing time and date.

 

[DanielTheEMid]

Something I have noticed about all the Sheffield buses is that the displays only show the second half of the bus stop names. When they were starting to be introduced, they had both parts of the stop name. Seems a bit weird to be honest, but there's probably a reason. Still, the displays are nice when they work.

The 53 says the full thing.

 

[Simon75]

Noticed with Stagecoach (Chester/Wirral)

84 (Chester garage) female voice
X1/1 (Rock Ferry) male voice