London iBus

[Mojo]

iBus seems to now be live on buses from Arriva's Tottenham Garage.

The LED screens inside the buses have two lines, the first one saying the next stop, or the route number and destination, the bottom one saying "Bus stopping" if the bell has been pressed.

It seems to work very well, although a few criticisms: -
1. The system doesn't sound natural when saying route & destination (see bus1.mp3)
2. It announces the route & destination as soon as the bus stops, and anyone boarding wouldn't be able to hear it until they're on the bus!
3. It announces the route & destination even if only the exit doors are opened - seems a bit pointless
4. Some stop names seem a bit strange - Severn Sisters station is read out as "Tottenham Town Hall."

Other than that, I think it's excellent, especially if it's dark, or you don't know the area. Having to watch out for signs or landmarks can mean some bus journeys are less than pleasurable. Especially if it means more accurate bus information will be provided by texts or on the stop displays it should be extended to all bus services in the country as soon as practicable.

2 announcements: -
http://www.railwaysonline.co.uk/net/bus1.mp3
http://www.railwaysonline.co.uk/net/bus2.mp3

 

[Guinness]

3. It announces the route & destination even if only the exit doors are opened - seems a bit pointless

Exit doors on most Double Deckers particuarlly Tridents and ALX400s have Wheelchair Ramps on the exit doors, you can tell this by the blue "Ramp Call" button. I presume it announces the Route when the Exit Doors are open for the benefit of Wheelchairs.

 

[Mojo]

Ah yes, I didn't realise that.

 

[Tom B]

I'd much prefer it if they spent the money on maintaining the buses and buying some new ones, rather than on wasteful projects like this.

 

[Mojo]

I believe the money comes from TfL who aren't responsible for bus maintenance - but I think the buses are quite well maintained anyway!

Poor information is certaintly a problem and a deterrant to using buses, and I feel this will improve it
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/projectsandschemes/technologyandequipment/2373.aspx#

 

[RJ]

I went on a bus with this not long ago, I think it was a number 168. It gets boring after a while. Maybe they should spend money on new buses instead of running these dusty 03 reg thingies.

 

[Guinness]

03 Reg?! That's luxury around where I live!!

 

[Lewisham2221]

Indeed Chaz!

Can't be much left in London now with the old A123 XYZ style registrations can there?

 

[Guinness]

Indeed Chaz!

Can't be much left in London now with the old A123 XYZ style registrations can there?

I saw an Y reg the other week I was in London but it was a Metrobus Blue Liverly one so that doesn't count.

 

[Tom B]

Maybe they should spend money on new buses instead of running these dusty 03 reg thingies.

Dusty 03 reg???

First here have 6 53 reg buses, two 02 reg ones, and that's it under the new numbering system, quite literally!

 

[Mojo]

I often travel on the 384 bus when I'm in London, from pics online it seems to be run mostly by 'S' and 'R' reg buses.

 

[332 > 444]

The oldest low floor DDs are DLA1 R101GNW and 17001 p.k.a TA1 S801BWC and they are still running with DLA1 being fitted with a lower rear window.

Spend money on ney buses Tom B?? TfL first praised the central staircase saying it encourages people to move down the bus and go upstairs, now they prefer staircases directly behind the driver. What is seen now is routes up for tender (eg a bus with a central staircase) retained by the operator but have to buy new buses, now thats a waste well Euro 5 has something to do with it as well.

IMO iBus is good, it shouldve been done a long time ago though when GPS became more widespread. First Essex in Southend has had it in operation for a while now! Remember i said FIRST!!

 

[experts]

It's a stupid idea. BUSES SHOULDN'T TALK!

 

[thefab444]

Route.......................................... 41.................................... to................................ Tottenhamhale!



Even I could do better than that... maybe something a little friendlier would be nice too. "This is the Route 41 bus to... Tottenham Hale."

 

[ChrisCooper]

We've had a very similar system up in Leicestershire for quite a few years now, called Star Track. It works on the same principal, using GPS to give real time info on bus stops or by text message, and "next stop" displays and announcements on buses. Sadly it's quite limited, with only a couple of routes fitted in Leicester and Loughborough aswell as the main route linking the two and the Loughborough to Derby via the Airport route. Some of the routes though only have the real time displays at main stops, and there are also a few routes fitted with the equipment at stops operated by buses that arn't (e.g the 4 from Loughborough to Shepshed was originally fitted, but not long after the operator changed and the new operator has never bothered to fit the equipment to their buses, which is odd since the operator is by far one of the best in the area and doesn't shy from investment having bought brand new mini pointer darts for the route since taking it over).
I do think it's a good system when it's working though. The annocements on the buses can get rarther annoying though, with one of those over-enunciated, un-natural sounding, female voiced announcers. Thankfully my local route has just had brand new Optare Tempos and their Star Track has new announcments done much more naturally by one of the DJs from the local radio station, so arn't quite as bad, and the longer distance routes don't have the announcements at all (just the displays).

 

[Tom B]

The oldest low floor DDs are DLA1 R101GNW and 17001 p.k.a TA1 S801BWC and they are still running with DLA1 being fitted with a lower rear window.

Still running? We have several T reg buses and a few N reg ones... by that I mean T as in 1978 and N as in 1974!

 

[332 > 444]

Well London is 100% low floor now and none of these buses are lasting as long in London as Titans, Metrobuses and Routemasters have, some of Firsts TALs that were on the 25 when they had them are going up to Frist Glasgow after only 7 years in service here! (Well after their stint on covering the 297)

 

[RJ]

Route.......................................... 41.................................... to................................ Tottenhamhale!



Even I could do better than that... maybe something a little friendlier would be nice too. "This is the Route 41 bus to... Tottenham Hale."

The last time I was on a 41 near Crouch Hill some inquisitive gangster was trying to get my details . But at least the announcements are to the point.

On a side note, the announcements on a 455 yesterday got screwed up - are they based on how many times the train moves after the doors are shut?

 

[Tom C]

believe the money comes from TfL who aren't responsible for bus maintenance

They don't actually maintain any vehicles apart from East Thames but all the tenders include maintenance money so you can blame TFL for the heaps that are on the road.

 

[Broken Viking]

Hail all!
They've had this kind of thing (Or at least the text displays) on HHA buses in Hamburg for a while, and I've noticed speech being added in the last couple of years, too.

The odd thing about the Hamburg announcements (This applies to the buses, S and U-Bahnen) is that although the announcement is repeated in English for principal stations along the route, the information given in English is not nearly as helpful as the announcements in German. Compare these three S-Bahn train announcements for Jungfernstieg station (The second being an English translation of the original German one):

• Nächste haltestelle: Jungfernstieg. Übergang zur U1, U2, U3, Metrobusse 5, Rathaus und Alstertouristik.
• The next station is Jungfernstieg. Change here for U1, U2, U3, Metrobus 5, Town hall and Alster boat trips.
• Next stop: Jungfernstieg. Please get off here for City Hall and Alster lake boat trips.

So for some reason, the Hamburger Vehrkersverbund have decided not to repeat line interchange information in the English announcements. :eek:
Strange, given that a lost German visitor could easily ask his fellow passengers for help, where the English visitor might not speak enough German...Or other passengers might not speak English.

--- Section I above / Section II below: ---

Having also used buses in the United States, I can say that most transport providers (Especially San Francisco's MUNI) know how to wind up passengers no end. Insted of using a bell or buzzer like on European buses, pressing the request stop button on an American bus causes "Stop requested" to be announced over the bus's PA system, complete with condescending American accent!

Now ye try putting up with that in your ear all the way from Golden Gate western approach to the Mason cable-car turntable! :roll:

--- Section II above / Section III below: ---

The award for the most annoying bus announcement has to go to the strip route in Las Vegas, themed as "The Deuce". This is a shuttle service that connects the main casinos on the Strip with Fremont St and Downtown.

An automated announcement reads out the name of the next stop - Which on it's own would be perfectly acceptable. However, not only does this give a spoken Stop requested announcement as above, but the PA system gives the following yarn every time the bus comes to a halt:

Have fun...Ride the Deuce! Two dollars one way, five dollars all day! Exact change required.
[Pause as computer looks up route on Fisher-Price map]
This Deuce is for Downtown/the Strip. [Depending on direction of travel.]

It doesn't sound like much initially, but there are about ten stops between the MGM Grand and Fremont St...Meaning that by the time you've got off the bus the announcement is going around and around and around and around and around inside your head! :mumum:

...And if ye ask me, $2.00 (About a quid) is a bit steep for a one mile single fare!

Farewell...
>> Death <<

 

[Mojo]

Why should the Germans have to provide information in English in Germany, we don't repay the courtesy for their guests (except on Gatwick Express ) - and the majority of Germans can hold a conversation in English. Shame the opposite could not be said for us Brits for whom a foreign language is only compulsory for three years of schooling...
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

And if ye ask me, $2.00 (About a quid) is a bit steep for a one mile single fare!

Not bad, the minimum fare for First Bristol is £1.10 which would get you a journey within 1 fare stage only.

 

[ChrisCooper]

The thing is though, what with the British Empire and the power of America, English has become the standard language throughout the world, with only French coming close. It does greatly simplify things not just for us, but for everyone else.
Take Germany for example, you won't just have English speaking tourists, but also French, Italian, Scandinavian, East European and many other languages and varients of similar languages (including the many varients of Germanic languages), and of cource Asian and other none European languages aswell. Having multi-lingual signs and announcements for every language though would be stupid, and even then there would still be some missed off, but having them bi-lingual, German and English, or tri-lingual (perhaps French), is much easier. It's fairly safe to assume that everyone would speak either German or English.
This isn't to say that British, even more so Americans, and to a lesser extent (but often much more stubbon with it) French, couldn't do more to learn the language of countries they are visiting, at least the basics. You do have to be careful though. Last time I was in France I was showing off a little with my reasonable ability to speak French, and after asking direction in what must have come across as fairly fluent French, the person replied just like speaking to another French person (fast), and it was so fast I ended up breaking my cover by saying "sorry, I didn't catch much of that at all, can you say it again a bit slower", at which point they smiled and gave the directions again in English. One problem I always had with French was the speed they talk at (listening was my lowest mark at GCSE), I'm sure they talk a lot faster than we do, infact if he'd have given me directions in English as fast as he did French I still think I'd have lost him.

 

[me123]

Monklands have a mixture of buses (not really a bus person so I don't know much). First use anything from T reg - 51, the local buses have been renewed recently and only a few A123XYZs remain.

 

[RJ]

There are finally some decent buses in London. Some of the fresh ones down here have leather seats

 

[Tom B]

What do you mean finally some decent ones?! All London buses are brand new, they then mess them up, graffiti them and wreck them then pass them down to us!

 

[jd]

So for some reason, the Hamburger Vehrkersverbund have decided not to repeat line interchange information in the English announcements.

I fail to see why anybody requires interchange information. It is one of the big mysteries of life.

 

[me123]

I fail to see why anybody requires interchange information. It is one of the big mysteries of life.

It's useful for people who don't know the line very well at all. It can also be very useful for speedy changes, eg "We are now approaching Perth. Change here for the xxxx service to Inverness, now standing on Platform 7".

 

[jd]

So you think people actually get on trains, knowing they have to change, but not having a clue where, and relying on announcements to tell them where to change?

For example, say you knew you wanted to go from Seven Sisters to Notting Hill Gate. I find it hard to imagine that a person would find out that they needed to take a southbound train, and that they needed the Central line, but would neglect to find out where they had to change for the Central line. In reality, you'd know where you had to change. So such an announcement only serves to annoy regular travellers.

 

[Mojo]

The same goes for telling people where to get off for attractions: "Alight here for the British Library" - anyone going there would surely have found out where they're going before travelling.

Same for on National Rail. If you were going from Manchester to Cardiff (for example), you wouldn't juet get on a train in that general direction and change when told to, you'd look it up online, call up NRES, ask at ticket office or consult timetables.

 

[me123]

Well, yes, but it can be hard to remember when to change if you're liike me and are a wee bit thick.