Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is exploring new ways to provide bus passengers with real-time travel information – including NHS patients, staff and visitors – as momentum towards delivering the integrated Bee Network continues to build.
New digital passenger information displays are currently being tested in Manchester city centre as part of a pilot, with two further sites due to be added as part of a six-month evaluation.
The long-term plan is for electronic departure boards to be installed at key locations across the Greater Manchester bus network to assist customers in making their journeys.
TfGM is working alongside three industry-leading suppliers of digital technology to test hardware and software. Customers and accessibility groups will be engaged at the test sites so that passengers can have their say on what they feel is the best solution, and to allow for a better understanding of their requirements.
Through Greater Manchester’s £1.2bn City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) in partnership with the government, funding has been allocated to deliver live information displays at key locations across the bus network.
Vernon Everitt, Transport Commissioner for Greater Manchester, said: “Our plan for the integrated Bee Network includes world class safety and customer experience standards across all forms of public transport and active travel.
Real-time travel information, audio-visual announcements and a new Bee Network app will play a key part delivering a joined-up system, and I am delighted that TfGM is working with market leaders to find the right solutions for the people and businesses of Greater Manchester.”
TfGM has also been working with NHS partners to encourage public transport use amongst staff, patients and visitors at hospitals and GP surgeries throughout the region.
In 2022 a number of online and in-person public engagement events took place which allowed TfGM to gain more insight into what customers would find most helpful for journeys to healthcare using public transport and, more generally, into what could be done to increase greater use of more sustainable transport.
As part of this, sustainability leads from Manchester’s NHS foundation trusts were shown TfGM’s plans to help improve real-time bus information through the use of electronic departure boards.
Work is also progressing to install real-time bus departure screens at several hospitals in Greater Manchester, with the first live information displays expected to be operational in Spring 2023 at Wigan Royal Infirmary, Wythenshawe Hospital and the Manchester Royal Infirmary.
New dedicated webpages have also been created on the TfGM website to help facilitate patient travel, with the intention that links to those pages can also be included on patient appointment letters.
Sean Dyball, TfGM’s Head of Customer Experience, said: “We know how important up-to-date and accurate travel information is to making the Bee Network accessible for everyone travelling in Greater Manchester.
“We will be delivering lots of improvements in the months ahead, and the feedback from our customers will be really important in helping us to continually improve our services.”
