September 1, 2020
Catching the bus in Nottingham is now even easier after we upgraded 102 of our real time displays this summer.
Displays which show when the next buses are due have been upgraded throughout the city centre and key locations such as QMC and the two universities to include many more features to help passengers get around:
- Better, more consistent information – displays now show the service operator and have icons for key locations, such as hospitals, universities and sports grounds. There are also more options at our end so we can provide as much information on screen as possible.
- Cancelled services will no longer just disappear – cancelled services will remain on screen, stating ‘cancelled’, so that you know for sure what’s happening with your journey.
- Displays are anti-glare, anti-reflective and have sun-readability – they also adjust to ambient light levels to make it easier to read at all times of the day, whatever the weather. Based on feedback from passengers, we’ve increased the font sizes of the live journey information and service disruption page to make it clearer to read.
- Each sign operates on a sim card basis – the use of modern 4G (and eventually 5G) networking is a more efficient method of communication compared to the previous private mobile radio network. It allows the displays to communicate back to us when there’s an issue with journey information getting through to the sign, so it’s an incredibly valuable way of checking if the signs are displaying the correct information.
And that’s not all – look out for new wayfinding totem displays and multi-line journey summary boards coming soon in the city centre, and at our busiest locations, including the QMC, City Hospital and the University of Nottingham.
The totems are due to be installed later this year. The fully interactive displays will not only show users live bus data, they also offer journey planning to help you get from A to B in the most efficient way.
Each totem can provide local maps and journey options. They even provide a handy QR code that if you scan will copy your journey straight to your phone so you can have all the relevant details with you for the entirety of your journey.
By upgrading our real time signs and introducing wayfinding totem displays we hope to make using public transport easier and more desirable than ever.
The upgrades and new totems have been funded following a successful bid to the Transforming Cities Fund.