Installation of new Real Time Information (RTI) kit to bus stops across Portsmouth started in March. While the coronavirus outbreak has temporarily halted installation, many new units are now switched on and working.
The impressive kit includes RTI screens at 13 interchange locations (currently displaying coronavirus information); 120 units in bus shelters, and 20 pole-mounted units at bus stops without shelters.
Real Time Information provides live bus arrival times at the bus stop, and takes into account any delays to services. Larger screens at interchange locations display the range of destinations available by bus from that stop, and will help people when planning their onward journey.
Pole-mounted units have ‘text to speech’ technology installed on them which, when activated, announces the content of the screen. This enables passengers with visual impairments to access bus times.
Once complete, Portsmouth will have RTI in 230 of the city’s 550 bus stops.
QR (quick response) codes have also been added to over 600 bus stops in Portsmouth. This means that live bus timetable information is now available at every single bus stop in Portsmouth. When scanned by smart phone, QR codes show you when the next bus is due at that particular stop.
RTI upgrades across Portsmouth, Havant and Waterlooville were funded through Tranche 1 of the Transforming Cities Fund. A funding decision has not yet been made on Tranche 2 of the Portsmouth city region bid. Instead, Portsmouth has been invited to bid for a share of £117 million with Norwich and Stoke-on-Trent. We are now working on our bid, and will submit this to the DfT at the end of June 2020.