Rail and bus passengers deserve better information about how busy services are likely to be in order to help them maintain social distancing, the user watchdog says today.
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Transport Focus is calling for more operators to provide accurate and reliable data about crowding and encourage more people to seek it out through journey planning apps.
It adds that as services get busier in the coming weeks, information should be updated frequently to ensure passengers can trust it. Operators are also urged to provide personal ‘proactive alerts’ to passengers if their services are disrupted or likely to be busier than normal.
A recent survey from the watchdog found that nine in 10 people would find it useful to have information on how busy services are at the current time. And even when Covid-19 is less of a risk, more than eight in 10 say they would find this information useful.
“Reliable information can help passengers plan, avoid busier services and make social distancing easier,” said Transport Focus chief executive Anthony Smith. “It’s vital that more transport operators share this information and keep it up to date so people can make informed decisions.”
Train operators who already offer crowding information include South Eastern, which has a ‘Seat Finder’ tool and London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway which offer a ‘How busy is my train’ tool. People using LNER and Transport for Wales Rail trains can access similar facilities.
On the buses, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority has hundreds of real time displays at bus stops allowing passengers to see how busy their service is. First Bus uses data from ticket machines and drivers counting passengers to provide an indication of the number of socially distanced seats available. Go Ahead Bus has a live bus tracking tool that allows passengers to see how much space is available.
Rail Delivery Group director Robert Nisbet said train companies are doing everything possible to help people travel with confidence, through better information about how busy trains may be, personalised alerts on journey planners and reservations on long distance trains.
But he added: “As more people return to the network, it may not always be possible to socially distance on every journey, so we’re asking people to plan ahead if they can, try to travel at quieter times, leave extra time for their journey and avoid busy interchanges.”
(Photograph: IR Stone - iStock / Transport Focus)
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