New Inn electronic bus stop display.

[TimBrown]

I am nearly two weeks late with this information, but was told by another enthusiast that the electronic bus stop display in the New Inn bus shelter on Ombersley Road has been working since beginning of last week. I had a look this morning and sure enough it was showing the first 37 of the day at 06-43, it also showed the Diamond run 303 departing about an hour later. I am told that the bus shelter display near the Northwick 'cinema' has also gone live. Have the other bus shelters in The City been treated likewise recently and, if so, who is sponsoring them?

[AdamH]

Oh, that's interesting. I'm still on my holidays but I will look out for those when I return.

[MattW]

This is good news - not before time!

[marck]

I was at the northwick vine inn stop today (cinema) it has no live information screen

[TimBrown]

I was at the northwick vine inn stop today (cinema) it has no live information screen

Apologies for the wrong information, it would appear that only the very latest bus shelters have an electronic bus stop display. I studied the one in operation at the New Inn whilst waiting for the 06-43 number 37 into town this morning and there is a very small Worcestershire County Council logo in the top left hand corner with script too small for my geriatric eyes to read. A similarly small running message below the next three timetabled buses reads 'This display is currently showing scheduled departures; Realtime live departures coming soon'. The general layout and presentation matches the electronic destination display style and colour of those which have been in operation in Crowngate Bus Station for some time now.

I looked at all the number 38 bus shelters on the next journey to the Worcestershire Royal Hospital and there appears to be one on Ronkswood Hill outbound and two on the inbound journeys, with one working on the second stop in road outside the hospital and another opposite Sherriff Street. Canterbury Road seems to have only one bus shelter within the estate and one at the City end of this Road, both of which are of the older type shelter and not 'on-line'. The inbound bus stop by Liverpool Road is always well used and might benefit from a shelter if it wasn't for the fact that the dedicated layby is nearly always occupied by cars and light trucks - you can't win them all!

[DD12]

Thanks very much Tim for the info. above.

..... "you can't win them all !" ..... that's a very restrained way of putting it !!

- I'm a bit more "uptight" at the moment about bus service priorities and provision in Worcester !
I know that I should "get a life", but I may have to depend on buses when I'm a pensioner (which starts in 4 years time) .

[TimBrown]

Thanks very much Tim for the info. above.

..... "you can't win them all !" ..... that's a very restrained way of putting it !!

- I'm a bit more "uptight" at the moment about bus service priorities and provision in Worcester !
I know that I should "get a life", but I may have to depend on buses when I'm a pensioner (which starts in 4 years time) .

I guess pensioners have to be philosophical about it and 'go with the flow'; however that great footballer Eric Cantona once said 'only dead fish go with the flow!' I used to write letters to the local Worcester News about a variety of public transport issues but no longer. I realised that I was only scratching the surface and that you need to be part of a larger regional bus users group (which I am not) to influence those who have it in their power to change things for the better (or worse!) and I mean Members of Parliament, City and County Councillors and Company Directors at regional and HQ level.

I still use my bus pass, but a lot less since we lost the evening service in this area, and I also buy a 10 trip ticket for those occasions when I use the bus early in the morning to GP and Hospital appointments. As most buses are back in the garage before 20-00 hours Monday to Saturday with very little out on a Sunday it means that any long journeys inevitably have to be by car, or by car to Shrub Hill and thence by train. Bus enthusiast that I still am, the car gives me flexibility and the independence for one with a disability, so I would be loathe to give mine up short of the medical profession making me do so.

I think the tendered subsidy cuts by County Council under austerity policies instigated at National Government level have a great bearing on this and I cannot see any change in the current levels of service (only a profit led deterioration) so long as we have the current administration and weak opposition. It makes me a little envious of areas such as the West Midlands and Greater London where bus and rail services run more or less 24/7 and OAP's can use their passes over long distances by bus, rail and tram. To reiterate, in this area the car is king and hotly pursued by the myriad taxis in the City!