TfL announces new digital improvements to the bus network across London

Story by Joe Acklam.

TfL has today announced it will be installing 300 new bus countdown signs across the capital by the end of the year and trialling new digital displays. 

These new developments are part of an effort to provide more real-time information to those using buses, through the new countdown boards and tablet-sized "greyscale" information signs that provide information about when buses will arrive and can help visually-impaired users by giving the information audibly. 

These new signs will replace the paper ones and will show: live bus arrival times, digital timetables, and route maps and it has buttons on it that if pushed will relay the information audibly. 

The big trial is on the number 63 bus route, running from Therapia Road to King's Cross Station, on which all bus stops on the route will be fitted with tv-style screens in the bus shelters which display live mapping, signs that show whether buses have spare seats, wider travel information, as well as the standard arrival times of the next bus. 

These developments are part of Sadiq Khan's plan to improve the bus service across London with the expansion of ULEZ, with this increasing the number of countdown boards by 12% and outer London borough which have the fewest will see the biggest increase. 

Louise Cheeseman, TfL's Director of Buses, said during the launch of the Bus Action Plan last year: "Investment in buses is imperative in dealing with the climate crisis and cleaning up the toxic air that is damaging our health. 

"Our red bus network is fundamental to preventing congestion and, more widely, is a catalyst for unlocking homes and employment in London, as well as creating green jobs across the UK. 

"Buses are already an efficient, convenient form of public transport and London has the largest green bus fleet in western Europe, but we need to raise the bar. 

"The Bus Action Plan sets out how we will meet the challenges now and into the future, making buses cleaner and greener, more efficient and an option for all our city's diverse communities. 

"Ultimately, it's about making the bus the natural choice over the car."