An exciting project by the Council to improve the bus network on all the routes across the city centre is making excellent progress.
Hundreds of bus stops on these routes are being improved to make public transport more convenient and accessible.
Raised boarder kerbs will help everyone to get on and off the bus more easily, whether they have mobility issues, small children or heavy loads. 170 stops now have these new kerbs, with a further 210 being completed next year. During 2014, all existing shelters are being replaced with a new design, which was the result of a public consultation last year.
Shelters are also being planned at other locations which are popular with passengers, but don’t currently have one in place.
Making the best use of technology is a substantial part of the improvements. The introduction of transponders on the buses will enable them to transmit their location as they travel around the City, giving up to date arrival times.
Passengers will be able to access this information on Real Time Information displays at the busiest stops, via the internet and smart phones allowing them to plan their journeys more accurately from the office, home or while out and about.
Councillor Caroline Roberts (Lib-Dem, Newbridge), Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “The travelling public in Bath deserve modern bus stops, which make buses accessible to everyone. The Council’s introduction of technology on these routes will result in people being able to plan their journey better using Real Time Information and the new shelters will also make waiting for a bus more comfortable, particularly when the weather is awful.
“Because of the large number of stops we are improving, we are undertaking the kerb works and preparing sites for the shelters first. The overhaul of so many individually designed stops can’t be done in one go”.
From the New Year, the first shelters will be delivered in batches, so in the meantime people will understand why the stops are at different stages of improvement.
Better bus routes are part of the Bath Transportation Package which represents a £27 million upgrade of the city’s transport network. It aims to help tackle traffic congestion, improve air quality, and provide the infrastructure needed to support new homes and jobs for local people.
All City Centre bus routes, along with the Park & Ride routes will benefit from the improvements.
Improvements in numbers:
- 420 – total number of stops to be improved;
- 170 – number of tops that will feature Real Time Information displays;
- £27 million – investment into Bath’s transport services to create the conditions for economic growth, tackle traffic congestion and improve air quality;
- 170 – number of stops with raised kerbs so far; the rest to be completed in 2014.
