Fiona Harwood (left) and Jenni Wilkinson tune in to Yellow Buses’ new audio announcements.
Yellow Buses has always listened to its passengers – but now it is talking to them as well.
The company has introduced voice recordings on its fleet that announce what the next stop is.
This obviously helps the visually impaired, but also visitors who aren’t exactly sure when they need to alight.
Yellow Buses is the only local operator to have such a system and it is working across the Bournemouth-Poole-Christchurch conurbation.
All the announcements are computer generated and GPS technology determines when they are played to the passengers.
At the same time, details of the next stop are shown on digital displays within the buses.
The system, provided by Trapeze Group UK, is currently in test mode and the Yellows are encouraging passengers to get in touch with their feedback about the audio announcements.
Jenni Wilkinson, Head of Marketing and Customer Excellence, said: “We have introduced the talking information across the fleet.
“We are always trying to improve the service for our customers and want to remove barriers so as many people as possible can use the buses.
“The voice recordings will assist the visually impaired who otherwise might have to ask fellow passengers or the driver.
“It also helps tourists who want to get around east Dorset on their holiday but are not familiar with the routes.
“This is the just latest innovation we have introduced to make using our buses an easier, more enjoyable experience.”
Pic caption: Fiona Harwood (left) and Jenni Wilkinson tune in to Yellow Buses’ new audio announcements.
Note to Editors:
For more information, please contact: Andrew Diprose, Director, Deep South Media Ltd, PR consultants to Yellow Buses, on 01202 534487. Or Ed Baker on 01202 534487 or 07788392965.
About Yellow Buses:
Yellow Buses operates a fleet of 137 buses and 18 coaches with a staff of 450. It carries more than 15m passengers a year with its vehicles operating nearly five million miles across the Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch and East Dorset area. The Yellows are part of RATP Group, the world’s fifth largest public transport provider. www.bybus.co.uk
About RATP Dev:
RATP Dev is the RATP Group subsidiary established in 2002 to export the group’s operation and maintenance know-how outside the historic network operated by RATP in the Paris region. RATP Dev now operates in 14 countries on four continents (United Kingdom, France, Italy, Switzerland, Algeria, Morocco, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, the USA, Brazil, India, China, South Korea and the Philippines). In 2015, RATP Dev is scheduled to generate revenue exceeding €1 billion.
About RATP Group:
With nearly 14 million daily passengers worldwide, RATP Group is the fifth largest urban transport operator in the world. With its 14 metro lines (including two driverless lines), two regional express rail lines, seven tramway lines and 350 bus lines, the multimodal network operated by RATP in the Paris region is the largest in the world to be managed by a single company.
RATP Group can devise, design and implement infrastructure development projects, operate and maintain networks irrespective of the mode of transport (metro, regional train, tramway and bus) and develop innovative services to promote mobility (including passenger information, remote ticketing, pricing and customer marketing). The automation of Paris metro line 1, which was completed at the end of 2012 as a world first, once again demonstrated the ability of RATP Group to implement particularly complex projects.
RATP Group exports its know-how all over the world; in engineering through Systra, its subsidiary jointly owned with SNCF, in operations and maintenance via its RATP Dev subsidiary and in innovative services to promote mobility through its IXXI subsidiary.
RATP Group has a workforce of nearly 60,000 employees worldwide and in 2013 generated revenue of €5.14 billion.
The Business Travel Network, is an initiative set up and supported by Bournemouth, Poole and Dorset local authorities. The BTN offers employers within Dorset FREE practical advice and resources to help their staff access more sustainable travel choices.
