Transport campaigner backs gadget set to make bus travel more convenient

First Manchester has launched a system that allows passengers to find out exactly when their bus will arrive.

After testing the technology, Councillor Noel Bayley said he was impressed.

Cllr Bayley, who represents Sedgley and is Bury Council's representative on Transport for Greater Manchester’s bus network committee, said: "It's early days, but I really like the look of it.

"It is a major step forward and I think bus users across Bury will welcome this technology with open arms."

First has installed GPS trackers on all of its Greater Manchester buses so their location can be pinpointed at anytime.

The data is fed back to the First Manchester website, so passengers can log on and see how many minutes it will be before their bus arrives at a particular stop.

Mobile phone users can also access the up-to-date information while on the move by downloading an app for free.

Major changes to buses serving Whitefield, Pilsworth, Unsworth and Prestwich in recent years have led to complaints from passengers about buses turning up late or not at all.

On one occasion, Cllr Joan Grimshaw joined campaigners at Manchester Town Hall in a bid to bring out change and First Manchester has now tweaked service numbers and timetables in an attempt to make the system more efficient.

Cllr Bayley said: "At its worst, it wasn't unusual for someone to be waiting an hour for a bus with no idea whether it would show up or not, and that is simply not acceptable. Things have improved but there are still problems.

"The new system means that people know exactly when their bus will turn up and that is a forward step."

First Manchester's business manager Adrian Worsfold said: "This investment provides real-time information for our customers as well as making our services more convenient and easier to use.

"I'm sure these new products will be welcomed by customers and attract even more people to using First buses."