New digital information screens added to busy bus stops in Banbury

The council has already installed the real time information screens at stops on Chepstow Gardens and Bradley Arcade and has plans to introduce them at stops near Horton Hospital, Chatsworth Drive shops, Bridge Street, Middleton Road Tesco’s, and Beaconsfield Road shops.

The TV-style screens will show passengers constantly-updated timetable information, including how long until the next bus, making using public transport easier for residents.

Plans are also underway to create green roofs at eight bus stops. These mini gardens are specially designed to encourage biodiversity and help bring greenery back into urban areas.

The roofs will be in place on some main road bus shelters by next spring and will be planted with wildflowers that aid and support bees and other wildlife.

Leader of the council, Kieron Mallon, said: “The town council wants to encourage the use of public transport, and improvements such as RTI screens are a way of doing that.

“Green roofs are a further step in the council’s commitment to tackle climate change.

“The RTI system tracks each bus and compares its actual location with where it should be. The system is, therefore, able to calculate how long it will take each bus to reach all of the stops along its route. Buses send updates as they travel their routes, so the system is very accurate.”

The council looks after 61 bus shelters and will be working alongside Oxfordshire County Council to complete the work within the next 12 months. Work is also being conducted to refurbish and repaint the remaining 33 bus stops.

Cllr Mark Cherry said: “As a local councillor for the Ruscote ward, I wanted to personally thank the transport team at Oxfordshire County Council headed by Dave Harrison and former bus strategy cabinet member Cllr Duncan Enright.

"I know a lot of work has been done to get this over the line. This will give the people of Banbury who use the bus route updates by way of digital displays when bus timetable information changes or there are any delays.”