Bus operator First Bus has updated its app so passengers can check if the bus they are planning to catch is full.
The update will enable customers across the UK to live-track the location of their next bus and, as social distancing rules allows fewer passengers on board, information about the available capacity can be accessed.
First Bus is the first major bus operator to roll out live capacity tracking, aiming to reduce uncertainty for customers and allowing them to make informed decisions about their essential journeys.
The app update will show customers a bus icon on a map depicting the live location and available capacity of each vehicle in the locality.
The advance has been made possible by First Bus’s new passenger counting functionality, announced at the end of May. Data from this system feeds directly to the First Bus app in real time. This app update coincides with First Bus doubling the number of buses operating across England. First Bus expects to be able to increase service levels across its networks in Scotland and Wales in the coming weeks.
To further support social distancing and in addition to passenger-counting, seats on each bus are now clearly marked indicating where customers should sit.
Giles Fearnley, Managing Director of First Bus, said, “We are really proud to have been able to fast-track this technology to ensure safe, informed travel during these difficult times. Our buses provide an essential service for our customers and we are doing all we can to support them.”
