Maidenhead & Windsor

Bus passengers in the Maidenhead Royal Borough are in line for 'the real thing' when it comes to up-to-date information on local services.

Maidenhead council, in conjunction with Courtney Coaches in Maidenhead, and First In Windsor, will be introducing computerised real time information at selected bus stops to give passengers accurate details about when their service will arrive.

The services included in the scheme are:

Windsor: Number 77 from Windsor town centre via Slough to Heathrow
Maidenhead: Number 6 from Maidenhead town centre to Windsor via West Windsor
Number 7 from Woodlands Park to Maidenhead town centre and back.

This is the first phase of a pilot scheme prior to it being extended to other routes and stops, including others in Ascot, Maidenhead and Windsor in due course.

Electronic information boxes showing the number and time of the next buses are being installed at nine key bus stops – the first stage of the programme – with the aim of going live in Maidenhead in mid-January and in Windsor a month later. The start in Windsor is to coincide with First introducing newer buses in the town, so the real-time information will coincide with the arrival of the more modern vehicles for a really up-to-date service.

Around the same time Maidenhead council's website www.rbwm.gov.uk will introduce real time information relating to these three routes so users can key in their bus route and stop – and get not only the scheduled timetable but the actual time their bus will arrive. And text fans will also be able to access real time information at their fingertips.

Cllr Antony Wood, lead member for traffic and transport, said this was a major development in the council's commitment to making life better for bus passengers and helping
to reduce congestion across the borough.

He said: "Making improvements that will encourage more people to use our local bus services is a key priority for the council and real time information will be a boon for passengers.

It will mean people can see at a glance when their bus is due and those who live near bus stops will even be able to access the information in the comfort of their own homes through their PC or telephone.phone They can then nip out and catch the bus as it arrives."

The nine bus stops in the first wave of real time information are:
· Frascati Way, Maidenhead (both sides)
· High Street, Maidenhead
· Woodlands Park
· Dedworth Road, Windsor (outside and opposite Tesco)
· High Street, Windsor (two stops)
· Peascod Street, Windsor.

Part of the funding for this phase of the project has come from Section 106 contributions from Legoland Windsor and Cllr Wood said it was an excellent community use of developer's money that would benefit hundreds of people every day.

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead