Dave Arquati wrote:

(snip)

I think announcements when driving conditions permit would be a big
bonus. I've noticed some bendy bus drivers making them. I'd really
appreciate announcements that a bus is going to terminate short -
sometimes they change destination mid-route without telling anyone,
which is extremely frustrating.

The new iBus system should take care of routine announcements for
upcoming stops.


That said sometimes the announcements can be confusing in themselves. I
was on a number 12 going north when the driver received instructions to
stop short of his destination - his announcement was along the lines of
"this bus will no longer be going to Oxford, it will now be terminating
at Trafalgar, to go to Oxford please get on the bus behind me".

I was left wondering whether if I got on the next I really could get to
Oxford for 80p, albeit taking ages and stopping every quarter of a
mile. Meanwhile I wondered what would happen if I stayed put - would I
be transported to south west Spain, even back to 1805! To be fair
everyone seemed to understand his announcement and dissapointingly
no-one else seemed to be even remotely amused.

Another thing I think is a good practice that's only adopted on some
routes is having a black-on-yellow strip on the destination blind
reading "parrtial route" or something similar. This clearly provides a
visual aid to passengers that the bus isn't going all the way
(IYSWIM!).

I'm not sure about the new iBus system - specifically, about the
automatic announcements that'll be part of the system. It could be
really annoying! Perhaps only key stops could have announcements, such
as full (i.e. non-request) bus stops.