Hull City Council has upgraded its Omnibus publishing software, which will help it reduce the time and cost of creating accurate bus stop displays.
The local authority has been a long-standing user of the supplier’s OmniSTOP solution. It has now implemented OmniSTOPdesign, a configurable template system which reduces the time and expense of creating accurate and well-presented at-stop displays.
The upgrade follows a public consultation which identified the need for easier to understand information, real-time bus data and user-friendly journey planning tools as part of the city’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP).
The solution provides ‘full design flexibility’ and will be used to create tailored templates that fit the space available on bus stop infrastructure. QR codes will be generated for each stop, giving passengers a way to access real-time data through a smartphone.
Kerry Ryan, Strategic Transport Manager at Hull City Council, says that ease of information is vital in Hull, where low car ownership and high deprivation mean bus use is high. “We are always looking to remove any barriers people may face when accessing public transport,” she adds. “One of the aims of our BSIP that OmniSTOPdesign will support us with is to provide passengers with easier to understand at-stop information, which is timely, accessible, informative and user-friendly.
“OmniSTOPdesign has the capability to allocate templates to specific stops and batch produce PDFs for all displays, greatly speeding up production time.”
Adds Peter Crichton, Founder of Omnibus: “We are delighted to provide Hull City Council with a solution which improves efficiency and enables it to offer its customers enhanced stop displays in line with its BSIP objectives.”
