Define – BEYOND MAPS AND TIMETABLES – PENETRATION OF LOVERS, PRAGMATISTS & PHOBICS 1993

Description

April 1993 London Buses research assessed how well current maps and timetables meet users’ needs and which information services are worth developing. Face-to-face interviews across London found 40% were frequent bus users (who also used the Underground); light users favoured cars. Respondents divided into Map/Timetable Lovers, Pragmatists and Phobics: about 20% avoid maps and 25% avoid timetables; map/timetable lovers skew male/ABC, phobics skew female/C2DE. Confidence is high on familiar routes (mean 8.22) but falls on unfamiliar ones (6.02), with buses showing the largest confidence drop versus Underground or car. Over 70% rarely consult information before travel; ownership of maps/timetables is low. Information outside buses is seen as adequate, inside buses is lacking; preferred improvements include visual stop indicators, DMI, inside/outside information and a freephone helpline. Recommendations: target pragmatists for testing, develop “spoonfeeding” initiatives for phobics, then proceed to qualitative refinement and a 500-person quantitative phase.