Cartledge – THE DESIGN OF PASSENGER INFORMATION SYSTEMS 1993

Description

John Cartledge’s 1993 paper critiques passenger information provision from the consumer perspective. It documents widespread difficulty obtaining and understanding bus timetables—small type, 24‑hour clock confusion, unclear maps and codes—especially affecting occasional users, older people, women, and other vulnerable groups. Multiple studies and surveys find information standards deteriorated after deregulation; managers acknowledge poor publicity yet invest little in marketing. The paper argues that clear, usable, widely available information on routes, times, fares and connections is essential to restore ridership. While electronic real‑time systems offer future benefits, printed materials will remain important and must be professionally designed and user‑tested. Government and industry responses include Department for Transport studies, potential guidelines or standards, and DiPTAC’s Code of Good Practice on timetable legibility. Annexes summarise extensive research and provide practical design recommendations—type size, layout, day coding, paper, colour, notes and examples of good and bad practice—underscoring the need for consistent, inclusive information to make bus travel accessible and attractive.