Doe – MARKET PLACE 1989

Description

Barry Doe, writing as an expert on bus timetables and marketing, describes his role running the Bus & Coach Council’s Directones Service compiling virtually every UK timetable and producing a public Bus/Rail Guide covering ~1,000 bus services. He sets out criteria for a good timetable: an alphabetical index of places served, system and local maps (or route details), enquiry/ticket information and places of interest. He criticises widespread poor practice—many operators omit maps or indexes, split information into inaccessible leaflets, refuse to post complete sets and have lowered standards by making timetables free. He champions the 24‑hour clock as clearer and argues opponents’ objections are unfounded. Doe praises exemplary timetables (e.g. Midland Red West, ACTION Canberra) and integrated products such as the North & Mid‑Wales Rover, while noting Explorer ticket marketing flaws. He observes post‑deregulation stability as timetable changes fall, encouraging better, more consistent publication standards.