McKenzie – KNOWLEDGE AND AWARENESS OF SCHEDULED BUS TIMES 1986

Description

This Transport Studies Unit study surveyed 1,832 bus users at stops in Aberdeen, Oxford and the West Midlands to assess awareness of scheduled bus times and information needs. Only 33.3% of respondents claimed to know the scheduled arrival of their next bus; nearly half (48.4%) relied on personal experience as their information source, with formal timetables and displays used far less. Many passengers (48.1%) felt exact arrival times were unnecessary. Awareness varied little by age or sex but was higher for frequent trips and time‑sensitive purposes (work, education). Accuracy was poor: just 28.3% of those claiming knowledge were exactly correct, and 24.7% would miss an on‑time bus if they arrived when they thought it was due. Knowledge correlated inversely with service frequency (lower frequency → greater knowledge), but no single frequency threshold emerged. Perceived headways often diverged from actual ones—tending to be overestimated at high frequencies and underestimated at low—suggesting scope for improved information provision to enhance passenger perceptions.