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Essex County Council brings public transport information to the streets of Chelmsford

21 August 2006

Chelmsford 21 August 2006 - Essex County Council today launches a pilot network of public transport information kiosks in the main public hubs of Chelmsford, providing residents and visitors to the town with free, fast and accurate travel information and local services.

Seven Cityspace 'Smart Columns' five at outdoor on-street locations and two inside County Hall - represent one of a number of measures being undertaken by the council to deliver improved transport services to the public in Chelmsford, and, if deemed successful, are likely to be rolled out across the county.

County Councillor Rodney Bass, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transportation, said: We place a high priority on the provision of quality, reliable and user-friendly public transport information, and on-street access is seen as a crucial way of providing this to the travelling public.

I hope this pilot project will encourage more people to use public transport, and if successful, the feasibility of rolling out a network of Smart Columns' across Essex will be explored.

The idea of an on-street service was conceived following the Essex County Council Annual Public Transport Customer Satisfaction Survey in 2005 when the findings showed that 96% of respondents who had seen the real-time bus information signs considered them to be useful or very useful. It also highlighted the increasing role of technology in providing travel information, for example through the internet or mobile phones.

Following a formal tender process, the County Council selected Cityspace, the UK's leading provider of urban digital networks, to install the seven pilot 'Smart Columns' and provide full maintenance and management over a five year contract. Cityspace has developed and deployed a range of Smart street furniture as part of a number of innovative and successful transport networks around the country.

Carrying Essex County Council's branding, the 'Smart Columns' provide the travelling public of Chelmsford with free access to a range of valuable, real-time and interactive digital travel services. A large LCD display screen clearly broadcasts real-time information, travel and disruption news affecting Chelmsford, whilst a touch screen service offers users journey planning, timetables, a taxi-finder, access to the County Council's website and local area maps with a print facility for useful later reference.

We are delighted to have been selected by Essex for this important transport information pilot, says Guy Wolfenden, Director, Cityspace Transport.

At Cityspace, we are dedicated to improving the passenger experience and have found that easy access to accurate transport information and services goes a long way to encouraging people back onto public transport and out of their cars.

The display screen messaging will be initially managed by the Essex Traffic Control Centre at County Hall as part of an integrated travel information and control service. In the longer term, it is anticipated that real-time bus service information will be added via a feed from the bus Telematics system.

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