Selection,Design and Evaluation of Bus Stop Information

Abstract

The purpose of the project was to determine the content and lay-out of information to be presented on bus stops in The Netherlands.

Three phases are distinguished in the work of the project team: (1) determine the need felt for the presentation of a number of information items at bus stops, (2) evaluate the usefulness of the different items selected by a user's sample, and compare the merits of lay-out variants when necessary, (3) propose a final selection of the information items and lay-out of the information, taking into account practical and financial constraints.

The initial selection of the information items was mainly based on the outcome of a questionnaire (1000 bus passengers) and interviews with bus company personnel.

It was decided to determine, in a user's test, the usefulness of some of the information items proposed and especially to compare the effectiveness of two lay-out variants of the main information item i.e. the timetable. The two variants differed only in the way in which the departure times for all lines calling at a bus stop were presented.

The ‘continuous’ format presented the departure times for all lines in the same table in a chronological order. The ‘separate’ format presented the departure times for each line in a separate table. The currently used timetable was included in the test as a third variant.

About 700 inexperienced bus passengers participated in the user's test. They were asked to find the departure time for the next bus leaving for a given destination. Each passenger solved two equivalent problems using only one of the three lay-outs. In addition the level of understanding of trip duration information and the concept of limited stop services was determined. At the same time data were collected on the effect of some layout aspects.

The overall results showed that the ‘continuous’ time table variant gave the least errors. Problem solving time for this variant was second best behind the ‘separate’ variant. The difference between the solving times of the new variants disappeared when subjects solved the second problem. The error level of the three variants did not change from the first to the second problem.

With regard to the other subjects of investigation, the user's test showed that the way of providing trip duration information was not much of a help. The limited stop services facility was well understood. The information about the other, lay-out related points, could be incorporated in the final proposal. This proposal distinguishes between six functional types of bus stops each with a different set of information items.