TfL trials interactive bus stop technology in Regent Street

London buses

Transport for London (TfL) is trialling real-time travel information tools at a Regent Street bus stop to make it easier for commuters and tourists to navigate the city streets.

The bus stop will be kitted out with an interactive panel displaying real-time information about bus departure times, London Underground network updates and the availability of nearby "Boris Bikes".

Furthermore, the panel will also be able to provide tourists with information about walking routes to local area attractions.

The technology was developed by advertising company Clear Channel UK who plan to analyse the way people interact with the service to improve the quality of information it shares over time.

TfL has confirmed that if the trial is a success, the technology could be rolled out to a number of other key travel hotspots across the capital.

This is another reminder of how technology has transformed how we communicate with our customers and how they want to receive information from us.

The project is being embarked on as part of TfL's Year of The Bus campaign, which aims to celebrate the role the London bus network has to play in keeping the city moving.

Leon Daniels, managing director of surface transport at TfL, said Regent Street was chosen as the trial site because it's a popular destination for commuters and tourists.

"This is another reminder of how technology has transformed how we communicate with our customers and how they want to receive information from us," he said.

"Our customers now rightly regard real time travel information as part of the core service we provide and this is an innovative way we can explore getting information they need to them," Daniels added.

Dave Huckerby, adshel development director at Clear Channel UK, said the project provides a glimpse at what the future of transport technology could look like.

"We're grateful to TfL for working closely with us. Their knowledge and expertise has allowed us to deliver something of real value to Londoners. The next stage of this trial is to monitor and refine the system as people interact with it," he added.

Caroline Donnelly is the news and analysis editor of IT Pro and its sister site Cloud Pro, and covers general news, as well as the storage, security, public sector, cloud and Microsoft beats. Caroline has been a member of the IT Pro/Cloud Pro team since March 2012, and has previously worked as a reporter at several B2B publications, including UK channel magazine CRN, and as features writer for local weekly newspaper, The Slough and Windsor Observer. She studied Medical Biochemistry at the University of Leicester and completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Magazine Journalism at PMA Training in 2006.