QR and TfL Countdown

There are Nineteen thousand, five hundred bus stops in London!

Each one of them is (eventually) going to be upgraded with a new real time bus countdown signs.

If you've got an Internet capable phone, you can get real time information for your bus at http://m.countdown.tfl.gov.uk/. The service has a number of cool features, including geolocation.

The great thing, in my opinion, is that each stop has a unique URL. I can bookmark m.countdown.tfl.gov.uk/arrivals/72073 and check the buses as my train pulls in to Waterloo Station.

At the moment, there's no signs on bus stops to let people know how they can access the countdown page for their location. That needs to change.

Here, I've used the TfL Bus Roundel (entirely without permission) to show a potential design.

The QR code is designed to be stuck on a bus stop information panel and leads directly to that stop's arrivals page.

TfL Countdown Page

Where's the best place to stick this?

The above image is an excellent example of what not to do.

• The code is physically too high for most people to scan.
• No descriptive text saying what the code does.
• Susceptible to dirt and defacement.

It would probably be best to place it directly on the maps provided at each stop.

There may need to be a little rejiggling of the maps to accommodate the code - as well as some tests to see what wording works best to encourage people to scan.

The net result should be something which is suitable for every one of the 19,500 bus stops in London.

It should be fairly easy for TfL to get this going. QR Codes everywhere!

Thanks to Ben Stewart for the idea.

Ben Stewart

@yousability

Replying to @edent@edent can you persuade @TfLofficial to put QR codes linking to the relevant countdown on bit.ly/p8Ddrc on all London bus stops?

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