A number of residents have contacted me about the new touch-screen bus information facility at the bus stop west of the Queen's Hotel. The comments by one constituent highlights the issues faced by users of what should be a welcome addition to public transport information services :
"The touch-screen bus info one strikes me as something which may look great and logical to someone indoors at a desk, but actually using it on site is another matter - it took me over 5 minutes to check through services (timing myself to see).
As far as I can see the only advantages over a "paper version" are a spoken facility, better backlighting, and easier to update centrally without changing sheets - but if the information can't be easily accessed in the first place, that's not much use. Please, let this be improved (and working properly) before it is rolled out more generally."
Having used the facility myself, I agree that getting to the detail of a particular service is convoluted and not user-friendly and there's a clear issue about reliability (the system is 'out of order' at times).
I contacted the City Council's Head of Transportation about this matter, who has responded as follows :
"These units are on trial in Dundee. We are giving them a soft launch and will be undertaking customer perception testing. I agree that the units have not been 100% reliable as I have seen them (and reported them) out of action, in particular at Queens Hotel stop. But this is a trial and this is where we discover issues not known or expected.
I suspect that I-Phone / Android / Smartphone technology is overtaking the need for this type of unit - with a paper timetable giving a better and speedier reassurance than the need to touch screen.
I would not be supportive of any system that requires more data provision. All our systems that we have worked hard to build up are based on the enter once use many times principles."