‘Uber style’ system could be trialed on Bristol buses in world first

Being left at the bus stop as a full double-decker drives by could be a thing of the past with Uber-style technology to book seats.

First West of England boss James Freeman says his dream is not far from reality and he wants to trial the “world-first” system in Bristol.

In an interview with the Local Democracy Reporting Service, he revealed how the firm coped with passenger numbers being decimated and how it will adapt as the lockdown is lifted.

With strict social distancing in place, First is already running two buses in tandem on a few peak routes to boost seat numbers, and Freeman said there could be as many as four in a row as demand increases.

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Read more: Social distancing measures to be tested on Bristol buses

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He said: “We’ve tried to reorganise the business to face the challenge of how we protect people from coronavirus at the same time as providing a minimum level of service for the people who need to travel.

“They are essential workers who haven’t got any other form of transport. There aren’t that many – patronage is down to about eight per cent.”

James Freeman says experimental measures to keep people safe are possible if the government will cover costs. Photo by Ellie Pipe

He said First has been reactive to the needs of key workers and changed schedules according to their feedback, in partnership with the West of England Combined Authority and North Somerset Council.

“Buses are still running from first thing in the morning to late at night,” he said.

“Most are completely empty. It’s turned our world upside down. This is about surviving so we can get out the other side.

“It will be a long job to get people back. It will reflect people’s confidence gradually growing.”

First has stepped up its cleaning regime and is looking at how social distancing will be possible on board buses. It is trialling signs to advise passengers on where to sit and will be taping off some areas – steps that limit the number of passengers buses can carry.

Freeman said: “There are 20 seats on a double-decker. That should reassure people there won’t be someone sitting behind them, breathing down their neck.

“We already have two buses, one in front of the other, on the 75/76 routes. That provides the extra number of seats – we could have two, three, four. Four buses would be 80 seats.

“We have the capacity to experiment, as long as someone pays us to do it. With the number of passengers dropping, they have taken a large chunk of revenue. Most costs are being met from the public purse.

“When the lockdown is relaxed we’re expecting to be asked to put on as much as 80 per cent of the service back on. It can only be done if central government is willing to pay.”

Signs are in place to advise passengers on where to sit and some areas of the bus have been taped off – photo: First West of England

In April, Government announced a £167million support package to keep key bus routes running.

One idea that has been mooted for when the lockdown is lifted is staggered start times for businesses and schools, which Freeman is fully behind. Without massive demand at narrow peak times, First could spread out its resources.

Staggered start times have also been endorsed by Stagecoach chief executive Martin Griffiths, who said radical, permanent changes need to be made to infrastructure.

Freeman said: “We’re looking at ways to book journeys. That’s never been possible until now.

“Uber does it that way – what if we applied it to buses? This is me dreaming, but it’s not that far from reality. At the moment we use the app to sell tickets – it’s gone up to 70 per cent of everything we do.

“It’s a dreadful experience being left behind. Booking seats gives certainty to the user and lets us spread out the load.

“The technology exists for on-demand travel. It’s been tried on small buses but no one is doing this anywhere in the world. I’m keen to get a trial going in Bristol.”

Freeman said there are still a few bugs to work out, like the impact on passengers who do not have smartphones.

Looking ahead to when the lockdown is lifted, he said some passengers will never return to buses as they realise they can work from home, but he is confident the growing number of people preferring to drive their own cars will be a “blip”.

“We’ve driven up bus use over the last six years,” he said. “It would be an irony if coronavirus stopped that.

“I don’t think there’s a great appetite for a return to gridlock. Between now and Christmas, all bets are off – then we’ll come back to the issues of sustainability, air quality and living in a city where we use public transport.”

Stephen Sumner is a local democracy reporter 

Read more: Breakfast with Bristol24/7: James Freeman