TfL has also published a response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request outlining plans to use new technology to enhance bus safety.Highlights of the agenda papers for Transport for London's Safety, Sustainability, and HR Panel - 12 February 2025:
— CLondoner92 (@CLondoner92) February 14, 2025
"Trials for a sensor-initiated safety message, seat counter display, and Routemaster "Ding Ding" sound are planned for 2025."https://t.co/EccRHa7X2m pic.twitter.com/eCZJx8tepz
Request ID: FOI-0014-2526
Date published: 08 May 2025
Question 1. Any documents related to the development and implementation of the Sensor-Initiated Safety Messaging Project.
Answer: The requested information is exempt from release under sections 41 (information provided in confidence) and 43 (prejudice to commercial interests) of the Freedom of Information Act. The supplier has been very clear that they consider the information to be confidential, which TfL accepts. Section 41 is absolute. Section 43 is qualified, meaning that we have to consider whether the overall public interest rests in the exemption applying and the information being withheld or in releasing it in any event.
TfL recognises the need for openness and transparency in the operation of our business, and the fact you have requested the information is in itself an argument in favour of release. However, in this instance we believe that the balance of public interest lies in favour of withholding the requested information, as releasing it under FOI would open TfL up to legal action for a breach of confidence, at a cost to the public purse. Release of such information would also prejudice the supplier’s commercial interests, putting into the public domain information that would be of value to its competitors. For these reasons we believe the overall balance of public interest rests in the exemption applying.
Question 2. Documents related to the market engagement activities for the Upstairs Seat Counter Display and how this feature will be incorporated into the buses.
Answer: Again, some of this (the supplier responses) is commercially sensitive for the same reasons as set out above. However, we can provide the following:
TfL_scp_002495 Bus Innovation - Find a Tender – the Prior Information Notice (PIN) released to the market;
Also, please find attached the final MSQ questions; the technical questions sent to suppliers, and; an email sent with further information and clarification questions. Names and contact details have been redacted under section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act, the exemption that protects against the unfair release of personal data.
The feature will be trialled on buses on a route with a bus operator. If independently evaluated as successful in encouraging customers to sit upstairs, TfL will look to add this into the next phase of the Bus Safety Standard, which will set out the requirements for new buses entering service in 2027, 2030 and 2033. How this will be incorporated into buses is still to be determined by trialling the winning supplier’s equipment.
TfL has provided a link to the UK Government's tender website, where it is seeking a supplier to deliver bus innovations designed to improve safety standards.
TfL_scp_002495 Bus Innovation
II.1.4) Short description
The Mayor's Transport Strategy (2018) and Vision Zero action plan (2018 and progress report in 2021) set out Transport for London's (TfL) bold commitment to eliminate all deaths and serious injuries from the transport network by 2041. As part of this, we committed to ambitious targets to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on, or by, a bus by 70 per cent by 2022 against the 2005- 2009 baseline and for no-one to be killed on, or by, a London bus by 2030. The Bus safety strategy (2023) sets out our priorities to ensure that we deliver on these targets.
Bus occupants (customers and drivers) account for the highest proportion of serious injuries in terms of casualties on, or by, a bus, making up approx. 50 per cent. Customer safety is the focus of our current Bus Safety Innovation Challenge and involves working with operators and innovators in the field to shortlist, trial and fully evaluate pioneering technologies, with the aim of influencing passengers to carry out safe behaviours while travelling on London buses.
One of the innovations TfL would like to trial to influence passenger behaviour and reduce slips, trips and falls is an upper deck seat counter display. This will aim to encourage physically able customers to sit upstairs by visually displaying the number of available seats on the upper deck at the front of the bus where passengers board. This should be a simple 'seat counter' display, with the number of seats available clearly shown. We would additionally consider options that allow for this information to be communicated audibly, though the visual display is an essential requirement. TfL are aware there will be variety of technical options available to achieve an accurate count of the available seats on the upper deck and will consider all options proposed by suppliers.
The trial will likely take place on 10-20 London buses (detailed methodology not set at this stage) and will be robustly evaluated by an external supplier already appointed by TfL. Please consider the trial size detailed here when completing the MSQ. If the trial is deemed successful in influencing passenger behaviour and reducing incidents, the innovation may be something that will become a requirement in the Bus Safety Standard (BSS) for new London buses entering the fleet (however please note that TfL does not directly procure or endorse specific products, preferring to set a performance outcome requirement specification for bus manufacturers to meet).
The Early Market Engagement will seek views on a number of aspects, including supplier and service provider appetite, capacity and capability, as well as gauging the general level of interest in this opportunity.
Tracking bus capacity is not new for buses in the UK.
Back in 2014, TfL trialled an on-bus passenger counting system as part of its 2014 Business Plan, which stated:
We are also planning to trial on-bus passenger counting using CCTV to reduce bus overcrowding on specific routes. This displays the number of vacant seats on the bus to encourage people to use the upper deck if seats are available.
‘Bus Services in London’
Response to the London Assembly Transport Committee’s Report - 14 May 2014
Following the Committee’s report we will now publish annually the number of passenger journeys and the level of bus-kilometres operated on each route, starting with the 2013/14 data.
More detailed measures of occupancy
Our surveys are invaluable in supporting the service planning process at route and corridor level. However, they are not suitable for consolidation into an aggregate measure reporting how busy the network is. An effective method for this would have to be based on automatically-generated data as the cost of a survey-based process would be prohibitive.
Such data is in principle possible using on-board automatic counters. However, these would also be expensive if fitted to a sufficiently large sample of vehicles. Following the example of the rail industry and London Tramlink, bus-weighing is being investigated together with automatic passenger counting through CCTV, but we consider that these are unproven in a bus context as yet and in some cases would also require new equipment. Our initial investigations of good practice in other cities worldwide confirm these findings.
With Oyster card data, we do not currently have information on passenger alighting points, which is necessary to estimate loads. Work to develop techniques for this is already underway.
It was trialled again in 2018 on seven buses.
• The data could be used to improve services, provide better real-time travel information and help prioritise investment across London
• All data collected will be automatically anonymised and no individuals will be identified
TfL is beginning a three-month trial to identify how best to automatically count passengers on buses. The trial, which will begin on Friday 8 June, will assess which techniques capture passenger numbers in real time with the most accuracy. This could enable TfL to improve its services, provide better real-time travel information and help prioritise investment - all while being cheaper and more reliable than current manual counts.
A better understanding of how full London's buses are could mean:
• Customers are provided with improved real-time information for better journey planning and information such the available accessible space
• More effective management of the bus network, helping to ensure any unplanned diversions minimise passenger disruption
• Better bus planning and forecasting for the future, including allowing buses to better support London's growth
The trial will run on seven buses and will assess the following automatic counting techniques:
• Cameras aimed across the bus floor observing the footsteps of passengers getting on and off the bus
• Real-time analysis of existing safety camera footage
• Sensors over each door of the bus
• Analysis of the changes to the buses weight and air pressure
• Use of depersonalised WiFi connection data
All WiFi data collected during the trial will be automatically depersonalised at the point of collection. No browsing data will be collected and no individuals will be identified. Buses trialling the CCTV, sensors or WiFi techniques will display posters to ensure passengers are aware of the trial and further information is available on TfL's website.
Looking at First Bus, during the COVID-19 pandemic (early 2020s), they provided real-time passenger capacity on their smartphone app as part of the social distancing measures.
Stagecoach also offers a service on their smartphone app to show which buses are busy or less busy.
Routemaster Ding Ding sound
Question 3. Documents related to the planning and trial phases of the original Routemaster Ding Ding sound, including the rationale for its use and its integration into current bus systems.
Answer: All such material is exempt under section 43(2), for the same reasons as set out above. In terms of rationale, the original Routemaster Ding Ding sound was chosen for the trial as it will resonate with older customers who travelled by bus in London when these buses were in operation. Older customers are most at risk of serious injury through slips, trips and falls on buses. We hope by hearing the sound it will prompt all customers to hold onto handrails or find a seat. The Routemaster bus is part of London’s transport heritage and the bell sounds are often remarked upon by customers. It is a simple way of potentially triggering the desired response, however whether it is effective in doing so is central to this project. The trial is not using any integrated equipment as it is a proof of concept trial only. If this trial is independently evaluated as successful, TfL will look to carry out market engagement to take this project to the next stage with consideration of including it in a future iteration of the Bus Safety Standard.
The proposal to bring back the ‘ding ding’ sound from the AEC Routemaster on modern buses as part of a trial seems like an interesting concept. Moreover, while physical conductors won’t return, it would create more of a 'virtual conductor' for London buses by incorporating this feature.
This concept is similar to how the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) uses the ‘ready to depart’ chime, which notifies DLR captains (currently known as Passenger Service Assistants) to depart the station. Of course, the DLR has a rail accessibility exemption for door closure warnings, as consulted on by the UK Government in 2019.
This goes to show that I believe TfL is acknowledging, from my previous article, that creativity is key to improving bus accessibility and making them more attractive.
Here’s an old video I found on YouTube of the AEC Routemaster in action, with the conductor making the ‘ding ding’ sound.
Video by 'Public Transport UK'.
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