November will see the number of times people have scanned QR Codes and NFC Tags at West Yorkshire bus stops surpass 1,000,000.
West Yorkshire Combined Authority fitted unique QR (Quick Response) codes and NFC (Near Field Communication) tags on the bottom left of timetable displays at all of the county’s 14,500 bus stops. When scanned by smart phone they take customers to the web page showing when their next bus is due at that particular stop.
People are now using the tags around 17,000 times per week and with almost 950,000 scans already made, November will see the 1,000,000 mark reached.
West Yorkshire Combined Authority Transport Committee Chair Cllr Keith Wakefield said:
“We know from the feedback we receive that people find it invaluable to have reliable, real-time information at their fingertips and having that information makes them more likely to use the bus. By providing QR Codes and NFC Tags at every stop we have made accessing that information easier.
“Through this and other schemes such as MCard travel smartcards, new Park and Ride facilities, more priority for buses and the Bus 18 initiative with bus operators, the Combined Authority is encouraging more people to catch buses, which in turn reduces the numbers of vehicles on local roads and cuts the cost of congestion to the economy.
“And, more people using buses also helps reduce air pollution.”
To use the quick scan services, people with smartphones need to download a QR Code reader app from app stores such as iTunes, Google Play and Windows Store. Once installed they can simply scan the phone on the QR Code and it will open real-time information for that stop. People with NFC communications in their smartphone can just scan it over the NFC symbol to open real-time information for the stop.
Live, real- time bus information is also available for all West Yorkshire stops via yournextbus on the Metro travel information website at www.wymetro.com(external link), as well as on displays at around 1,000 of the busiest stops.
West Yorkshire Combined Authority is also working to make real-time bus and train information available through the Journey Planner on the Metro website at www.wymetro.com(external link), which delivers 2.5 million pages of travel information every month. Scheduled to be introduced in early 2018, this new development will provide users with live real-time information when they select their bus stop or rail station on the Journey Planner map.
Yournextbus was introduced as a text service in 2005 and then upgraded to provide the live online service most people use today. The service now answers around xxxxx real-time queries every week/month. South Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and York are also covered by yournextbus, which provides scheduled timetable information if real-time information is unavailable.
More information including a video on how to use QR Codes and NFC tags can be found at www.wymetro.com/QRandNFC(external link)