Where the bus loses time, segment by segment

Total journey time hides the problem

A route that has slowed by four minutes over three years tells you nothing actionable. The same four minutes attributed across segments — ninety seconds at one signalised junction, sixty at a stop where boarding has grown, the rest spread thinly — points directly at the intervention. Separating in-motion running time from stationary dwell time is what makes that attribution possible, and it is the core of how we run these surveys.

What we measure

• Segment-level running time between defined timing points, by time of day and direction
• Dwell time at each stop, split into door-open, boarding, alighting and door-close
• Boarding and alighting counts per stop, with payment method where it drives dwell
• Signal delay at each junction on the route
• Time lost re-entering traffic from the stop — the cost of no bus priority
• Obstruction events: illegally parked vehicles, loading, or blocked bus lanes
• Journey time variability, not just the mean, since reliability is what riders experience

Building the case for priority

Bus priority measures compete for road space and need evidence proportionate to that. A survey that shows a specific junction costing a specific number of seconds per bus, multiplied by services per hour and passengers per service, converts a road-space argument into a passenger-hours argument. That is the form of the case that tends to survive consultation.

Frequently asked