A maximum 45-minute bus ride to work from anywhere within the county is the target for Gloucestershire County Council's Integrated Transport Unit.
Passenger transport manager, Alan Barret said: 'If people realise that the bus can take them where they need to go faster than the car – and without all the associated costs – then you’re half way there'.
There’s also an economic case, he continued. 'Statistics show that the value of transactions in the city of Gloucester is greater from bus users than car drivers. The people spending their money here, and helping local businesses and the local economy to grow, are bus users.'
Hi-tech tools the unit is developing for the scheme include a talking app for the sight-impaired and a community transport app, which tracks users as well as vehicles – 'so we can tailor our services better', Mr Barret said.
He pointed to a 'massive untapped market' in the Gloucester suburb of Brockworth.
'It's only by using real time passenger information data that we found this out,' he added.
Transport Technology Officer, Nick Bauer is using the same data to inform major infrastructural decisions, such as the building of new bus lanes.
