It’s difficult to navigate the bus system without Google Maps; reducing our reliance on external apps with better information design
Can we navigate Sydney’s bus services without external help, like using apps or Google? If we cannot, then that might suggest the current bus stop information we have is inadequate in helping its users. Here are my observations with what is wrong with Sydney’s bus stops:
- Navigating Sydney’s bus system requires a high level of previous/tacit knowledge, making it very unfriendly for new users
- Without using TripView or Google, it is difficult to know which bus to take or where to alight. In other words, the information provided within the stops are inadequate in supporting user needs.
- More specifically, Sydney’s bus stop signs provide very little information about each service. They only headline either key stops or terminal points – but nothing about the exact stops nor suburbs that are less significant which they still pass through. Take the above image for example: the bus stop on Pitt St has many different services that around the city – namely, other bus stops on Pitt St. However, because there are no extra information and details for each bus services beyond key locations & terminals, it is difficult to know the difference between exactly where on Pitt St each bus goes to.