Long waits at the bus stop could soon be a thing of the past.

In the near future it is possible that you will know whether three buses are going to come along at once or none at all - even before you leave home.

Technology has been developed that tracks the position of a bus and then transmits it to the Internet.

Tracking devices locate the bus to within 100m

The system is being pioneered in Ipswich where some buses have been fitted with satellite tracking devices that continually monitor their location to within 100m. This information is then transmitted to a central base station and then on to the Internet as well as to display units on selected bus stops.

At the moment the system is being tested on just one route, which runs from British Telecom's research laboratory in Ipswich, to the local railway station.

Many bus companies already use digital displays at their bus stops to provide information about waiting times to passengers.
 

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