Hull Interchange ‘needs upgrade... and high time it had a clock’

Electronic display boards which show information which disappears when departure time comes round leaving some people thinking they have missed the bus and too few seats, are among the irritations for passengers using the Interchange on Ferensway, which was only completed in 2007.

Long queues snaking round the bus waiting area, lack of signage and the lack of clocks have been highlighted ahead of a meeting next week.

Tory councillor John Abbott said the city compared unfavourably with facilities at Leeds and should do better as it makes its bid for UK City of Culture 2017.

Coun Abbott put a motion to Hull Council last year calling for better connectivity between rail and bus, real-time passenger information and a better lay-out.

Since then the council, which manages the bus concourse, has spoken to operators East Yorkshire Motor Services and Stagecoach to get their views and their findings will be discussed at a meeting next week.

He said: “There are times when it is irritating – you simply need to be able to make a decision on the basis of reliable information and sometimes the system will not let you. It won’t tell you exactly when the next bus is and from where, particularly on Bank Holidays.”

Hull Council admits “simple measures” like a helpdesk and providing printed information at the bus stands would help and a large, modern clock could provide “practical and aesthetic benefits”. But it will depend on whether funding is available.

However, a report says providing real-time information on display systems at the Interchange is “difficult” unless all buses are running to schedule. “As soon as buses swap over between services or vehicle workings the forward prediction is lost,” it adds.

The council’s assistant head of service for transport and asset management, Graham Hall, said: “We are looking at a help desk and providing information at departure points, but we need to get some hard costings.”

The commercial manager at EYMS, Bob Rackley, said there were limitations to the physical changes that could be made as the interchange was housed in a train shed. Putting barriers in and more seating would block the flow of passengers on the concourse.

He said: “We are not going to redesign it from scratch, but perhaps some small improvements wouldn’t go amiss.”