'I normally avoid bus travel... this new Ride app may have changed my mind'

JOURNEY MADE EASIER BY THIS NEW-STYLE ELECTRONIC HELPER

- By LOUIS CORBETT

I'VE never liked getting the bus. Their irregularity and the number you have to catch to get to the place you want to go have always put me off.

However, in December, Nottingham and Derby's city councils launched the Ride transport app, which one of the team members involved in its creation describes as “revolutionary”.

The app, endorsed by the East Midlands Combined Authority (EMCCA), collates real-time information on public transport and serves as a journey planner for travel across the entire region.

And I thought I should put it to the test.

Does it work? Is it all it makes out to be? How easily can it navigate me from Derby to Nottingham on the bus? Could it change my opinion on buses for the better?

There was only one way to find out.

I punched in our office address in Nottingham from my home in Derby.

Immediately, it showed me a variety of options as to how to get there - including a “multi-mode” option that takes in cycling.

But with no bike at my disposal, I opted for the top result - the Sixes 6.3 from Allestree to Derby bus station, the Red Arrow to QMC, and the i4 from QMC to Maid Marian Way.

The 6.3 wasn’t due to arrive for another 15 minutes or so, and the app told me I didn’t need to leave the house for a few more minutes, which gave me enough time to potter about a bit before making the short walk to the bus stop.

I arrived just in time - the app’s ability to predict my walking speed so that I arrived within a minute of the bus was rather uncanny.