CO0125 Travel Information Website

Essex County Council’s (ECC) aim is to increase the number of people travelling by bus. Our research shows that the cognitive load required to switch from car to bus is high in Essex. This procurement is part of a wider project to improve access to information so bus and non-bus users can easily make sustainable choices, as outlined in ECC’s Bus Strategy, the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) and Enhanced Partnership Scheme.

The website will be developed to provide seamless access to all bus information, journey planning tools, maps, bus stop information, school transport provision, English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) passes and ticket information. It will provide residents with a choice over private forms of transport, such as car. For current bus users it would show the latest changes to their services. For a new resident, or someone who has no knowledge of bus services in Essex, this website will provide one site for them to self-serve for information.

The website will also have a secure area which will improve how Education Transport, Adult Social Care Transport, Children Social Care Transport and Local Bus information is shared between ECC and bus and taxi operators. Transport suppliers will be able to self-service information relevant only to them. This approach will improve security, improve communication between operational teams and suppliers, and reduce officer time spent sending information manually.

The successful supplier will be asked to work with stakeholders to develop a bus webpage which provides seamless access to all bus information, journey planning tools, maps, bus stop information, school transport provision, English Nation Concessionary Travel Scheme passes and ticket information. It should act as a front end, bringing together data which is stored across different physical locations/servers across Essex’s diverse make-up of Operators and Central/Local government sites.

The Portal will also need to work across multiple platforms, including mobile, desktop and tablet. It should be compliant with accessibility requirements for public sector bodies and should be developed in line with the government service standard.