Electronic timetable boards at bus stops are still providing confusing and inconsistent information – ten years after they were introduced.

An Essex County Council report says too few bus firms are signed up to the real-time passenger information scheme, and as a result the messages flashed up to waiting passengers can be “incomplete and difficult to interpret”.

It says the way the hi-tech system was originally set up has made it cumbersome to run, as timetable changes have to be entered manually by third-party contractors.

However, the authors claim real-time info – also known as bus telematics – is a “very good asset” if used well.

The report was drawn up by four members of the council’s economic development and environment policy and scrutiny committee, who volunteered to carry out a review.

The biggest problem they identified was that two different types of information are displayed on the electronic boards at bus stops all over the county.

For the two-thirds of buses that are hooked up to the real-time system through transmitters, passengers are shown an estimate of when the bus should arrive, which alters if the driver is running late.

For the remaining services – operated by 24 firms who are not actively taking part – the information displayed is simply the predicted arrival time that appears on printed timetables.

“This creates a confusing mixture of information for passengers without any obvious explanation at a bus stop,” the report says.

Another problem encountered was that, even though bus timetables are drawn up electronically, all changes to the telematics info must be copied down from the paper versions, by the council’s contractors Siemens Traffic Controls and Atkins.

“Not only is this approach time-consuming, but it does lead to errors, and any changes to timetables may not be reflected as soon as they occur,” the report says.

But it adds: “Ultimately the group was satisfied that when the real-time system works well, it is a very good asset and helps individuals to make decisions based on accurate information.

“It should lead to greater customer confidence, and increased passenger numbers.”

Besides the report, a passenger survey is being carried out to help the council decide how the telematics system should work in the future.