BETTER information for bus passengers could be on its way to Cam and Dursley, after pensioners were left waiting in the cold for a service which never arrived.

Gloucestershire County Council is looking into installing a real time passenger information system (RTPI) at Cam and Dursley rail station and May Lane bus station.

Campaigners began calling for change after it came to light that pensioners had been left waiting in the cold for a bus that had been cancelled.

The Gazette highlighted the issue back in February, after elderly passengers, who rely on the 65 bus in Coaley, were left stranded, unaware that their bus had been re-routed around the village after a road closure in Nympsfield.

A spokesman for Cam and Dursley Transportation Group (CDTG) said that live information display boards were a way around this sort of situation happening again.

Although the digital displays are available at many bus stops across Gloucestershire, there are currently none in and around Dursley.

So Dursley town and county councillor Loraine Patrick asked the county council to take action.

Tom Main, transport operations manager at the council, told the Gazette: “Funding is now available so we are carrying out surveys to find out if it is technically possible to provide RTPI systems in Cam and Dursley.”

CDTG welcomed the news and chairman Cllr Wendy Thomas said she hoped passenger information boards would be installed at all bus stops, not just at the rail station and May Lane bus station.

She said: “This information is widely available in cities and larger towns across the country and should be available in rural areas as well.

“It will give bus passengers far more confidence in knowing if/ when a service will arrive.

“This is crucial especially for those without a smart phone, and will potentially increase rider-ship levels.

“For example, those who arrive at Cam station might not need to pay for a taxi or call a friend for a lift if it is clear that a bus will arrive shortly.”