Why Better Communication Matters for Better Public Transport

Operations move buses, communication creates experiences – bus services need to do both, and here’s how.

A bus can arrive on time. It can be frequent. It can be electric. It can tick every operational box. But an often-overlooked question is how did the rider really feel about using the service? A clear announcement can ease anxiety. A polite conductor can build trust. A simple message about a delay shows respect. When information is shared clearly and when communication is thoughtful, a rider begins to feel confident and in control.

But they also want to be heard, whether it be feedback on route suggestion or a complaint about a faulty light at a bus stop. This dialogue, as it were, is the sweet spot of being well informed and heard that the journey becomes more than just getting from point A to B, it becomes an experience people value. It builds trust, and we need it now more than ever to bring back our community of bus riders. 

When information is shared clearly and when communication is thoughtful, a rider begins to feel confident and in control.

Why is it so important to build this community again? Nearly 390 million people in India rely on buses every day, making it the most preferred form of public transport in the country. But ridership numbers are on a decline. In Chennai, daily bus passengers have dropped by nearly 29% in ten years, and in Mumbai, it’s down by 13% since 2016. Meanwhile, some cities like Pune have seen ridership remain stagnant, even as their bus fleets have grown. We are seeing these patterns across India. These numbers are now telling us that someone who once waited at the bus stop is probably booking a taxi; or maybe the family who relied on buses is now squeezing onto a two-wheeler.

Operational challenges such as aging fleets, limited budgets, staff shortages, and political pressure are real. And with more comfortable alternatives like metro, app-based rides, and private vehicles, people are naturally choosing convenience, certainty, and comfort over buses.

Consequently, most operators are in “survival mode,” focusing on keeping buses running and hitting operational metrics. Clearly, operations by themselves are not winning people back. What we needed is to pair operational efforts with a better rider experience.

Communication is the backbone of network reliability 

This is where communication becomes a powerful tool. In a survey covering more than 20 cities and with over 50,000 responses, just under half of commuters say it’s hard to find public transport information online, and another 22% responded that not having information at all stops them from using it. Lack of information or poor communication should not be a reason why people turn away from buses.

Communication influences how clearly riders understand their bus service, and how well bus services understand a rider’s concern. But it cannot be an afterthought; it needs to become an integral part of a bus service in order to improve a rider’s experience. This experience can directly affect ridership, trust, and public perception. Operations move buses. Communication creates experiences.

Lack of information or poor communication should not be a reason why people turn away from buses.  

With this at the core, ITDP India and GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit) with support from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) launched the Reaching Your Riders (RYR) programme to support 10 State Transport Undertaking (STU) and Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) build their capacity on developing communication strategies and piloting interventions based on the simple framework: Inform, Promote, Engage.

Inform: give people real-time updates 

Commuters need the right information to plan their journeys. They want to know when a bus will arrive, which route to take, how much tickets cost, and whether there’s a delay or disruption. This information should be shared both digitally and offline. Some integrated apps like Chennai One and One Delhi are doing a good job of helping commuters buy their tickets, plan their route, track their bus with real-time information, and provide customer support. Cities like Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kochi, and Bengaluru too have similar technology. But there are still gaps – real-time information isn’t always available, tickets don’t always work across different transport modes, and there’s plenty of room for improvement for the user interface of the app.

Commuters need the right information to plan their journeys. They want to know when a bus will arrive, which route to take, how much tickets cost, and whether there’s a delay or disruption.

However, as not everyone uses a smartphone, the bus stop itself is an important source of information. Clear signboards with route and network maps at bus stops is essential, and agencies like Capital Region Urban Transport (CRUT) scores well with easy-to-read route maps on several bus stops. Even Chennai’s Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) is testing real-time information boards at 18 bus stops with plans to cover over 500. This information should be clear, available in local languages, and accessible to people with hearing or vision impairments.

Promote: Celebrate improvements and connect community 

Next to informing riders, bus services can highlight improvements, new routes, or safety measures so people know what’s available and how they’d benefit. There are many ways to do this: community events and on-ground activations to meet riders face-to-face, influencer partnerships to reach younger commuters, print and social media outreach to spread updates widely, fun challenges or contests to get people involved, and campaigns.

A great example comes from Transport for London (TfL). For its 25th birthday in 2025, TfL reflected on 25 years of improvements that made life easier for the city’s commuters. In collaboration with a marketing agency, they created a series of posters entitled “Making Every Journey Matter for 25 Years.” Each poster highlighted a milestone: the 2003 poster celebrated the launch of the Oyster Card, calling it “Revolutionising the way people see and do London,” while the 2012 poster recognised TfL’s role during the Olympics with the line, “We help millions attend the Olympic and Paralympic Games. After all, you can’t have the greatest show on earth without an audience.” TfL proudly showcased its services through such stories, reminding everyone that public transport isn’t just about moving people it’s about making everyday journeys better.

Engage: turn feedback into trust 

Shaping future bus services is best done by listening to feedback, responding to concerns, and involving bus riders in decisions. Together, these actions can change people’s experience of using a bus system. Riders have questions, complaints, ideas, and feedback, and giving them the opportunity to share it shows that their voice matters. This can be as simple as hotlines and helplines, online complaint forms, social media platforms, mobile apps, feedback boxes at bus stops, or help desks at terminals. You can even go bigger with public meetings and hearings where commuters can speak directly to the people running the system. Every question answered, every concern addressed, builds trust.  

Making public transport the choice people want to make 

Ultimately, buses are and have been a lifeline for millions, connecting people to work, school, essential services, and their loved ones. Operations keep our buses moving, but communication can transform that movement into an experience that people can trust and value. When riders are informed, when they feel heard, and when they see that their voices shape the system, public transport becomes more than a necessity – it becomes a choice people want to make.