West Northamptonshire Council Enhances Bus Information Through £4m BSIP Investment

West Northamptonshire Council has established an Enhanced Partnership with local bus operators as part of the Government’s Bus Back Better initiative, securing over £4 million in Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) funding, Funded by UK Government. This investment is supporting improvements such as increased service frequencies, better rural connectivity, upgraded infrastructure, and clearer passenger information, helping to make bus travel more accessible, reliable, and sustainable.

As part of its BSIP-funded commitment to improving awareness of local bus services, the Council appointed Pindar Creative in 2024, following a competitive tender, to deliver a comprehensive package of passenger information materials. Phase 1, completed in January 2025, saw the development of schematic maps highlighting service frequencies and key destinations, covering Northampton’s urban network, a wider West Northamptonshire overview, and local area maps for Brackley, Towcester, and Daventry/DIRFT. In addition, Pindar Creative produced a series of site-specific and corridor timetable booklets, each featuring bus route timetables with a corresponding full-colour geographic map showing bus stops and points of interest.

Phase 2, delivered by March 2025, added interactive functionality, with clickable maps linking directly to operator timetables. These interactive PDFs are hosted and maintained by Pindar Creative. The project expanded to include 12 detailed “spider maps” for key locations across the county, including Northampton General Hospital, the rugby stadium, and major towns. Once approved, accessible versions of all maps and timetables were produced to comply with web accessibility standards and were made available on the Council’s website.

Jill Tinsley, Commercial Director at Pindar Creative and project lead, said:

It’s been incredibly rewarding to contribute to a project that’s helping transform public transport information in an area that previously had very limited resources for passengers. Clear, accessible travel information is essential for encouraging people to choose buses with confidence, and we’re proud to have supported West Northamptonshire Council in delivering this. I’m really looking forward to seeing how these improvements, alongside the wider measures in the Council’s BSIP plan, can help make public transport a more attractive and viable option for residents and visitors alike.