A new up-to-the-minute way to check on your smartphone when your next bus or train will arrive is now available for people travelling across 11 Cambridgeshire market towns and in Peterborough.

Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority is rolling out the innovative Pocket SmartPanel following its successful trial in Cambridge, providing enhanced real time information to make it easier to use public transport around the county, which is more sustainable.

Free to download to mobile devices, the real time information on the Pocket SmartPanel means travellers can see exactly when the next bus or train is due to arrive at their chosen stop/station, together with the latest weather forecast – so you’ll know at-a-glance if it’s on time, and if you need a brolly!

Developed by Connecting Cambridgeshire in collaboration with the University of Cambridge, the Pocket SmartPanel uses the same real-time data as large SmartPanel Screens, that have been placed in the lobbies of public buildings and workplaces in Cambridge to accurately predict bus and train arrival times, and are also being rolled out to some market towns this summer.

The Pocket SmartPanel map view shows where buses are in real-time so you can instantly see whether your bus is on schedule and when it’s approaching your stop. This, along with live train departure information provided by National Rail Enquiries and the Met Office weather information, makes it a useful resource for regular travellers.

Bus information is now available on the Pocket SmartPanel for Chatteris, Ely, Huntingdon, Littleport, March, Peterborough, Ramsey, Soham, St Ives, St Neots, Whittlesey and Wisbech (as well as Cambridge). Train departure information is also available for Ely, Huntingdon, March, Peterborough and St Neots stations as well as Cambridge.

Welcoming the launch of the free Pocket SmartPanel, Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority Mayor Dr Nik Johnson said: “As the Local Transport Authority for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, we are responsible for making sure that people can get around the county as easily as possible in the most sustainable way.

“By rolling out the Pocket SmartPanel for these eleven market towns and Peterborough, we are encouraging residents and visitors to use public transport by providing real time bus and train times in a handy format, which they can access on the go.”

The enhanced real time information will be shown for most journeys, however where real time data is not currently available the Combined Authority is working with smaller operators to ensure that the latest timetable information can be used.

How to download a Pocket SmartPanel to your phone:

1. Open the browser…
2. Type in: https://smartcambridge.org/p
3. Add the page to your phone’s ‘Homescreen’ and accept the terms and conditions.
4. The page will automatically display Cambridge weather and Cambridge Train times. Use the + symbol (top right) to choose and add bus timetables, train timetable or weather for locations of your choice. Click ‘Save’.
5. You can remove pages by tapping the menu button (three lines, top left).