Hi, – I run https://busmaps.uk/, a small volunteer project that makes printable bus maps, both:
- of the bus routes within a town, drawn on its streets with the places people go, and
- of where you can get to from the town.
We have made bus maps for St Ives, March, Huntingdon, Ramsey and Wisbech, and I have now drawn a draft pair for Whittlesey. Nobody asked me to, and I am writing to the Town Council to ask if you might be interested in using them.
I should say straight away that I use an AI system, Claude, to do most of the detailed work — reading the timetables, checking them against each other and drawing the maps. It is the only way one person can do this with any accuracy for more than a handful of towns, and I would rather you knew than guessed. One positive aspect of this is that our maps can be updated easily each month if they need it.
The draft of your maps is not published anywhere, and it will not be unless the council wants it to be. I attach the two maps. The most useful thing you could do with them is tell me what is wrong or what you might like to change — a scribble on a print-out, or an email, are fine. If you would rather look at them online than on paper, I can arrange that too — just say so, and I will send a private link that only the council can use.
During our pilot phase there is no cost to the council. Eventually there will be a charge to cover our costs but, with the way we are doing it, I am hopeful that it will give real value for money.
One particular question I have is about the villages. The map of buses within Whittlesey follows the buses out to Eastrea, Coates, Turves and Pondersbridge, so it covers the villages as well as the town. Is that useful, or would the council rather it kept to the town itself, with more room for its streets?
I must emphasise that https://busmaps.uk/ is currently a one-person part-time project, and I cannot offer any guarantees about service levels, response times, or even longevity. I do hope that it will prove useful, and that we can put it on a firmer basis going forward.
If this is not something the council might be interested in, just let me know and I will not write again.
Best wishes,
Peter (Cooper).
