BURY commuters are to benefit from new revolutionary satellite technology which will gather information on the progress of buses on the road.

The Bury-Manchester quality bus corridor is included in phase one of the new Real Time Passenger Information (RTPI) scheme being introduced by Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority (GMPTA).

Contracts for the launch of the initiative, totalling £1.9 million, have now been signed.

This will enable work to start on applying RTPI technology to 300 buses, covering 150 stops and 85 sets of traffic lights on five quality bus corridors.

And it has also been announced that the Government has allocated a further £1 million to the scheme. The new funding will allow the technology to be extended more quickly to other parts of Greater Manchester.

RTPI uses the very latest satellite technology to gather information on the progress of buses along specific routes.

The information can then be displayed on electronic screens on buses and at bus stops and stations and, in the future, may be accessed via public transport information points, the Internet and mobile phones.

Councillor Roger Jones, authority chairman, said: "This is a really exciting development.

"Access to good quality information on the bus network is an important way of giving people confidence in the services they rely on."

The scheme has also been welcomed by Councillor Winston Ramsey, Bury's spokesman for the authority.

He commented: "I think it's a wonderful idea and I'm sure it will make more people in Bury want to use their local bus services.

"One of the big barriers to people choosing to travel on public transport is access to reliable information and this is especially so with buses."

He added: "RTPI will mean that not only will people know when their bus is coming, but also people who may not be from the area will have access to information along the journey about where they are and if the bus is running to time."

The scheme is the most extensive of its kind outside London and the first phase is being funded by the authority in partnership with four bus companies.