Recently, I found myself at a bus station in Poland, and what caught my attention wasn’t the architecture or the buses — it was the voice announcements. Or more precisely, how difficult they were to follow.

Here’s a typical announcement:

“At 11:32, buses depart to Lublin via Mikołajki and Starachowice – stand 5. To Rzeszów via Radom and Kielce – stand 3. To Sandomierz via Bełchatów – stand 7.”

At first glance, this may seem informative enough. But from a UX (user experience) perspective, there are multiple issues to unpack.

Cognitive Load

The listener is expected to:

  • Catch the time at the start (e.g., 11:32)
  • Remember three different destinations, each with a different stand number
  • Recognize connections or sub-routes (via towns they may or may not know)
  • Process all of this in real-time, without visuals

Now consider that there are no electronic departure boards, only printed schedules — which may be outdated or irrelevant if buses are delayed. The only way to stay informed is by listening. Repeatedly. Carefully.

Lack of Hierarchy

All routes are spoken in the same tone and format. No route stands out. If you’re traveling to Rzeszów, you have to wait and listen through other destinations until you hear your one — and hope you don’t miss it.

Poor Prioritization of Information

The announcements often begin with departure times, which are harder to remember if you’re not yet sure which bus you want.

How Can We Improve This?

Here are a few UX-focused suggestions:

Reverse the Order

Start with the destination, not the time. That’s what most people are listening for.

Better:
“Bus to Rzeszów, scheduled at 12:30, is delayed by 10 minutes and will depart from stand 3.”

Optionally include a new departure time only if it helps — and only when messages are not constant.

Announce Duplicates Clearly

If there are two or more buses going to the same destination around the same time, make this clear upfront.

Example:
“There are two buses to Rzeszów at 11:20. Bus A, operated by [Company X], departs from stand 3 via Kielce. Bus B, operated by [Company Y], also via Kielce, departs from stand 6.”

Passengers can then tell them apart by company, route variation, or stand number.

Simplify Sub-Routes

Only mention intermediate stops (e.g. “via Kielce”) if needed to differentiate between two similar buses. Otherwise, skip them — they add unnecessary noise.

Introduce Bus Numbers

Like train numbers, buses should include a clearly visible and audible route code.

Example:
“Bus to Rzeszów, number XYZ047, departs from stand 3.”

This number should appear on:

  • The bus itself
  • Tickets
  • Printed or digital timetables

Add Visual Support

Even simple digital boards showing real-time departures would reduce the pressure on voice announcements. Relying only on audio in a busy, noisy space creates problems — especially for the elderly, non-native speakers, or people with hearing loss.

In Summar

The current system tries to fit too much into a single audio message, without prioritizing what users actually need.

To fix it:

  • Start with destinations
  • Make similar routes easy to tell apart
  • Use clear identifiers like route numbers
  • Support announcements with visual info

A small change in format could reduce confusion for thousands of passengers every day.