FOI request detail

London Bus Blinds

Request ID: FOI-2244-1819
Date published: 19 December 2018

You asked

I am trying to collate various designs of bus blinds through the years. As I believe they are fundamentally a TfL asset, I am requesting the digital files of all of the designs of all of the bus blinds that have been produced since 2010 until the present. I understand that they are designed and manufactured by third parties, I still believe that TfL should have the ability to request access to these and provide these designs. I understand that the scope of this is a bit vague, so I am specifically looking for digital files, whether saved in their original design application file format, or have been rendered to pdf for example, or any other relevant type of files or all of the above. I hope they either include the full design and layout of each individual blind set produced for every bus garage for the requested period, so the front destination blinds, front/rear route blinds, and side blinds. Or alternatively, if the files include the individual destinations and routes, not part of a blind set, but as individual digital assets which may be pieces together to form said blind sets. In addition, I would like to be sent the variations of the different Johnston fonts used by TfL including Johnston, Johnston 100, and the fonts created for the new style of London's bus blinds.

We answered

Dear

TfL Ref: FOI-2244-1819

Thank you for your email received by Transport for London (TfL) on 24 November 2018.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act and our information access policy. You asked:

I am requesting the digital files of all of the designs of all of the bus blinds that have been produced since 2010 until the present.

Unfortunately we do not hold the information you have requested. It is the bus operators who procure the blinds directly. We specify destination, typeface etc. but not the content of each blind roll and we do not hold the design files.

In addition, I would like to be sent the variations of the different Johnston fonts used by TfL including Johnston, Johnston 100, and the fonts created for the new style of London's bus blinds.

We are not obliged to supply the files for the Johnston typeface as it is subject to the following statutory exemption to the right of access to information:

* Section 43 – Commercial Interests

We are applying this exemption because the New Johnston typeface is TfL’s corporate typeface and is our copyright property. TfL and its subsidiaries use the font, and allow companies working with, or for, TfL to use the typeface under a license. We do not normally allow third parties to use it.

As a consequence, disclosing our New Johnston typeface format files – which, despite the copyright protection, would essentially enable other
parties to use the typeface without TfL’s permission – would be likely to prejudice TfL’s commercial interests by diminishing the exclusivity,
distinctiveness and marketability of the TfL brand – of which the typeface is an integral element.

Our typeface forms part of our corporate identity and helps ensure that the general public knows the information or services provided are supplied, or endorsed, by TfL or its subsidiaries. There is therefore a strong public interest in restricting and protecting external use to maintain the continued trust in our information and services that TfL and its subsidiaries provide. Aside from promoting the general principle of free and open data from public authorities, there are no public interest factors in favour of disclosure of this information. As such, we consider that the section 43 exemption applies.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.

Yours sincerely

Eva Hextall

FOI Case Officer

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

  

I am trying to collate various designs of bus blinds through the years. As I believe they are fundamentally a TfL asset, I am requesting the digital files of all of the designs of all of the bus blinds that have been produced since 2010 until the present. I understand that they are designed and manufactured by third parties, I still believe that TfL should have the ability to request access to these and provide these designs.

I understand that the scope of this is a bit vague, so I am specifically looking for digital files, whether saved in their original design application file format, or have been rendered to pdf for example, or any other relevant type of files or all of the above.

I hope they either include the full design and layout of each individual blind set produced for every bus garage for the requested period, so the front destination blinds, front/rear route blinds, and side blinds. Or alternatively, if the files include the individual destinations and routes, not part of a blind set, but as individual digital assets which may be pieces together to form said blind sets.

In addition, I would like to be sent the variations of the different Johnston fonts used by TfL including Johnston, Johnston 100, and the fonts created for the new style of London's bus blinds.

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