Our Ref:          FOI-4679-1718

Thank you for your request received on 26 February 2018 asking for information about the countdown sign at the bus stop at Raynes Park Station.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm we hold some of the information you require. You asked for:

1. When did tfl become aware of the countdown display not working in early 2017?

We asked our contractor to check the Countdown sign at the Raynes Park Station stop 19869 on 13 April 2017 after connection to the sign was lost. They attended the site later on that day and confirmed that the Countdown sign was not working because there was no electricity at the shelter.

2. On what date in February 2018 did the display work again?

The Countdown sign was switched on again on 21 February 2018 after the electrical connection was restored.

3. What is the average time taken to fix a faulty countdown display during the past year over the whole tfl bus network?

This can vary greatly depending on the cause of the fault (broken sign, shelter or electrical issues etc.) and there are no statistics readily available for this. If the sign itself is faulty, it will usually be fixed within a couple of days. However, if it is not working because of works being done on the shelter or surrounding area (which may affect the electrical supply), it may take considerably longer for us to restore the service.

4. Which organization was responsible for the display not working in Spring 2017?

The Countdown sign stopped working because of a fault with the shelter’s electrical supply. This bus shelter is built and managed by JCDecaux under contract to the London Borough of Merton. Electricity for such roadside structures are supplied as a “unmetered” supply and there is no available service level agreement for reconnection (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/unmetered-supplies-of-electricity-regulations).

5. Has that organization been charged with (a) the cost of repairs and (b) compenstion for the public loss of amenity caused by the system being out of service for the better part of a year?

While we regularly chased JCDecaux for activity to bring this sign back into use, neither of us (TfL/JCD) were able to invoke any SLA/Penalty with the electricity provider (UKPN) to accelerate reconnection.

If this is not the information you are looking for please feel free to contact me.

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

Yours sincerely

Gemma Jacob
FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London

[email protected]