During a visit to Reading Buses today, buses minister Nusrat Ghani is launching a consultation on legally requiring bus operators to share the data, as well as making them provide audio and visual information on board the buses.
The minister is predicting the move will lead to an increase in passenger numbers.
Reading Buses is already using open data to improve bus journeys and has seen a 48% per cent increase in passenger numbers since 2009.
John Bickerton, Reading Buses’ head of engineering and innovation, said: “We are delighted that the Department for Transport is highlighting the importance of open data for the bus industry.
"Here are Reading Buses, we have long been advocates of giving customers more information to help them on their journey – and importantly to help them decide to travel with us in the first place.
“We have long had a commitment to on-board audio and visual next stop announcements and have put information literally in our customers’ hands with the Reading Buses app, which not only shows when buses are due, but can also show the buses moving in real time on a map of the route.”