Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - General Journey Planning

1. If you would like to specify certain details for that type of transport or travel via a location, you can specify this in this section.

1. Once you have confirmed all the highlighted sections in this page, click ‘Next’.
2. Please note, some locations have further locations within them. 
3. Some have the words “More options for…” written in front of them.
4. If you select one of these and click ‘Next’, you will be given a list of all the locations that exist within this first location.
5. Select one of these and click "Next".
6. Alternately, if you click "Back", the first list of locations will appear again.

2.3) What if I don't know the exact address(es) of where I want to travel from or to?

When you use the door-to-door Journey Planner you can choose to enter locations that are not full addresses, such as town names, postcodes or station names.  You may also enter names of attractions or facilities, such as hotel names.

You can also use a map to find the exact location you want to travel to or from.

Example 1

You would like to travel to an address for which you do not know the postcode:

1. ‘Address/postcode’ is already selected, so there is no need to choose another category.
2. Type in as much of the address as you know (e.g. 123 Victoria Street,London). 

Example 2

You know the postcode of the location:

1. ‘Address/postcode’ is already selected, so there is no need to choose another category.
2. Type in the full postcode (e.g.”EN4 7QQ”) or the partial postcode (e.g. “SE1”).

Example 3

You think you know a main station near to where you would like to travel from:

1. Select ‘Station/airport’.
2. Type the name of the station in the box (e.g. “Waterloo”).

Example 4

For a door-to-door journey, if you think you know a bus stop near to where you would like to travel from:

1. Select ‘All stops’.
2. Type the SMS code of the stop if you know it, or the place where the stop is located (e.g. London Road, Buckingham), in the box.

Example 5

You want to know how to get to a general area, such as a town or suburb, rather than a specific location:

1. Select ‘Town/district/village’.
2. Type, for example, “Manchester” (city), or “Stretford” (a suburb of Manchester) or “Bollington” (a village near Manchester) in the box.

Example 6

You want to travel to an attraction or facility, but don’t know the address:

1. Select ‘Facility/attraction’.
2. Type an attraction or a facility name (e.g. “British Library” or “Edinburgh Castle”) in the box.
   

Example 7

You are not sure of the exact location that you want to travel to, but you know the general area of its whereabouts.  In this case, you can use a map to help you choose the correct location:

1. Select the kind of location e.g. ‘Town/district/village’ in the ‘To’ section.
2. Type in the location (e.g. “Edinburgh”).
3. Click the ‘Find on map’ button next to where you have typed in the location.
4. If necessary, confirm the location you have entered by selecting an option from the drop down list (highlighted in yellow) and click ‘Next’.
5. Use the map tools to select the exact location you want to travel to.
6. Once you have selected where you want to travel to, click ‘Next’.

2.4) How do I find a station or an airport?

Step 1: Open "Find a place"

• Click ‘Find nearest Stations and Airports".

Step 2: Select the type of stations you would like to search for

• Tick any of the station types you are interested in.

Step 3: Select the kind of location the station is near

• Select the kind of location you want to type in (e.g. ‘Town/district/village’, ‘Address/postcode’, ‘Facility/attraction’ …etc)

• Type the location name in the box.

Step 4: Click "Next"

Step 5: Confirm your location

Once you have clicked ‘Next’, if Transport Direct is not able to find an exact match for the location you typed in, a drop-down list (highlighted in yellow) will show you one or more similar matches for that location.

Depending on the information you entered, you will need to do one of the following:

• Select a location option from the drop-down list.  Please note if the location you want is already visible in the yellow box, you do not need to re-select it
• Search for the location as a different kind of location (e.g. “Address/postcode”)
• Enter a new location

Once your information is confirmed, stations near to that location will be listed on the page.  You can click ‘Show map’ to see a map with the station(s) on it.

Step 6: If you would like to plan a journey once you find the station you are looking for, make sure it is ticked and click ‘Travel from’ or ‘Travel to’. (optional)

2.5) How do I add specific details or set travel preferences for my journeys?

1. Click ‘Advanced options’ at the bottom of the input page

2. Enter any preferences you would like, for example:

• How quickly you are able to make changes at stops and stations
• Your preferred number of changes
• Your preferred walking speed
• Your preferred maximum driving speed
• Where you would like to travel via

If you would like to save these preferences for future journeys that you plan, log in to the site and then tick ‘Save these details’ next to the preferences section.  Transport Direct will then apply them to you journeys in future, unless you change them.

2.6) How can I plan a day trip to two destinations?

The ‘Day trip planner’ is on the "Plan a journey" page.

Once you have opened the Day trip planner, enter the location you are starting your day trip from, the first location you would like to visit, the second location you would like to visit (you can enter the length of time you’d like to stay in these locations) and the date and time of your day trip.

You will get journey options to choose from so that you can plan your perfect day trip.

Choose from the drop-down list to view details or maps for the options you select.

2.7) How do I add a connecting journey to my overall journey?

Once you have planned a journey on Transport Direct you are able to add a connecting journey to the overall journey.  To do this, select the journey you are interested in and click the ‘Modify journey’ button.

You can choose to add to either end of your original journey.  Enter an additional location to join to your original locations.  Transport Direct will search for suitable journey options for this new additional journey.  Choose the option which best suits your needs and add this to your original journey.

You may add up to two additional journeys.  For example, find a train journey, then add shorter journeys to get to and from the stations at each end.

2.8) If I add a connecting public transport journey to a car/taxi journey, how can I make sure I have enough time to park my car/pay the taxi fare before boarding the train?

When you add a connecting journey in Transport Direct, there is the option to specify a ‘Stop-over time’.

You should select enough time to find a car park, park your car/pay the taxi fare and get from the car park/taxi rank into the station and board the train. You should also consider the stop-over time on your return journey as well. Select these times from the drop-down lists. Transport Direct will then search for journey options which take account of this additional time.

2.9) How do I change the leaving or arrival times for the start or the end of my journey?

1. Click the ‘Details’ button on the Summary page
2. Click the ‘Amend date/time’ tab at the bottom of the page
3. Select a new leaving or arrival time
4. Click on the ‘OK’ button.

2.10) How is Transport Direct different from other journey planners?

Transport Direct differs from other journey planners in the following ways:

• It enables you to plan and compare door-to-door public transport or car journeys throughout Britain whereas other sites only provide information for either public transport or car

• It covers the whole of Britain (UK excluding Northern Ireland), not just a specific region
• It takes expected traffic levels into account so that you can plan car journeys more realistically
• It provides information on a range of transport types (e.g. bus, coach, train...etc.) therefore offering a ‘one-stop-shop’ for transport information
• It enables you to buy train and coach tickets by providing you with a direct link to travel operator sites where your journey details are automatically transferred

2.11) How can I find out about the accessibility of the types of transport in the journey?

If you have a disability or mobility issue you may be interested in viewing information on the accessibility of the types of transport involved in journeys you plan.  When you are planning a journey you can click the link at the top of the pages “Information for travellers with disabilities”.

Once you’ve planned a journey, you can get accessibility information on the types of transport involved in the journey by clicking the link in the ‘Note’ at the bottom of the ‘Details’, ‘Maps’, ‘Tickets/costs’, ‘Modify journey’ and ‘Buy tickets’ pages - “Travellers with disabilities can find out about the accessibility of the types of transport in this journey”.  You can also access general information on accessibility of transport before you travel on this page.  This information is provided by the DPTAC (Disabled Persons Travel Advisory Committee).