Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. About Transport Direct 

1.1) How much of Britain does Transport Direct cover?

1.2) Where does Transport Direct get its information?

1.3) Is the information on Transport Direct accurate?

1.4) How often is the information on Transport Direct updated?

1.5) What can I do if I know of information that is missing or find inaccurate infomation?

1.6) How do I find out more about Transport Direct?

2. General journey planning

2.1) Which journey planner should I use?

2.2) How do I plan a journey using Transport Direct?

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

3. Train

3.1) How can I find departure times for the stations listed in my journey?

3.2) How can I find out what stations my train will be stopping at?

3.3) How can I find information about train operators?

3.4) How can I find out what on-board facilities will be available on a train?

3.5) How can I find out if I need to or can make a reservation in advance on a train?

3.6) How can I find out which classes of travel are available on a train?

3.7) How can I find out about station accessibility and facilities on my journey?

3.8) How can I get a list of all the direct rail services to a destination (including overtaken services), rather than just the fastest ones?

3.9) How do I plan a journey from or to an underground/light rail station?

4. Road journey planning

4.1) Are all journeys planned by the quickest route?

4.2) How do I avoid particular roads?

4.3) How do I choose particular roads to use?

4.4) How do I avoid all motorways?

4.5) How do I find a car/taxi route that avoids all tolls or ferries?

4.6) How do you calculate car journey times?

5. Taxis

5.1) How can I find taxi information for stations I am travelling to in my journey?

5.2) Can I find out if the taxis are wheelchair accessible?

6. Parking

6.1) How do I find a car park?

6.2) How can I find out about Park and Ride schemes?

6.3) How can I plan a Park and Ride journey?

6.4) Where does car park data come from?

6.5) What is the Park Mark scheme?

7. Air

7.1) How do you calculate Journey times for flights?

8. Bus

8.1)  How can I find out about buses that need to be booked in advance?

8.2)  Can I plan a bus journey?

8.3)  How accurate are bus times?

8.4)  What is the English Concessionary Travel Scheme?

8.5)  Which bus services on Transport Direct are included in the English Concessionary Travel Scheme?

8.6)  What is the Scottish Concessionary Travel Scheme?

8.7)  What bus services can I use in Scotland?

8.8)  What is the Welsh Concessionary Travel Scheme?

9. Live travel

9.1) Can I get up-to-date travel news in my region?

9.2) How often is "Live travel" information updated?

9.3) How can I see a live departure board?

10. Maps

10.1) How do I find a place on a map?

10.2) How can I see a map of incidents in my area?

10.3) How do I find a map that shows traffic levels?

10.4) How do I find a public transport network map?

11. Tickets and costs

11.1) Once I’ve found a journey, can I find out what the fare is?

11.2) Can I find information about bus fares?

11.3) How can I find out how much the fuel will cost for a car journey?

11.4) How can I find out the full costs of a car journey taking into account how much I have to pay to own and run a car?

11.5) What types of rail fares can I see on Transport Direct?

11.6) What rail fares are shown in advance of a fares change?

11.7) What is meant by ‘Route’ in the list of rail fares shown for a journey?

12. CO2 Information

12.1) How do you estimate my car's CO2 emissions?

12.2) What assumptions do you make about cars" CO2 emissions?

12.3) What assumptions do you make in estimating the CO2 emissions produced for public transport and air journeys?

12.4) What assumptions do you make in comparing CO2 emissions for car journeys with public transport journeys?

12.5) What assumptions do you make about bus and coach journeys?

12.6) Why do you use energy efficiency ratings?

13. Using the website

13.1) What browsers does the website work best on?

13.2) Can I print information from the website?

13.3) How can I save my travel preferences and my favourite journeys?

13.4) Can I bookmark certain journeys (save as favourites)?

13.5) Why should I register on Transport Direct?

13.6) How can I email information to other people?

13.7) What is the purpose of the Transport Direct Toolbar?

13.8) How can I add a Transport Direct link to my website?

13.9) Do I need to have JavaScript enabled to use Transport Direct?

13.10) Is Transport Direct an accessible website?

13.11) Why is my company browser blocking some Transport Direct functionality?

14. Using Transport Direct services on your PDA/Mobile/Digital TV

14.1) How can I use the latest PDAs or mobile phones to find out the departure and arrival times for railway stations throughout Britain and for some bus or coach stops in areas where SMS codes are available for the bus or coach stop?

14.2) How can I use the latest PDAs or mobile phones to view Live travel news for public transport or car (e.g. check for delays and incidents) either for a region or for the whole of Britain?

14.3) How can I use the latest PDAs or mobile phones to find out whether there is a taxi rank or cab (private hire car) firm at the railway station I am travelling to, and get phone numbers for taxi and cab firms serving the station?

14.4) How can I access Transport Direct on digital television?

15. Comment and feedback

15.1) What can I do if I have a problem with this website or the information it has provided me with?