Is Brighton and Hove ready for a “London Tube” style bus map?

The call for one was made after figures showed less than 1% of shelters in the city had a network-wide plan.

But Brighton and Hove Bus Company , which operates the majority of services in the city, said there was limited space on the structures and passengers preferred other information rather than details on every route.

The figure was revealed in a letter to Hove MP Mike Weatherley who said he had been contacted by constituents who were unsure which bus ran where.

Mr Weatherley said: “The London Tube map is an iconic image that manages to display a large amount of information in a simple and concise way.

“While Brighton and Hove has a relatively small transport network in comparison to London it is far more difficult to navigate.

“This lack of clarity is something which is easily witnessed when passengers are forced to quiz bus drivers for the bus route, which delays journeys of those onboard.

“I would also imagine the lack of available information at bus stops is a problem that is compounded for a large number of visitors who do not know the geography of the city as well as us.”

Figures provided by Brighton and Hove Bus Company show there are 1,184 bus stops in the city and 456 have a shelter.

However, only eight of them – or 0.68% – have enough space on the bus shelters for network-wide maps to be displayed.

In reply to Mr Weatherley, Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company boss Roger French said he felt it could be beneficial to install full maps in areas of high footfall, such as Hove Town Hall and London Road.

Mr French added: “The research we have undertaken with our customers indicates the top priorities for information displays at bus stops are firstly real time information, secondly bus times, thirdly details of ticket prices, fourthly a route map for services passing the stop and fifthly a network map.

“Most of the bus stops are funded with a bus shelter funded by Clear Channel under a contract with Brighton and Hove City Council .

“These contain one panel which we use to the full to cover the aforementioned priorities.

“I don’t think it would make sense to install a network wide map more extensively at bus stops as we already distribute the map in both Bus Times and our separate pocket sized route map.”

Mr French added a number of people were also increasingly using websites and mobile phones to access the information.

The Clear Channel contract will be under review in 2014.