A new web site could signal the end of old-fashioned bus timetables in Brighton and Hove.

From next Tuesday, passengers will be able to go online and find out exactly when their bus is due.

Rather than showing fixed and theoretical arrival times like those contained in timetables, Citytransport.org.uk will use the same satellite technology as Brighton's bus stop information boards to track the progress of buses throughout the network.

Because its information will be updated in response to delays or congestion, passengers should be able to rely on the site to tell them exactly how long to have to wait.

Brighton and Hove City Council, which funded the £70,000 project, said it was the first web site in Europe to combine live bus and traffic information.

Drivers will be able to use the site for up-to-the-minute updates on congestion, road works and parking spaces.

A road map fed with information from underground sensors across the city will light up in colour to show congestion hotspots. Roads flowing normally will appear green, those where traffic is building up will be amber, and heavy congestion will be indicated in red.

As well as the real-time information, the web site will provide weather forecasts, information on cycling, events and other local public transport.

Councillor Craig Turton, vice chairman of the city council's environment committee, said: "It deals with the frustration of getting caught in a traffic jam or finding the car park is full and gives power back to the person who wants to travel."

For those without access to a computer, the site will be available through terminals at libraries.

In future, the technology could be used to display information in hospitals and office buildings. It could even be sent direct to passengers' mobile phones.

Roger French, managing director of the Brighton and Hove Bus Company, said: "People have got into the habit of not bothering to check a timetable because of the information at the bus stops.

"This web site will extend the facility to the home and office and it's an important step forward for travellers."