iBus Announcements including Covid-19 Announcements

The request was successful.

Dear Transport for London,

I would like to request (ideally downloadable) a copy of all London iBus announcements, including all "special" announcements (e.g. 'please hold tight while the bus is moving' ones that were previously trialled), including but not limited to the recently added iBus announcements with messages about Coronavirus and travelling only where essential.

I am aware that Covid-19 is affecting your ability to respond to FOI requests, but I still wish to proceed with my request.

Yours faithfully,

Lewis Western

FOI, Transport for London

Dear Lewis Western

 

Our ref: FOI-0226-2021/GH

 

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 16
May 2020 asking for iBus announcements.

 

Please note, the Government has announced a series of measures to tackle
the coronavirus. It is essential for London, that we continue to provide a
safe transport network for essential journeys.

 

In current circumstances, we are not able to answer FOI requests readily
and we ask that you please do not make a request to us at present.

 

Answering FOI requests will require the use of limited resources and the
attention of staff who could be supporting other essential activity. In
any event, please note that our response time will be affected by the
current situation and so you may wish to reconsider the timing of this
request. Please notify us as soon as possible if you would like to
withdraw your request at the current time.

 

Should you wish to proceed with the request we will aim to issue a
response by 15 June 2020 in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act
2000 and our information access policy. We publish a substantial range of
information on our website on subjects including operational performance,
contracts, expenditure, journey data, governance and our financial
performance. This includes data which is frequently asked for in FOI
requests or other public queries. Please check
[1]http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transpar... to see if this helps you.

 

We will publish anonymised versions of requests and responses on the
[2]www.tfl.gov.uk website. We will not publish your name and we will send
a copy of the response to you before it is published on our website.

 

In the meantime, if you would like to discuss this matter further, please
do not hesitate to contact me.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Graham Hurt

FOI Case Officer

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

 

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References

Visible links
1. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transpar...
2. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/
3. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/

FOI, Transport for London

1 Attachment

Dear Lewis Western

 

Our ref: FOI-0226-2021/GH

 

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 16
May 2020 asking for iBus announcements.

 

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of
the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can
confirm that we do hold the information you require

 

However, we are refusing your request under section 14(1) of the Act. We
consider that providing the requested information would place an
unreasonable burden on us at this time. As you will be aware, it is
essential for London, and in particular for all critical workers, that we
continue to provide a safe transport network that enables them to make the
journeys they need to and our staff are working hard to support them and
protect all Londoners. We consider that answering this request would
represent a disproportionate effort and would require the redirection of
limited specialist resources and the attention of staff away from their
core functions who could be supporting other essential activity.

 

We do wish to clarify that whilst we consider that your request falls
under section 14(1) of the FOI Act, this does not reflect a conclusion
that it has been your intention to place an undue burden on our resources.

 

On the specific application of section 14(1) we have been steered by the
ICO guidance on the use of that exemption that can be found on its website
here:
[1]https://ico.org.uk/media/1198/dealing-wi...

 

To be clear, it is the current context in which the request has been made
that is central to our decision to apply the exemption set out in section
14(1) in response to your request.

 

We have responded to several hundred requests for audio recordings over
many years. However, due to alternative working arrangements aligned with
the Government’s measures to tackle the coronavirus, the FOI Case
Management Team do not currently have access to the necessary hardware
required to create CDs of audio announcements in response to FOI requests
and so we are unable to process these requests remotely.

 

Additionally, whilst we have also explored alternative technological
solutions, it is an unavoidable consequence that processing requests of
this nature would require critical employees to be diverted from their
operational responsibilities and, in the current circumstances, we
consider that our priority must remain on providing and maintaining an
effective transport system to essential workers across the capital and
that our limited resources are utilised as effectively as possible to
ensure that happens. Therefore we are refusing your request under s14 of
the FOI Act.

 

The Government has announced a series of measures to tackle the
coronavirus. It is essential for London, and in particular for all
critical workers, that we continue to provide a safe transport network
that enables them to make the journeys they need to.

 

In current circumstances, we are not able to answer FOI requests readily
and we ask that you please do not make a request to us at present. Should
you wish to submit a revised request please note that our response time
will be affected by the current situation and so you may wish to
reconsider the timing of this request.

 

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to
appeal.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Graham Hurt

FOI Case Officer

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

 

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References

Visible links
1. https://ico.org.uk/media/1198/dealing-wi...
2. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/

Dear FOI,

Thanks for the reply.

Would it be possible to only recieve the announcements relating to Covid-19 please, which should be able to be sent via a zip file or something rather than a CD?

I refer to all announcements played or created during Covid that are not the bus number, destination, or station, for example the one asking for people to wear a mask, one about essential journeys, and I think there is another that mentions key workers.

Yours sincerely,

Lewis Western

FOI, Transport for London

Dear Lewis Western

 

Our ref: FOI-0618-2021/GH

 

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 14
July 2020 asking for information about Covid-19 Announcements.

 

The impact of current circumstances on TfL’s resources means we are not
able to answer FOI requests readily and we ask that you please do not make
a request to us at present.

 

Answering FOI requests will require the use of limited resources and the
attention of staff who could be supporting other essential activity. In
any event, please note that our response time will be affected by the
current situation and so you may wish to reconsider the timing of this
request. Please notify us as soon as possible if you would like to
withdraw your request at the current time.

 

Should you wish to proceed with the request we will aim to issue a
response by 22 August 2020 in accordance with the Freedom of Information
Act 2000 and our information access policy. We publish a substantial
range of information on our website on subjects including operational
performance, contracts, expenditure, journey data, governance and our
financial performance. This includes data which is frequently asked for in
FOI requests or other public queries. Please check
[1]http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transpar... to see if this helps you.

 

We will publish anonymised versions of requests and responses on the
[2]www.tfl.gov.uk website. We will not publish your name and we will send
a copy of the response to you before it is published on our website.

 

In the meantime, if you would like to discuss this matter further, please
do not hesitate to contact me.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Graham Hurt

FOI Case Officer

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

 

 

show quoted sections

 

References

Visible links
1. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transpar...
2. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/
3. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/

FOI, Transport for London

9 Attachments

Dear Lewis Western

 

Our ref: FOI-0618-2021/GH

 

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 14
July 2020 asking for information about Covid-19 Announcements.

 

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of
the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.  I can
confirm that we hold the information you require.

 

Please find attached the recordings requested. Access to this material
will be provided to you under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, you are
not granted any rights to any of the intellectual property that exists in
it or granted any permission to make secondary uses of it.

 

TfL owns all intellectual property (including, without limitation,
copyright) in the material supplied and will defend such rights.

 

If you wish to make any secondary use of the material provided, you must
first obtain the consent of TfL (which may be withheld) and, if consent is
granted, a fee may be charged, in accordance with the terms of the Reuse
of Public Sector Information Regulations 2005.

 

The impact of current circumstances on TfL’s resources means we are not
able to answer FOI requests readily and we ask that you please do not make
a request to us at present.

 

Answering FOI requests will require the use of limited resources and the
attention of staff who could be supporting other essential activity. In
any event, please note that our response time will be affected by the
current situation.

 

If you are not satisfied with this response please see the attached
information sheet for details of your right to appeal.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Graham Hurt

 

FOI Case Officer

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

 

show quoted sections

 

References

Visible links
1. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/

Dear FOI,

I have taken a look at the clips provided but it appears it is not all of the Covid-19 clips. For example, there is one on the buses that says "Police and TfL Officers patrol the transport network to enforce this" within it, but this is not present in the files you have provided me with.

Yours sincerely,

Lewis Western

FOI, Transport for London

Dear Lewis Western

 

Our ref: FOI-1659-2021/GH

 

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 20
November 2020 asking for further Covid-19 announcements.

 

Please think carefully about whether the request is essential at this
current time, as answering FOI requests will require the use of limited
resources and the attention of staff who could be supporting other
essential activity. Where requests are made, please note that our response
time may be impacted by the current situation and so you may wish to
reconsider the timing of this request. Please notify us as soon as
possible if you would like to withdraw your request at the current time.

 

Should you wish to proceed with the request we will aim to issue a
response by 21 December 2020 in accordance with the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 and our information access policy. We publish a
substantial range of information on our website on subjects including
operational performance, contracts, expenditure, journey data, governance
and our financial performance. This includes data which is frequently
asked for in FOI requests or other public queries. Please check
[1]http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transpar... to see if this helps you.

 

We will publish anonymised versions of requests and responses on the
[2]www.tfl.gov.uk website. We will not publish your name and we will send
a copy of the response to you before it is published on our website.

 

In the meantime, if you would like to discuss this matter further, please
do not hesitate to contact me.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Graham Hurt

FOI Case Officer

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

 

show quoted sections

 

References

Visible links
1. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/transpar...
2. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/
3. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/

FOI, Transport for London

2 Attachments

Dear Lewis Western

 

Our ref: FOI-1659-2021/GH

 

Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 20
November 2020 asking for further Covid-19 announcements.

 

Your request has been considered under the requirements of the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 and our information access policy. I can confirm that
we do hold the information you require.

 

We have located the announcement you refer to and a copy is attached. We
have been unable to identify any additional Covid-19 announcements,
further to those you have already received.

 

If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable
to access it for some reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.

 

If you are considering submitting a further FOI request please think
carefully about whether the request is essential at this current time, as
answering FOI requests will require the use of limited resources and the
attention of staff who could be supporting other essential activity. Where
requests are made, please note that our response time may be impacted by
the current situation.

 

If you are not satisfied with this response please see the attached
information sheet for details of your right to appeal.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Graham Hurt

FOI Case Officer

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

 

show quoted sections

 

References

Visible links
1. http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/about-tfl/