How to use the online timer
You start the one-second countdown, then turn your attention to the red stop button as the double-decker approaches your stop. The alert gives you a brief cue to press firmly without staring at the screen. On a busy British bus, that can be useful when you are also holding a rail, carrying a bag or watching for the right street.
As the bus moves between stops, several consecutive countdowns can provide separate cues for checking the display, shifting closer to the exit and confirming the stop. Each run should remain distinct, with the next beginning only after the previous alert has sounded. If the driver brakes or traffic delays the bus, simply let that run finish and use the following cue for the button.
When your stop is near, a phone is usually easier to keep ready in one hand while you watch the route and reach for the button with the other. A laptop is awkward on stairs, in a crowded aisle or beside a pushchair, and its alert may be harder to notice after the lid is closed. Keep the phone secure, use an audible or vibrating signal, and press the bus button as soon as it is safe.
Common questions
What if the bus reaches the stop-button point before the brief countdown ends?
Press the button as soon as you can do so safely; the road situation matters more than the remaining moment. Cancel the alert afterwards if it is still active.
What if London traffic means the button is not needed when the alert sounds?
Let the cue pass and begin another short run when the bus starts moving towards your stop again. Repeating it suits uneven gaps caused by traffic lights, queues and frequent stops.
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