NEARLY £830,000 will be spent in Wiltshire to improve information about bus arrival times.

Wiltshire is just one of several counties in the South West being given funds as part of a £20 million scheme, launched today by MP David Jamieson, for electronic systems which tell people the actual time buses will arrive.

"Real-time systems have been popular and successful in areas where they have already been introduced, and I am pleased to be able to offer them to a greater number of passengers," said Mr Jamieson.

It is hoped that the new systems will also make it easier for bus operators to better manage their fleets, which should reduce delays.

The success of electronic systems counting down the minutes to bus arrivals in London and other areas has led to the fund to ensure better service information is widely available across the country. Around 46 bids for real-time bus information were received by the fund, of which 19 schemes went forward.