Name change
The stops in Fredrik Langes gate will all be renamed on 1 January 2022. From New Year, the new stops will be called Wi-To (formerly F1), Fredrik Langes gate (formerly F2 and F3) and Smørtorget (F4).
At the same time, four stops in Sjøgata will be renamed Torgsenteret (formerly S1 and S2), the new names are Killengreens gate (S3) and Bankgata (S4). Havnegata H1 also changes its name to Kysts hus.
– This is something we have been working on for a while and we hope the name changes will make the bus service more accessible to people. We have received feedback that the names of the many stops in the city centre can be perceived as confusing, especially for those who are new to the city or visitors, says General Manager of Troms fylkestrafikk, Kurt Bones.
Nine city bus lines affected
Tromsø city centre is a hub and many of the city's bus lines operate the affected stops. Another step is that the stops Sjøgata S1 and S2 and Fredrik Langes gate F2 and F3 are merged into so-called gathering stops. This means that the first bus arrives at the front, and subsequent buses line up behind this one if several buses serve the stop at the same time.
Complies with national standards
The Norwegian Railway Directorate has designed a new national standard for bus stops, and it also dictates what names bus stops should have. Number and letter combinations should be avoided, and names shall be based on street names, place names or other publicly known and normalized designations that describe the location of the stop. The purpose is to make it easy for passengers to orient themselves, either physically or when searching digital travel planners or using other mapping services.