It is a familiar irritation — you leave the house to catch a bus to find that you have just missed one and face a long wait at a windswept bus stop.

Victoria Deakins rarely has that feeling. After starting her day in the kitchen, she crosses to a touch screen embedded in the wall of her hallway, which tells her exactly how far away the next bus is.

“It's very handy,” she says. “Just two minutes before the time you can run out the door.”

This is not some futuristic vision, but Dartford, Kent, where the Bridge housing development is part of the Thames Gateway regeneration. The screen in Ms Deakins's kitchen is linked to a global positioning system that tracks buses. An alarm tells her when a bus is approaching her stop.

Soon the screen will give her other information, such as queueing times on the M25, railway updates and the availability of spaces in car parks.

The system, made by a British company, Acis, is a result of the Government's push to persuade us to live greener lifestyles. To get planning permission, large developments now need green travel plans and the system is proving attractive to developers looking to meet these obligations.

Ms Deakins, 26, who works in advertising sales, says that it has persuaded her to use the car less. “At the weekend when we plan to get some groceries we can just jump on a bus, because parking is a nightmare,” she says.

Bart Woodhouse, 33, a Methodist church worker, says that reliability will be the key. Early teething problems made him sceptical. “You started to distrust the information you were given. I was beginning to get to the point when I wouldn't even look at it.” His confidence has now been restored. “It's very straightforward. The children use it to check the weather.”

Dartford, where the council is determined to boost its free Fastrack bus service, is the only place in the country where the system is running. Ninety homes are using it so far, but others are set to follow elsewhere. Each screen cost nearly £2,000 to supply and install.

Other uses are planned, including energy monitoring. There will also be information on local services and shops and alerts from police and local councils — which can be turned off. But do people want information from the local council beamed directly into the home?

Ms Deakins thinks the system is unobtrusive. When she is not using it, “we kind of forget it's there”. She would like to see it extended so that residents can send their own messages, advertising things such as neighbourhood barbecues.

Mr Woodhouse agrees that the system could help to bring residents together, but warns councils not to get greedy. “What I wouldn't like to see is it being used as a way of generating income through adverts.”

Ian Foll, of the developer Arnold White, which will install the system in 5,000 homes in Leighton Buzzard, says that it could change travel habits. “If it can be integrated with a fast, reliable bus service you start changing how people use public transport.”

So far the planning authorities seem more interested in this than home-

buyers. But Mr Foll believes that could change. “With rising fuel costs there may be a market edge over the next few years.”

Ms Deakins agrees. “It's a nice add-on. It's something people talk about. People are using the buses because they have this system. It's a lot easier to get out and about.”

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