The award-winning, all-electric Universal bus service, which connects students, staff and members of the public to key locations in Cambridge, has unveiled a new voice system on its buses. This update replaces the robotic AI announcements previously in use with recordings by local university students, adding a human touch to the service.
The ‘Voice of Universal’ project, a collaboration between Whippet, the Cambridge University Railway Club (CURC), CamFM student radio and the University’s Amateur Dramatic Club, saw students volunteering to record a wide range of announcements for use on Whippet buses.
Background:
The partnership began when Sean Huang, President of the Cambridge University Railway Club (CURC) invited Ed Cameron, a Director of Whippet, to speak at the club last year. The pair originally met at a Freshers’ Fair the previous year. Mr Cameron suggested replacing the computer-generated announcements on the buses with authentic, personable voices. This innovative idea quickly gained traction when Mr Huang reached out to the University’s drama and media communities to help bring the vision to life.
An extensive process followed, with the University’s Amateur Dramatic Club creating audition tapes with a variety of voices. After narrowing down the 40 audition tapes, members of the University’s Transport Working Group were invited to vote for their favourites. Four winning voices were chosen, marking the beginning of a lengthy but rewarding task of recording all bus stops and various other announcements.
The successful voice actors, some of whom attended a special event on 13 February to celebrate the project, have left behind a legacy on the buses, with their voices now a part of the everyday commute. Those who have since moved on will continue to be heard by passengers, leaving a unique imprint on the local transport system.
This video tells the story of how the project came together and features two of the ‘Voices of the Universal’ https://youtu.be/700tDmZIqno
Quotes:
Ed Cameron, Director at Whippet said “This project is really important to us as the operator of Universal. We are really keen for the community to have some involvement with the bus service”
Medical student, Bolin Dai who was successful in becoming one of the ‘Voices of the Universal’ said “I have had so much fun doing this. I’ve met so many people including those that work on the buses and behind the scenes. It’s just been a fantastic experience”
Additional Information:
The Universal bus service, operated by Whippet and funded by the University of Cambridge, operates with state-of-the-art electric buses every 15 minutes between Girton and the Biomedical Campus via Cambridge West Innovation District, the historic city centre and Cambridge railway station. The buses help passengers easily access key destinations across the city. Subsidised by the University, but open to everyone, students and staff can enjoy travel for £1 per journey, while members of the public can ride for £2. The U bus has been operating for over 20 years and is the only privately funded all-electric bus service in the UK. The service has bucked the national trend by showing increased ridership year on year, exceeding its pre-pandemic figures.
The Cambridge University Railway Club (CURC) was established in 1911 and was the world’s first student railway club.
The Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club is the oldest student dramatic society in the country.
For more information on the Universal bus service, including timetables and route details, visit https://www.whippetbus.co.uk/universal/