With an intention to provide commuter with real-time information about the latest bus service, Transport for London (TfL) has announced a new service, called Countdown.

Countdown, which is currently under beta testing, will allow commuters either to send a text from a bus stop or use their web mobile browser to receive the latest information about the bus service for their area.

The new service will allow users to send a text to TfL with their bus stop code to receive real-time bus arrival information for that stop. It means will be able to know how long their bus will take to arrive.

Some bus stops already have electronic countdown ticker, which list the number of minutes until a bus arrives, but their number is small. The new service will be available at all of the more than 19000 bus stops across London.

Commenting on the new service, a spokesperson for TfL said, "TfL has commenced user testing of the new `countdown' system which will provide real bus arrival information for all 19,000 bus stops across London via the web and SMS."

Testing of the new service will go on throughout September, and the launch of the service is expected sometime over the next couple of months.