A new Stars Wars technology system for tracking buses will cover every route next year.

Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company has joined forces with the city council to use a satellite-based system.

The £1.3 million initiative means bus bosses at the main depot in Conway Street, Hove, will be able to say where every bus is in the city at any time.

Already the system is operating for the 5, 5A and 5B routes. Now it is being extended to the 7 and 7As before gradually covering all the other services.

Just one operator is needed at headquarters to look at how the buses are running and make any changes necessary.

Each bus is shown on a map of the route in various colours - green if it is on time, blue if it is early and red if it is late.

Special electronic displays are being introduced at main points in the city such as Churchill Square.

These will enable passengers to see when their bus is due. The displays will also be able to pass on information, such as the reason for a delay.

People with mobile phones at other bus stops will also be able to ring the bus company and ask how near the vehicle is to them.

All drivers will also have displays in their cabs telling them how their journeys are progressing and giving warnings of any hazards.

The system will also enable drivers to call for help quickly if there is an emergency on board.

It is also linked to the council's computer-controlled traffic light system. This will enable buses running really late to turn traffic lights green as they approach key junctions.

The system should enable buses to get back to normal much more quickly after major disruption, such as that caused by marches or demonstrations in the city centre.

At present, it is possible to get in touch with drivers by radio but the bus company does not know where they are.

Managing director Roger French said: "This revolutionary new system will help us to keep much better control of our buses and improve the regularity and reliability of services for passengers.

"It will be a great boon to be able to see where every bus is so that we can be more proactive in minimising the inconvenience caused by traffic delays."

It will be the first bus company in the UK to have introduced this system for all its vehicles.

Operations manager Paul Williams said the system enabled the company to see where two buses were running together and take action to guide drivers to getting back on time.

In some cases, it might be possible to transfer passengers from a late-running bus to one on time.

He added people would be given much more information, saying: "We know from experience that passengers are much more understanding about delays if they know why they have occurred."

Commercial manager Mike Best said the system was a tremendous advance. He said: "It is a job to think of something it cannot do."

The cost of the new system is being shared by the council and the company with the council's contribution being met by Government funding.

Environment Cabinet councillor Chris Morley said: "The council is committed to providing sustainable transport in Brighton and Hove and we are delighted the bus bus information system will be going online.

"This initiative will improve the efficiency of routes which are already very popular.

"Local people and visitors to the city will soon be able to benefit from the ongoing improvements being made to bus services as a result of this excellent scheme."