Trying to boost the appeal of its bus system, the MBTA is launching a campaign aimed at making the city’s 177 bus routes less confusing for riders.

The MBTA will install clearer maps at bus stops and subway stations, provide better training for drivers and station employees to answer riders’ questions and hand out colorful brochures aimed at convincing riders the bus is “modern, clean, comfortable and accessible” as part of its campaign announced last week.

The MBTA touted the organization’s recently revamped website where riders can use trip-planning tools to figure out bus routes, in a press release company spokesman Joe Pesaturo provided to The Daily Free Press.

“This is meant to take some of the mystery out of where you can get to by bus,” said MBTA general manager Daniel Grabauskas in an April 13 Metro article.

By the end of May, each stop will have a diagram display of all bus lines serving the surrounding area with information about their destinations and hours of operation.

The MBTA also acknowledged many customers do not understand that they can ride the bus for free if they are using a LinkPass, or a CharlieCard if they are transferring from the subway. A bus ride costs $1.50 — $1.25 with a CharlieCard — which is still cheaper than a subway ride, which costs $2, or $1.70 with a CharlieCard.

T Riders Union spokeswoman Caroline Fan said the promotion will not change public perception of the system, which many have criticized for being inefficient even after January’s fare increase.

“While having more maps is useful for tourists and those traveling to unfamiliar parts of town, it doesn’t address the root problems of reliability, affordability and congestion,” Fan said.

Some Boston University students say they avoid riding the No. 57 bus, which serves the length of the Charles River campus and continues along Commonwealth Avenue, even though it is often speedier than the subway.

College of Communication freshman Pietra Impastato said the one time she waited for the bus this year, she waited an hour in the wrong location before she decided a bus was unlikely to arrive. Despite the new campaign, she said she is still skeptical about the bus system.

“The new maps won’t make me want to take the bus,” she said. “I’ll stick to the unreliable T. At least I can wait inside for it.”