Published on March 24 | Updated on May 21
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — No more paper signs. SEPTA is installing solar-powered screens at select bus and trolley stops that let riders know when the next vehicle should arrive.
The screens are about the size of iPads. Starting next week, 10 of them will be mounted under a pilot program.
“This is electronic, real-time signage, like countdown clocks, that is small enough to be installed at a bus stop or a trolley stop,” said Lex Powers, SEPTA chief of customer experience.
Locations for the pilot were chosen based on ridership, equity and available sunlight for power.
SEPTA
And remember HitchBOT, the traveling robot that was destroyed in Philadelphia in 2015? SEPTA special projects manager Emily Duncan does. She said these screens are encased and designed to resist graffiti and theft.
“All of the vendors were well aware of the challenging landscape that we have here in Philadelphia,” she said. “The devices that were proposed to us for the selection process were equipped to handle anything Philadelphia can throw at it — literally and figuratively.”
The so-called ePaper displays also have a text-to-speech feature for audio announcements.
The program was stalled during last year’s budget uncertainty and cybersecurity concerns, but SEPTA said the screens should be up and running by this summer.
