[IMAGE]Dig.jpg[/IMAGE]A woman at a bus shelter, upon seeing the digital sign that announces her bus' arrival time, walks off to get coffee. Students at a nearby college campus send a text on their cell phones. Those at home or at work receive an alert and decide to head out to the bus stop - or wait for the next bus. Using various methods, these public transit riders are able to know what time their bus is expected to arrive.

Digital signs on buses have eliminated the need for flip or roll signs, and displays with predicted arrival times in shelters and stations have led to increased rider convenience, allowing for better time management and possibly increased ridership.

Vehicles, shelters

The more common display technology for these signs are LED displays, which according to Randy Schilling, parking and mass transit market manager of Daktronics, are much brighter and more readable in an outdoor environment than an LCD screen. The Brookings, S.D.-based company manufactures LED screens for shelters, stations, stops and other off-vehicle locations. Schilling adds that maintenance of an LED sign is significantly less than that of an LCD display.

Troy Whitesel, marketing manager for State College, Pa.-based Avail Technologies Inc., agrees that LEDs are better for bright areas, but adds, "LCD technology continues to evolve. As they continue to get brighter and brighter and more durable and longer lasting, I think you will continue to see more of them being placed in those bright environments as well." Avail's Infopoint module for its Omnipoint system designed for transit operations with up to 350 vehicles, provides real-time information for dissemination to the public.

Differences between an indoor bus display and outdoor shelter display usually address the protection it needs in its specific location. According to Jody Huntimer, marketing manager of Daktronics, the company's most popular display for the public transportation industry is the AF-6120, which meets the voluntary National Electrical Manufacturers' Association (NEMA) 4X standards regarding the enclosing cabinet. It "withstands intrusion of particles, brake dust, elements, wind, rain, and protects the internal components of the display," says Huntimer. In more remote areas without the potential hazards of brake dust, it protects against vandalism.

Onboard signs have other considerations. Larry Hagemann, chief technology officer of DRI Corp., headquartered in Dallas, says, "Signage on board a bus has got to endure the potholes as the bus goes up and down, the shock and vibration," something that a permanently affixed sign at a shelter wouldn't have to withstand.

Colorful options

While amber is the color most commonly used and associated with LED signs, other color options are available. In early 2010, Daktronics will release a tri-colored display available in its AF-6120 product line, adding red, green and amber, all in one package, as an option.

Different options can be useful for color-coding routes, especially in cities with tourists, says Hagemann. Printed maps with a different color assigned for each route help clarify route information. "These colors coordinate with the sign product itself, so you don't need to know English to go from the airport to downtown. If you follow the map, and you see that it's blue, just jump on the bus that has the blue route number on it," says Hagemann. DRI's subsidiaries, Twin Vision and Digital Recorders Inc., offer a palette of more than 200 colors for their on-bus and shelter digital signs.

Reducing Wait Time

Digital signs installed at bus shelters and stops can display the next-bus arrival prediction to awaiting passengers. Using AVL technology and special algorithms to gather bus location information and predict arrival times at each stop, the information is then sent to the individual signs to let waiting riders know the arrival time of the next bus.

Alameda, Calif.-based NextBus Inc. provides the technology for predictions of bus arrival times as well as the digital signs that are installed in shelters and bus stops. Larry Rosenshein, director of business development, says what makes NextBus technology useful is that it allows people the ability to better manage their time.

Cell phones with data plans can access the same information, and those who don't have data plans can text in the stop number to receive a prediction reply within three seconds. Calling in is another option - an automated voice will tell riders when the next three buses are expected to arrive, an important feature that can cut down on wait time in below-zero temperatures.

According to Whitesel, Avail Technologies' bus prediction system displays departure times rather than arrival times. "Sometimes drivers will take a 15-minute break at a particular stop, or they will switch drivers, and that's not going to be a 15- or 20-second stop." By displaying departure times, riders will get a more accurate prediction of when they need to be at the bus stop.

To communicate to the signage equipment, cellular modems can be used to update information to each sign a few times a minute. Radio is another option, as is a network connection. Although a network connection is less costly than a cellular connection, significant infrastructure must already be in place, making it more common in areas such as train platforms or bus stations.

An option that NextBus offers its clients are heavy aluminum signs that have the bus stop number and a phone number for riders to call in for arrival time predictions. Rosenshein recommends these signs for agencies that either don't have a large budget or want to spread the bus-prediction advantages to less frequent stops. Aluminum signs are also an option when there is no electricity available to that area.

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Installation Challenges

One of the challenges that some manufacturers and transit agencies face in installing a display sign in a shelter is lack of electricity. Transit agencies should make sure the location does have access to electricity, and that it can be used. By checking beforehand, an agency can save time and money in electrician bills that can run up to $5,000 per location. "If it's a transit intermodal center, typically there's electricity, and it's very easy to run a conduit inside a building," says Whitesel. Locations that are not as central might pose problems.

In addition, city permits and architectural and aesthetic compliance with the city must be considered.

One way to install signs without electricity lines is through solar power. Several manufacturers offer a solar panel option, where solar power is gathered and used during the day with a portion stored for the evening.

Extra Features

Avail Technologies and NextBus offer an ADA-compliant push-to-talk feature with their products. For riders who are visually impaired, pressing the button results in a verbal announcement of which routes are scheduled for that stop and what time the buses arrive or depart.

According Steve Halberstadt, director of marketing for Digital Recorders Inc., Athens Transit in Georgia has put up a kiosk configuration, a "hardened outdoor, ATM-like device that allows customers to come up and, using a touch screen, manipulate the map and check information about stops." This kiosk is useful for those who aren't at home with access to a computer or mobile device with data package, and don't have a bus number ready to call in.

Additional features on Digital Recorders' signage include automatic intensity controls. According to Hagemann, "in the daytime, when it's very bright out, we crank up the intensity so that [the sign] can be easily read. In the nighttime, we dim it down." He adds that in the same way, the volume of the speakers automatically change to the surrounding environment.

In case of an event, emergency or holiday, many systems allow administrators to log in and send a specific message to a sign at a stop, and to the Web. "If it's necessary to send a personalized message out to a sign, a group of signs or all signs, such as 'This stop is not serviced for the week of the 5th due to a detour' or 'Happy Holidays' or any of a number of things, text can be sent from a dispatch, from a transit authority, out to the signs to be displayed either concurrently or in place of the prediction," says Halberstadt.

Rosenshein says NextBus clients can send these messages regarding service from home, cell phones or anywhere with Internet connection. For riders who rely on predictions online, the message also shows up on the Website.

Maintenance

Most manufacturers agree that for LED signs, little to no maintenance is required, except for an occasional cleaning of the display glass. "There are no fans, no filters that need to be replaced and cleaned," says Schilling

Outdoor signs equipping shelters and stops are designed with vandal-resistance in mind. Huntimer says the cabinet around the display is "more vandal-proof than some of our other products that are built for indoor use." Rosenshein adds that the sturdiness of the plastic covering NextBus signs have been developed throughout the years, to a point where even a baseball bat wouldn't do much damage.

Estimates on the life span of a display are varied. "Typically, LED displays, people say 100,000 hours, or 11.5 years. That's when the display is at half-brightness - it doesn't mean the display is shot," says Schilling.

Cost of software varies greatly. NextBus' most popular digital sign, a 24-inch wide, 2-line LED scrolling message display, sells for $3,700 installed. Aluminum signs cost $30 installed, and self-standing solar displays cost $5,000. Daktronics signs are estimated to be $2,000 to $15,000 depending on size and features chosen. Avail Technologies' signs range from $3,000 to $9,000.

Adding Riders, Saving Money

Digital display technology has not only been an addition of convenience, but can also lead to an increase in ridership, and even save transit properties money. Regarding the NextBus prediction technology, "It pays for itself by increasing ridership, by letting [agencies] manage their system better," says Rosenshein. "If they're running three buses an hour on a particular route, they can cut it down to two buses an hour, because now people know when the bus is actually coming."

When public transit must compete with the convenience and comfort of personal vehicles, increasing the visibility of destination signs and allowing passengers to better manage their time may be the key to getting more riders in the door.  "A static, printed schedule telling when the bus is supposed to be there is no longer perceived as being the best that can be done," says Halberstadt. "There's a demand for being able to access that information anywhere, any time."       

 

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