As part of ongoing efforts to provide riders with a modern transit riding experience, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) awarded project stipends of $55,000 each for two vendors selected to provide digital bus stop sign solutions for testing under the new Innovation Studio. 

Launched earlier this year, Innovation Studio was designed to allow CTA to pilot solutions and new technologies for some of CTA’s biggest challenges. This year, three problem statements were released to solicit proposals from the private sector.

“True to its purpose, within months of launching the Innovation Studio, we are pleased to begin moving forward with our first two pilots, which look to tackle the long-standing challenge of communicating real-time service information to our non-networked bus riders,” said CTA President Dorval R. Carter Jr. “We appreciate the efforts of all those that submitted proposals to help with the daily operations of this agency and we look forward to leveraging Innovation Studio to expedite the process of finding other state-of-the-art solutions that will improve the customer experience.”

Problems to be Addressed

Of the three problem statements issued for 2024, actions taken by the Chicago Transit Board will allow CTA to move forward with piloting solutions addressing the Customer Experience problem statement:

• Safety: How can CTA automatically detect people or large objects on the tracks to enable swift intervention? 

• Internal Process Improvements: How can CTA automatically monitor the condition of physical assets at bus stops or their use over time? 

• Customer Experience: How can CTA expand real-time arrival and alert signage to bus stops?

CTA’s Awardees

The two companies selected for the pilot are GDS, a global signature manufacturer with expertise in large outdoor displays, and Papercast, a supplier of solar and battery powered displays and software to support information on other signs.

Through the pilots with GDS and Papercast, CTA will be testing the deployment of digital signs at a diverse set of bus stops throughout our network. 

The digital signs will provide real time bus arrival information as well as other bus service information, such as alerting riders to when a bus route is undergoing a reroute. The signs will also be equipped with text-to-speech push button annunciator to support accessibility.

The products being tested feature differences in display sizes, power supply methods, text-to-speech buttons, as well as unique back-end applications for managing content on the digital signs. 

Running both pilots simultaneously will allow CTA to compare the advantages of each solution and various product features.

What’s Next?

Through this Innovation Studio pilot, CTA will be monitoring customer satisfaction and feedback with the various digital signs as well as test out different display sizes, methods of power (battery or solar), and back-end management solutions that support content display on the signs. 

The pilots will also enable CTA to track digital sign uptime during inclement weather, cellular capabilities, ease of updating display information, and installation and maintenance needs. 

The $55,000 project stipends will cover the cost of hardware and a portion of the software for the pilot. The hardware will remain as property of CTA after the pilot conclusion.

With approval of the first two pilots from the Chicago Transit Board, the agency will execute the pilots and soon begin testing the new technologies. Additional details regarding these two pilots, including selected locations and timing, will be announced at a future date.

As with all pilots, CTA will monitor the performance of the equipment and the software, as well as other critical factors including rider feedback — all of which will be used to inform the next steps of a procurement process.

CTA’s Planning and Innovation department, which oversees Innovation Studio, will return to the Transit Board later this year with details on the remaining pilots, along with recommendations for advancing selected vendors, plus approval for awarding of stipends, as necessary.