CHK America officially launched its latest product under its new ConnectPoint Digital Division, the Connectpoint SmartStop — a solar-powered, standalone pylon that provides interactivity to the customer. With its two 13-inch digital bus stop displays at the top and a 10-inch interactive tablet at waist level, the ConnectPoint SmartStop provides a host of digital functionality and unprecedented flexibility to transit agencies wishing to provide the most current information to their customers. The digital bus stops can be used to display next-departure information for rail and bus services, bikeshare information, a local map, and also feature real-time alerts. The 10-inch tablet will provide a fully interactive user interface, which will provide bus and rail route and stop details, trip planning and other interactive applications.
The screens can also display any additional information an agency may need, such as Uber and Lyft details, or advertisements with map locations plotted.

The SmartStop is part of Santa Clara (Calif.) Valley Transportation Authority’s (VTA) innovation program to enhance the transit customer travel experience. A solar-powered solution was critical to VTA’s needs providing flexibility to locate the stops where power was not easily obtainable. VTA will be the first transit agency to install the SmartStops, to be positioned at two VTA bus stops serving six major routes in East San Jose.

“CHK America has invested a significant amount of capital and human resources into developing its new suite of digital products, marketed under the ConnectPoint Digital banner, that will appeal to today’s tech-savvy riders, providing a higher level of customized information to meet their ‘on-the-go’ planning needs,” said Rick Woods, CHK America president. Additional ConnectPoint products include Digital Bus Stops that are solar- or battery-powered and can easily be mounted directly to poles; the Dashboard, which displays current transportation options using existing infrastructure and can be deployed on any screen with a variety transportation feeds available to agencies; and the Interactive Kiosk.