The On the Go! Travel Station — a new interactive touch-screen that offers New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) travel information and more — was launched at the Bowling Green station (4 and 5 lines) as part of a pilot project that within the next few weeks will include a total of five subway stations and commuter rail hubs.

The sleek, stainless steel enclosure supports a large screen with a colorful display, offering customers information about their entire trip, from planning with Trip Planner, real-time service status, escalator and elevator status, and local neighborhood maps.

In addition, the MTA has partnered with third-party developers to include applications which provide additional information, such as local history, shopping and dining options nearby provided by third-party applications Zagat, myCitiapp and History Bus. As added features, the screens will provide news and weather information.

On the Go! utilizes Cisco's Interactive Services Solution, a flexible and scalable platform that enables digital interactions through rich media, live video, real-time information and user-friendly management tools.

On the Go! can be customized for a specific location and by time of day. For example, at the Penn Station Travel Station, during the morning, the screen will default to subway information and in the evenings it will default to LIRR service. All content is remotely managed from a secure Web-based management system and applications can be changed or updated as needed.

Depending on customer acceptance and success of the pilots, On the Go! may eventually be installed in stations throughout the system. It is anticipated that the On the Go! Travel Stations will generate significant advertising income, which would help to defray the costs of installation.