Someone in a winter hat and coat waiting at a bus stop with the bus in sight

Bus real-time arrival information signage expansion

How can CTA expand real-time arrival and alert signage to bus stops?

Our robust regional transit system operates 127 bus routes that serve nearly 11,000 bus stops throughout the City of Chicago and 35 suburban municipalities. Of these, only about 400 have digital signage reporting real-time bus arrival estimates. For shelters without digital signage, riders must rely on text alerts and third-party apps to get arrival information, and we must post paper signs in the event of service changes and re-routes. Digital signs displaying real-time arrival and service alert information improve the experience of waiting for the bus by making it easy for customers to know when the bus will arrive and inform riders of any service impacts.

We are seeking a turn-key, self-contained, scalable solution to expand real-time arrival and customer alert information signage to bus stops in a variety of environments. Ideal solutions will be low maintenance, able to be installed with little workforce effort, will be secure, self-powered, and potentially be able to integrate with other CTA solutions. Proposals should not depend on the bus stop having a physical shelter. Built in accessibility features such as audible announcements are strongly preferred. Real time information should be provided to customers on a 24/7 basis and the solution should function in all weather and light conditions.