New Real-Time Bus Arrival Devices Demonstrated with Text-to-Speech – Pasadena Now

(Photo of a Papercast unit attached to a pole. The unit is a simple device with an e-ink screen and a button to display bus arrival times. Courtesy of the City of Pasadena)

The Pasadena Department of Transportation (DOT) is implementing a demonstration of five new solar-powered devices at local bus stops to provide customers with real-time bus arrival information at the touch of a button. These new devices differ from the existing real-time arrival devices currently provided at 115 bus stops because they also have text-to-speech capabilities to assist customers with visual impairments. The locations identified for these five demonstration devices are among the most frequently used bus stops in the city.

Five demonstration units are expected to be permanently installed in the next few months at the following locations:

1. Lake Avenue and Villa Street North
2. Northbound Raymond Avenue and Holly Street
3. Southbound on Fair Oaks Boulevard and Woodbury Road
4. Lake Avenue and Colorado Boulevard Northbound
5. Eastern Foothill Boulevard and Sierra Madre Villa Avenue

This demonstration project is funded by Caltrans Low Carbon Transit Operations Program (LCTOP). As part of this project, DOT will collect feedback on how these new units meet the needs of public transit customers. Customers will be able to provide feedback via a survey on https://bit.ly/PapercastSurvey. A QR code and link will also be on each Papercast unit. Feedback from the survey will help determine the effectiveness of these new devices, as well as inform potential installation of future devices in the city.

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