Transperth has announced the trial of a new smart bus stop on St Georges Terrace, which can give passengers up-to-the-minute information on how close their next service is.
In a statement, the Agency said bus stop 10128, installed outside the City of Perth’s Council House, was the first of six new information cubes (InfoCubes) to be upgraded to include a digital display.
It said each InfoCube would continue to show printed details about which routes used the bus stop, and timetable information, but would now also incorporate a digital display that used GPS tracking technology installed on the bus to show real-time arrivals updated every 15 seconds.
Minister for Transport, Rita Saffioti said the digital display could also be used to display real-time messages on any unexpected delays encountered due to issues like unusual levels of traffic congestion and road works.
“Vision-impaired commuters will also be able to push a button, outlined in braille, to have the arrival information read to them,” Ms Saffioti said.
“Each smart bus stop has a low-power requirement and will be connected to solar power where possible,” she said.
“The new displays will be installed in high-traffic locations around the central business district.”
The Minister said the Public Transport Authority was developing a similar trial for the upgrade of the Perth Central Area Transit (CAT) bus service stops, and a wider planned rollout of the technology would be considered subject to the results of the trials.
“This is an exciting digital upgrade to our bus stop infrastructure, which will now provide real-time updates of bus arrival times on regular timetabled bus services, something Perth CAT bus service and train users have enjoyed for many years,” Ms Saffioti said.
