Last week, The Source reported that Metro is taking bids for a Real Time Bus Arrival Information System, which would provide transit information to phones, websites, and stops. Vendors of the bus technology have until the end of their month to submit their proposals to Metro, and here's how the system is being imagined, according to Al Martinez, supervising engineer with Metro. Say you're sitting at a bench, waiting for the bus--you could flip open your cellphone and check the estimated arrival time. (Similar-sounding technology is in place in various forms in other cities.) Meanwhile, for those griping about the often inaccurate bus arrival information that's displayed on monitors along Wilshire Boulevard, for instance, well, that's information triggered by the Los Angeles Department of Transportation's (LADOT) system (and it's only city-wide), Eventually, Metro may utilize those LADOT display signs in some capacity (although Metro's goal is to be county-wide). "Displays are very costly and require a lot of maintenance," says Martinez, who says that initially the roll-out will be distributed to computers, cell phones, and pagers. Spendy displays will take a little longer to hit.
· Metro Takes First Steps Toward Real-Time Bus Info [The Source]
· Transit TV Back on Metro Buses [Curbed LA]
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