SEPTA to test solar-powered screens at bus stops that would give riders real-time info

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Solar-powered information screens could soon be coming to a SEPTA bus stop near you.

The screens, which are about the size of an iPad, would be mounted at SEPTA bus stops to keep riders informed about detours, service changes and when the next bus will arrive.

SEPTA's Chief Innovation Officer Emily Yates says the transit agency has a five-year, $6 million contract with California-based Connectpoint, Inc., and a test of the solar-powered devices should start in the coming months at selected high-volume bus stops.

"We're hoping for as soon as possible,” she said. “We're really working to get the first 100 deployed before the end of the year."

Referencing the hitchBOT destroyed in Philly nine years ago , she says the devices are graffiti-proof and have removable screens that can be replaced if they get damaged.

"We always joke that Philly doesn't treat technology so nicely, in reference to the robot that made it all the way — the [hitchBOT] robot. So we want to test it out and see — will they survive in our climate and conditions?"

If the pilot goes well, Yates says SEPTA plans to install up to 700 of the signs throughout the system.