New screens provide improved real-time transit information for customers

TransLink has installed new screens throughout UBC Exchange to improve real-time transit information for customers. Following a complete renovation to live customer communication technology at SkyTrain stations, UBC Exchange is the first bus exchange on our system to receive similar technology that tells customers when their next bus is arriving.

“Quality customer communication is vital to customer experience, and these new screens will greatly enhance trip planning through real-time bus information,” says TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn. “Serving more than 17,000 people on an average weekday this year, UBC Exchange is one of the busiest bus exchanges on our system and this technology will enhance the commute of so many students, faculty members, and visitors.”

Customers at UBC Exchange will find new screens integrated into bus stop poles throughout the exchange and a centrally located digital information board displaying live system-wide transit information.

The new screens provide:

• Full-colour LCD backlighting with larger, clearer text than regular bus stop signs.
• Text-to-speech audio for the visually impaired.
• Enhanced and backlit bus stop and route numbers.
• A range of transit information including next-bus information, route changes, and delays.

“We were very excited to hear about the installation of real-time transit information screens being brought to UBC Exchange,” says AMS Vice-President External Affairs, Saad Shoaib. “These new information screens, with text-to-speech technology for the visually impaired, will allow thousands of students to track, in real-time, when their bus will be arriving and departing. It is essential that we continue to enhance the UBC commuter experience by providing those who commute to and from our campus with accessible and reliable transit solutions. We see this TransLink initiative as a great step in making transit more accessible and efficient.”

Enhancing customer communication has been a major priority for TransLink. Other recent customer communication upgrades on our system include:

• The installation of new real-time information displays on Expo/Millennium Line platforms and station entrances.
• Improved speakers and PA systems on Expo/Millennium Line trains and stations.
• The installation of real-time bus information at all RapidBus stops.

These next-bus screens were installed through TransLink’s Next Bus Digital Screen Pilot. Over the next year, TransLink will gather customer feedback and evaluate the technology before possibly installing these screens at other high-frequency bus exchanges in the future.