Bus riders waiting at the northeast corner of Broad Street and Oregon Avenue can now refer to a pole-mounted screen — resembling a large Kindle — to check the status of Routes 7, 63 and 68.
SEPTA officials debuted the first of 10 real-time screens Wednesday morning at the South Philadelphia intersection. The devices, which are being tested this summer, show arrival times, detours and other service alerts.
“This is a small device, but it’s going to have a big impact for bus riders,” said Lex Powers, the authority’s chief officer for customer experience.
Over the next week or two, crews will install the displays at the 40th Street Trolley Portal (for users of the T routes); Schuylkill Avenue and John F. Kennedy Boulevard (9, 44, 62, 124 and 125); Stadium Station (M1, formerly known as the Norristown High Speed Line); Broad Street and Girard Avenue (G1, previous Route 15); Front Street and Girard Avenue (5 and G1), City Avenue and Presidential Boulevard (1, 44 and 65); Drexel Hill Junction Station (D1 and D2); 52nd and Market streets (52); and Kensington and Allegheny avenues (60).
“We’re prioritizing locations with high ridership and high transfers in neighborhoods across the system,” SEPTA General Manager Scott Sauer said.
Sauer went on to say that customers have repeatedly asked for more readily available real-time information, including through the extensive feedback process that led to SEPTA’s New Bus Network, previously known as Bus Revolution.
“Knowing where the vehicles are and when they’re arriving isn’t a luxury in 2026,” he added. “It’s basic information that informs the customer.”
If everything goes well, SEPTA is preparing to order 90 more devices in the fall, officials said. The screens would still only be available at a small fraction of the transit system’s roughly 13,000 stops.
The displays, which cost about $5,000 apiece, use low-power e-paper technology, similar to many electronic readers. They don’t glow and can run off a solar panel attached to the top of a sidewalk pole. Each has a text-to-speech button, allowing for blind and low-vision riders to receive the same information.
QR codes featured on the screen direct customers to a survey, and riders can also provide feedback on the pilot program by calling SEPTA’s customer service line at 215-580-7800.
Real-time displays are common in some other cities, and SEPTA leaders noted that this pilot program coincides with an anticipated influx of visitors for the FIFA World Cup, MLB All-Star Game and the celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday.
More than one reporter asked about the resiliency of the devices, given the destruction of hitchBOT in Philadelphia during its 2015 jaunt across the country and residents' general rowdiness.
“It is sturdy, but part of the pilot, of course, is to measure its durability,” Sauer responded.
"I’m going to say we’ve made it very durable, but that is not a challenge,” Powers joked.
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