ARLINGTON, Mass. — The MBTA has been working to improve the rider experience for its bus passengers by using digital signs to display real-time bus information.
The signs are often found at bus stops and stations. Now an effort is underway to bring this information to other locations, including libraries.
The Robbins Library in Arlington recently brought this program on board at the urging of its teen patrons.
“Arlington is a town where the teens use the library a lot because they’re so mobile,” said Head of Teen Services Steven Toropov.
The Robbins Library is located along Massachusetts Avenue, and it’s easily accessible by the Route 77 bus. But Toropov noticed one problem.
“Kids would just say, ‘I don’t know when the bus is coming, we’d better go now.’ And they’d wait outside for 15 minutes. Or they’d look out the window and see it go by,” Toropov said.
Members of the library’s teen advisory board spotted an MBTA bus screen at the library in Waltham. They suggested it as a solution.
“One of the things we heard loud and clear from riders is that they sort of really value real-time information,” said Karti Subramanian.
Subramanian is the Senior Director of Rider Tools for the MBTA.
The agency started the digital signage program in 2019, building its own software to make real-time transit information available on digital screens at bus stops and stations. They realized the software could easily be made available to other locations.
“The MBTA came to us and said, ‘Hey, we have these digital tools that we would love to bring to more riders in more places,’” added MassDOT Deputy Chief of Innovation Jaclyn.
MassDOT had already worked with the Massachusetts library system during a previous project. The agency contacted the libraries again.
“We were able to reach out to over 100 libraries in the MBTA’s service area to see if they were interested in this service, and if it would be helpful to their patrons. And about 20 of them reached out and said yeah.”
Ten libraries are now using the digital signs. The Robbins Library is one of them, telling Boston 25 that the system was easy to implement. Subramanian explained the process.
“We can configure a screen that is specific to their point in space, like what the MBTA services are around where they are. We can design that web page in just a few minutes. And we can send them a URL. They can drop it onto their screen.”
The MBTA says any organization that’s interested in the service can fill out a form on the T’s website. As long as the location has a digital screen, the information can be up and running in just 24 hours.
The whole process is making public transit less of a mystery for riders.
“I’ve had a ton of teens be very thankful and excited. And honestly, as much as anything, it’s become so normal so quickly that that’s kind of the most gratifying, is when they just assume that it’s there,” Toropo said.
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