CTA will test transit information screens on buses

The Chicago Transit Authority will test digital information screens on a few buses this year, CTA president Dorval Carter Jr. announced Wednesday.

The screens will tell riders about upcoming stops, and provide arrival times for connecting buses and trains. They also will show alerts about reroutes and service disruptions, as well as ads and public service announcements.

Each bus will have two screens: one in front, the other in the middle.

Speaking at a City Club of Chicago luncheon, Carter said he was excited about the innovation.

Screens for the pilot program will be provided by manufacturers at no cost, said CTA spokesman Brian Steele. “A small number” of buses would have the screens, he said, but he had no details on the routes, or the exact number of buses.

The agency wants feedback from riders before installing more screens, he said. He did not know how much it would cost to install the screens on a larger scale; that would be put out to bid.

Though more than half of CTA riders use the bus, those vehicles have lagged behind trains in technology, Steele said, and Carter wanted to address that disparity.

“Bus customers are actually now going to have the most state-of-the art digital information pieces that we have in our entire system,” Steele said.