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How interactive kiosks, digital signage empower public transit riders

Interactive kiosks give riders in downtown Pittsburgh access to real time bus and rail information and allow them to map out itineraries. The digital signage is also simplifying the transportation system's content management.

Monitors are installed on fixed guideways for the Pittsburgh light rail system.

November 4, 2019 by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

Bus and rail riders no longer have to sort through paper copies of transportation schedules when they visit The Wood Street Station in downtown Pittsburgh. Instead, they can access schedules on an interactive, 8-foot tall kiosk. They can even map out an itinerary.

Welcome to the brave new world of public transportation, where interactive kiosks and digital signage are making life easier for bus and light rail users.

Riders in downtown Pittsburgh can access real-time arrival information and plan a trip within the transit system while also exploring first and last mile choices — personal car use, bicycle or walking. In addition, a trip planning module allows them to interact with a mapping database so they can search for specific places to visit. Users can plan their itineraries right on the touchscreens and email it to themselves.

Meeting rider needs

"The more that we put out in terms of real-time information is helping our passengers," said Scott Vetere, director of intelligent transportation systems and special projects at The Port Authority of Allegheny, which has introduced interactive kiosks at four of its downtown rail stations and one at its customer service center. "These not only provide real-time information for routes. There's a route overview so that you can see what a route looks like on a map from beginning to end."

"It's helping them get information a lot easier than calling a line or having to look for a paper schedule," Vetere told Kiosk Marketplace in a phone interview. "It's right there, right in front of you. You don't have to pull a paper time table out of the racks to get that information, you can just interact with the machine."

The touchscreens are also handicap accessible, thanks to a button at the bottom that displays a mouse-like image that the user can move across the screen.

Simplifying transportation management

In addition to helping riders, the kiosks make it easier for the authority to inform riders about public service announcements, Vetere said. For example, the authority recently used the screens to announce new fares. There are also safety and security messages.

"It's a lot more convenient than having to make a sign up and the run out to a station to put a sign up," said Vetere, who controls all content from his desktop.

The kiosks also provide a source of revenue for the authority in the form of paid advertising. The top 18 inches of the 32-inch screen is for advertising. The authority has its own sales staff to sell 10- to 60-second advertising spots to local businesses, including entertainment activities and charter schools.

Vetere can access usage reports through CHK's content management system. "You could go in at any given time just to see what's on the machine," Vetere said. "You don't have to get up and go to each machine."

While he is able to know the number of touches on every screen, he no longer feels the need to track the activity. "I know they're used because I see them being used," he said.

Vetere was surprised how much time people spent studying routes versus just looking at the real-time information.

Kiosks and digital signage

The Connectpoint kiosk provided by CHK America features a digital advertising screen in addition to transportation information.

The authority became interested in electronic screens after riders began asking about them, Vetere said. He quickly discovered that the company providing its static signage, CHK America Inc., also provides electronic signage.

In addition to four interactive kiosks, there are a dozen 55-inch digital screens providing real-time information at rail stations. There are also plans to install 25 32-inch monitors on fixed skyways, and as many as 20 10- and 13-inch digital screens. The digital signage is not interactive like the kiosks.

The kiosks and the digital signage are strictly informational; users cannot purchase things on the screens or access the internet.

The kiosks cost around $50,000 apiece, Vetere said, including programming and a five-year warranty. CHK charges the authority about $7,500 per year to manage the data for all the kiosks and digital signs. There have not been any operational issues or vandalism, he added.

The Wood Street Station is the busiest location, which carries both bus and rail information, and gets as much usage as one that CHK has in Las Vegas, Vetere said.

Monthly usage for route planning interactions at one kiosk was 25,119 with "trail blazer" and "trip plans" at 2,370 and 1,177, respectively.

The authority is considering expanding the kiosks and digital signage, Vetere said, although funding is a challenge.

Photos courtesy of CHK America Inc.