Today, the 36th Great American Smokeout, Capital Metro is announcing plans to discourage tobacco use as well as revolutionize how riders get schedule information at all of its 2,700+ bus stops, through an ambitious new signage project.
Capital Metro will phase out signage that displays bus timetables at all but the highest-volume bus stops in favor of a new system that allows users to get very specific next bus info at stops using a phone and the bus stop’s unique ID number.
"Providing a great customer experience is our number one strategic goal over the next year," said Linda S. Watson, Capital Metro president and CEO. "The main bit of information that customers want when they approach one of our stops is, ‘When will the next bus arrive?’ This new information system delivers that and so much more."
Once the new signs are fully installed, Capital Metro will begin to rack up savings at every service change because the signs will not need to be updated when routes or frequencies change. Additionally, the signs are slated for installation at 100 percent of Capital Metro bus stops, greatly improving the usability of the system. Currently, schedule information is available at fewer than 50 percent of bus stops.
The new information system lays the groundwork for a brand new automated phone system (IVR) that will debut during 2012, and the planned integration of GPS-based real-time next bus info anticipated in a few years.
The signage is made possible through a grant from the city of Austin and the national Communities Putting Prevention to Work program, which will cover the approximate $230,000 cost to create and install the signage.
Riders may begin to notice the new signs at their bus stops beginning in December, and Capital Metro expects the signs to be 100 percent installed by the end of February.
Information Features
The new signage outlines four easy methods for getting specific next scheduled bus information by using a cell phone and inputting the unique bus stop ID number:
1. Text: Text the bus stop ID number to DadnabTM at (512) 981-6221, and receive a reply text with the next scheduled bus arrival times for the buses that serve that stop.
2. QR Code: Scan the square barcode on the sign using a QR reader app (many free readers are available from your phone’s apps marketplace), and next bus times and a route map will be displayed on your smartphone.
3. Mobile site: Open capmetro.org/stopid/ from your phone and input your bus stop ID number to pull up a mobile-friendly website with the next bus arrivals.
4. Call the Go Line at 512-474-1200. Use the automated voice system 24 hours/day or talk to a real person weekdays, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on weekends, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Capital Metro has separate plans to add Braille to the signs later in FY2012, greatly increasing the accessibility of the transit system for riders with visual impairments.
A 2010 survey found that 80 percent of Capital Metro bus riders have a cell phone, but Capital Metro will continue to provide free route brochures and system maps onboard buses, as well as its online trip planner. For $3, customers may also purchase Destinations, the official Capital Metro schedule book.
Tobacco Free Bus Stops
In 2010, Capital Metro became an industry leader by adopting both a Tobacco Free Workplace and Tobacco Free Facilities policy, and providing a comprehensive tobacco cessation program for employees that includes free classes, full health insurance coverage of nicotine replacement therapy drugs, and cash incentives for quitting tobacco.
Yesterday, the Capital Metro board adopted a revision to its Tobacco Free Facilities policy that discourages tobacco use at bus stops. Tobacco use is already prohibited near the passenger boarding areas at transit centers, park & rides and MetroRail stations.
On its own, Capital Metro cannot actively enforce a tobacco-free policy at bus stops at this time. Although not punitive, the policy discourages tobacco use within 15 feet of the bus stop in consideration of other riders and to create a healthier environment for everyone waiting for the bus.