Bahrain’s bus stops go digital with Papercast® e-paper passenger information displays

Another milestone for Bahrain public transport as the Government takes another major step towards providing a better travel experience for mobility users and achieving its sustainable development goals

Bus users in Bahrain benefit from accurate arrival/departure times and an improved travel experience as a result of the country’s first ever electronic passenger information service, led by Papercast partner Spark City (Gulf), provider of integrated traffic and transport systems.

This project is on behalf of the Government of Bahrain, specifically the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunication responsible for implementing the infrastructure operated by the Bahrain Public Transportation Company. Replacing paper timetables, it incorporates Papercast® 13” solar powered e-paper bus stop displays to provide live accurate bus arrivals and other important information to travellers at the busiest stops in the central of Manama, Bahrain.

It is part of a national strategy to modernise public transport and transform mobility for all users, which will contribute to Bahrain’s sustainable development strategy – directly aligned with Goal 11 of the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The system serves as a steppingstone to deliver real-time passenger information across the entire public transport network, with the first ever metro project in the pipeline.

H.E. Roddy Drummond, British Ambassador to Bahrain: “It is great to see Spark City and Papercast rolling out this valuable new information system. It will help people to use the bus network flexibly and in the future link into the Metro. Using public transport is important for the energy transition and making our cities more sustainable, and this is a smart contribution to that.”

Papercast was selected due to its robust e-paper technology that can withstand the harsh weather conditions of Gulf countries, along with its feature rich Content Management System, and the company’s willingness to accommodate customer requirements. Following a successful trial of a Papercast display at the new Bahrain International Airport, Spark City went on to win a public tender.

“This project is close to my heart. I was dependent on the bus shelter RTPI displays when I studied in London and strongly believe that they are fundamental to a positive passenger experience. The authority shared my vision and the solar powered nature of Papercast technology aligned with its sustainability goals,” comments Hamad Fawzi Behzad, Director of Spark City (Gulf). “Bahrain is on the verge of breaking new ground and I am excited to see how this develops with Papercast across the rest of the transport network.”

Using E Ink technology, Papercast e-paper bus stop displays are well proven around the world, and Bahrain joins other prominent deployments across the Middle East region including Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Kuwait, Makkah and Qatar.

Papercast’s range of solar powered, wireless e-paper bus stop displays provide excellent outdoor visibility and have been engineered with leading design principles of superior functionality and exceptionally low energy consumption. Completely stand-alone, the displays can be easily installed ‘off-the-grid’ within hours and the cloud-based data management platform provides complete control and real-time data integration.