Busem makes a smart move in Písek with Papercast e-paper bus stops

Smart City strategy sets out to improve the passenger experience

Busem, part of ČSAD AUTOBUSY  České Budějovice a.s, is rolling out ‘smart’ bus stops at 14 major locations across the city of Písek in the Czech Republic. Using Papercast solar powered e-paper displays, the new electronic information system will provide passengers with real-time information on Busem services.

As part of the city’s ‘Smart Pisek’ initiative, the revolutionary e-paper displays will improve the day-to-day passenger experience and fuel wider adoption of bus services. Replacing traditional static timetables, passengers will benefit from dynamic arrival information based on the actual position of the vehicles on the route, as well as immediate updates on service or connection disruptions due to abnormal traffic conditions.

Radek Novotný, company executive at BNV Consulting, responsible for delivering the solution for ČSAD AUTOBUSY České Budějovice, comments: “The use of technology in public transport is becoming increasingly widespread and has a significant positive impact on the service experience. This is a key milestone in our plans to transform public transport and make it the first choice for travel in Pisek and beyond.

“The overall purpose of this project is to increase public transport usage by substantially improving the quality of services – using advanced and sustainable technologies. In Pisek, the bus stops provide the gateway to the service, the point where people decide whether and what services will be used. Timely and accurate service information is the absolute foundation to passenger certainty and confidence that transport services are well managed and predictable.”

Papercast’s e-paper displays were selected due to outdoor visibility, exceptional power consumption, easy installation and technology lifetime:

• Outdoor Visibility: Using E Ink technology, the high-contrast high-definition displays come with night time LED illumination for unbeatable readability in all lighting conditions, perfect for bus stops.
• Power Consumption: Compared to an LCD panel, Papercast uses a minute fraction of the power and has been engineered to surpass the functionality and energy efficiency of any other standalone bus stop display available.
• Technology Lifetime: Physically protected by a ruggedized IP65-rated enclosure, the platform is in continual development and can be remotely updated and managed to ensure it remains the most advanced available on the market.
• Easy Installation: Papercast is entirely solar powered with wireless connectivity so there is no need for any civils work, the panels are securely mounted to existing bus stops and connected wirelessly to the cloud-based data management platform.

This is part of a wider real-time passenger information platform, including a bus position tracking system, that integrates with the Papercast data management platform to deliver content to the displays. Papercast e-paper displays will show line numbers, routes from bus stop, actual arrival times and closest connections, as well as the ability to show messages in the event of significant service changes and to promote important city information, news and events.