Newbury trials e-paper information display at the town’s busiest bus stop

West Berkshire Council (WBC) in the United Kingdom is trialling an innovative information display at one of its busiest bus stops, using Papercast solar powered e-paper bus stop displays.

Located on Park Way in Newbury, the screen shows live service information, supplied by Reading Buses through their data supplier R2P, for local Kennections, Reading Buses and Vodafone routes. It’s intended to add information for other routes further into the project.

The site was selected given the high volume of services calling at the stop and customer feedback on the presentation of information on an older screen inside the shelter. Situated on a Vodafone commuter route and with local bus services covering Parkway retail, leisure and residential development as well as the Northbrook Street shopping area, the stop is one of the busiest in the area. The former 3-line LED shelter sign was unable to show arrival times for all services in a timely manner, and customer feedback prompted WBC to pilot an alternative approach.

Due to the nature of e-paper technology, Papercast displays have the potential to show more detailed and sophisticated information in an energy efficient unit that can be solar powered. The single 13.3” wireless display was installed on the existing non-powered sign pole and shows real-time arrival information with clear screen visibility, even in direct sunlight.

Jeanette Clifford, West Berkshire Executive Councillor for Highways and Transport said: “The new solar screen, delivered through partnership working, is a good example of innovation in West Berkshire and is another way of making information available to customers using the local bus network.”

“We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with the West Berkshire Council team to find a solution using our e-paper display technology,” comments Robert Bicket, CEO at Papercast. “It is great to see that WBC, along with other local authorities and bus operators across the country, are starting to make the move towards smarter, more innovative approaches to keeping passengers informed at the bus stop”.

Papercast is revolutionising the way operators provide passenger information at the bus stop. The unique attributes of e-paper make it ideal for outside use, with unbeatable screen visibility, even in direct sunlight. Couple this with wireless connectivity and exceptionally low power consumption, and the displays can be continuously solar powered – no power or connectivity cables are required.