LA Metro selects Papercast® e-paper passenger information displays

Papercast Ltd, the world leader in battery and solar powered e-paper passenger information displays, has announced that Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has selected its energy efficient, environmentally friendly, solar-powered digital bus stop displays to improve the customer experience for Metro’s transit riders in downtown Los Angeles.

This news comes months after Papercast announced its expansion into the North American market with a new office in LA and the appointment of a dedicated Business Development and operations team.

“We are delighted to be part of LA Metro’s strategy to create an improved and more accessible passenger experience for Los Angeles County riders” Robert Bicket, Papercast CEO comments. “Real-time passenger information is integral to next generation, people-first transit services – providing greater certainty about bus arrivals and therefore greater customer satisfaction – and Papercast’s energy efficient, eco-friendly e-paper offers a smart display technology for transport authorities that are building for the future. This significant award signals, once again, a strong endorsement of our technology.”

Following a highly competitive pilot programme – evaluating multiple e-paper providers in downtown LA locations for over a 16-month period – LA Metro selected Papercast 13” and 23” solar powered e-paper displays to be installed onto existing LA Metro transit poles along its NextGen 204 line along Vermont Avenue. The intent of this installation is to assess how to implement a countywide model that improves the customer experience and builds ridership for Metro’s transit riders across the County.

LA Metro Bus and Rail routes constitute the third-largest transit system in United States, behind New York and Chicago, serving over 88 member cities and towns, and with an annual bus ridership of 198 million. As the authority pivots from pandemic recovery mode to growth mode, it is moving forward by Putting People First and accelerating its NextGen Bus Plan – to build a reimagined world-class bus system that provides fast, frequent, reliable and accessible service, putting the needs of today’s riders first by improving their experience.

As part of the strategy, LA Metro is incorporating electronic (e-paper) displays throughout Los Angeles County to display real-time bus arrival information from both Metro and municipal transit agencies that also serve stops.

Fully managed through Papercast’s cloud-connected Content Management System, Metro benefits from simple API integration with real-time data feeds from multiple operators; intuitive content management features for creating and publishing informative, visual content; and secure and remote display monitoring, operations management and diagnostics.