Good projects and EU funds
Zielona Góra has developed a project of integrated low-emission public transport, under the Operational Programme Infrastructure and Environment. Its part are passenger information display boards made by Dysten in two variants: 4-line devices (34 items) and 6-line units (23 devices). There are 6-line PIDs in places where the daily number of courses equals or exceeds 160.
The aim of this project was to introduce further facilities for passengers of public transport in Zielona Góra – real-time information on departures shown at bus stops.
Currently, after the expansion of the system in the last months of 2020, the passengers in Zielona Góra use 83 boards at 74 bus stops. Additionally there are 11 boards (8 LED boards and 3 LCD monitors) in two waiting rooms and a sales hall in the area of the Transfer Centre (Interchange node) near the PKP railway station.
Dynamic LED amber Passenger Information Display Boards
The PID’s devices are double-sided, based on LED SMD technology and orange light-emitting diodes (also called amber) with a very long life, which also guarantee high luminosity.
The displays are mounted on poles with a built-in TTS system (Text-to-Speech, voice information system), which reads information from the screen when the illuminated key is pressed. There is Braille inscription on this button to facilitate orientation for the visually impaired.
The boards are equipped with 4- or 6-line matrices, allowing any content to be displayed (in this case line number, direction description, icons, real departure/delay time, and warnings in the last line). Each display board has a real-time clock field, which also displays the air temperature. A set of sensors, among others, takes care to reduce the brightness of the matrix after dark so as not to dazzle drivers. Numerous engineering solutions by Dysten extend the service life and reduce energy consumption.
How does this scheme of passenger information work?
Apart from the boards displaying data from the Dynamic Passenger Information System in Zielona Góra, the elements of the system consist of:
- QR codes – at stops where no boards are currently installed, dynamic passenger information is available by scanning with a mobile device the unique QR code generated from the system.
- Passenger application: Passengers can check departure information on the Internet using the stop search engine or a map.
We are satisfied with the system of real-time passenger information boards. The fact that the system works efficiently can be seen at the stops, when we observe incoming passengers, who turn their eyes to the passenger information displays and not to the printed timetables.
Jacek Newelski, Manager of Timetables and Marketing Section of MZK (municipal transport company).
Zielona Góra was awarded the title of ITS LEADER for developing the system of dynamic passenger information in real time. The city wants to remain both green and friendly to inhabitants – in the city there are 89 buses, out of which as many as 43 are electric vehicles. This is currently the best result in Poland, in proportion to the total number of public transport vehicles in the city. In order to maintain the flow of traffic (electric buses have a smaller range than typical diesel powered vehicles), fast charging stations have been manufactured on loops and in the depot.
