Monmouth And Hudson Counties Chosen For NJ Transit Pilot Program For Bus Signs

NJ Transit confirmed this week that they're trying out a bus sign pilot program in Hudson and Monmouth counties.

The solar-powered signs at bus stops — first reported by Patch last month — show customers the real-time arrival information for the next bus.

The signs also collect data for the agency.

The eight signs are being tested at several heavily used routes to New York City, including in Hoboken and Jersey City, and on Route 9 in Manalapan and Howell, a NJ Transit spokesman told Patch.

Two different companies submitted ideas to the Transit Tech Lab (run by the Partnership Fund for New York City), which provides a path for early to growth-stage companies to solve public transportation challenges.

The signs have been placed at stops at:

• Hoboken: Ninth and Washington streets, and 15th Street and Willow Avenue.
• Jersey City Heights: Congress Street at Palisade Avenue.
• Union City: 31st Street, at Bergen Ave. and JFK Blvd.
• Howell: Aldrich Road Park and Ride (near Route 9)
• Manalapan: Route 9 North and Gordon's Corner Road (two signs).

“Partnering with emerging tech companies allows us to test solutions that directly enhance the customer experience—in this case by improving access to important customer information,” said NJ TRANSIT President and CEO Kris Kolluri, in a statement. “These digital signs not only provide real-time updates to riders at bus stops, but also supply NJ Transit with valuable data to help us plan more responsive and customer-focused technology solutions.”

NJ Transit has installed five signs from infrastructure company BusPas at locations in Hudson County.

As part of the pilot, the signs employ e-paper displays, like that of popular reading tablets, making them ADA-compliant. They also include text-to-speech announcement capability and automated safety lighting for improved nighttime visibility.

The Monmouth County partnership is with Urban Solar, a manufacturer of solar energy systems for bus stops and shelters.

AI Gathers Statistics

The signs also provide NJ Transit with AI-driven customer analytics such as people-counting, occupancy of buses, and demand modeling, to help with future planning, NJ Transit said.

One feature is called "leave-behind detection"—which lets the agency count how many people couldn't board due to full buses. NJ Transit described this as a breakthrough.

Customers who want to give feedback can do it here.

Read Patch's original story here: Mysterious Electric Signs Appear At 2 NJ Transit Bus Stops In Hoboken