New digital real-time information screens launch in the Wellington CBD
Wellington is set to enhance its public transport experience with the launch of new real-time information (RTI) screens on Manners Street and Willis Street.
This exciting upgrade follows successful trials with the new RTI screens across eight locations, including Plimmerton Station, Wellington Station, Upper Hutt Station, Wellington Airport, Victoria University of Wellington The Living Pā and Ākau Tangi Sports Centre in Kilbirnie.
Real-time information (RTI) technology is essential for modern public transport, offering visibility of buses, trains, and ferries throughout their journeys. Metlink first implemented its RTI system in 2011, allowing passengers to access information via digital signs and the Metlink app, as well as third-party apps like Google Maps. However, growing user expectations for accuracy and innovation have exposed limitations in the current system, which can provide inaccurate predictions.
That’s why Metlink are investing in a new RTI system that enables Metlink to provide full-colour signs which as well as display arrival times, can display how full a bus is, service notifications and maps with live tracked vehicles. Later in 2025 the system will also be enabled to provide more accurate predictions about journey and arrival times on signs and online.
New digital screens on Manners Street and Willis Street have a text-to-speech option improving accessibility for blind and low vision passengers. The two new screens feature a yellow push-button on the pole below the screens. When pushed, the button reads out the next routes departing from the bus stop. There is a slight difference between the departure times on the screen and what is read out, but this will improve as our systems get better.
While some new screens have already been installed around the network as part of the larger pilot, these two are the first to include this new button. All on-street signs will have this feature. We are working with Blind Citizens NZ to improve the accessibility of the yellow push-button and the quality of the information read out. This will help ensure blind low vision customers have greater access and independence when using our bus services.
The new bus capacity icons show how full each bus service is. The icons feature four people, representing passengers. The number of blue figures indicates the bus's fullness: one or two blue figures means there are seats available, three figures means there is standing room only and four blue figures indicates that the bus is very full but still may have seats.
These are first new screens we will be placing in the central city and they will be used to test the system and gather passenger feedback before we roll-out the remainder on the new signs early in 2025.