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Friday, December 02, 2011

New Transit Tech.

I got on Saskatoon Transit bus 0604 today, which is one of the DART buses.  As I sat down I noticed a digital readout in place where the usual stop requested sign was.  At the time it was simply showing the current time.  It was only after we got over the University Bridge that a stop was requested, and as I suspected this gizmo flashed "Stop Requested" when the bell cord was pulled.  This was accompanied by a male voice stating "Stop Requested."  So, was this a test fit, or is it already planned to install these things on all buses?  We'll soon find out.  The unit does have a problem in my view, the "Stop Requested" message appears only briefly after the cord is pulled, so inattentive riders might pull the cord even though the bus will soon be stopping.  It will also be interesting to see if this unit has more sophisticated functions, like announcing upcoming stops as the bus approaches them.  Of course units that can do that are probably more expensive than ones that have only one message.

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