BEST PRACTICES
T TRANSLINK, WE HELP HALF-Amillion
people move around Metro
Vancouver every day and we see every
step of their trip as an opportunity to
deliver a great customer experience. A big
part of having that positive experience is
off ering our customers the opportunity
to “know before they go” and have access
to real-time information from the minute
they plan a trip, to the moment their
journey ends.
ON-SYSTEM
At our stations, on SkyTrain and buses,
and onboard the SeaBus or West Coast
Express, our staff makes announcements
to advise customers of disruptions that
could aff ect their trip. We also have TV
screens and passenger information displays
on SkyTrain station platforms to
post important customer information,
particularly transit alerts.
FRONT-LINE STAFF
Transit operators, SkyTrain Attendants,
Transit Security and Transit Police Offi -
cers are ready and available to direct our
customers on the system and provide service
44 | Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | JUNE 2017
updates. Th ey are also there to ensure
our passengers remain safe during delays
and disruption to service.
TRIP PLANNER
Our trip planner web page provides travel
options based on a customer’s start and
destination points. Notifi cations are added
when there’s a serious detour or delay,
and customers can refi ne their searches
using search options.
TRANSIT ALERTS
Our customer information team works
tirelessly to ensure any disruption on the
system gets relayed to our customers as
quickly as possible. Alerts are posted to
our Twitter account, on our website and
trip planner, and are sent directly to customers
who’ve subscribed to alerts via
email or SMS.
SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS
Our Twitter account has an active community
of more than 140,000 followers
and in 2016 alone we sent more than
29,000 tweets. Alerts are posted to our
Twitter account, and our staff provides
real-time assistance to everyone who
sends us a message.
We also leverage our Facebook page
and corporate blog to amplify information
about major service alerts to ensure customers
on our various channels are informed.
NEXT BUS
Our Next Bus service provides customers
with real-time bus departure times via our
mobile website or SMS text messaging. On
our mobile site, customers can use GPS to
fi nd buses closest to them, view real-time
departures by stop, or follow their buses
every move via our map view. Customers
can also text their bus stop and route
number to 33333 and get the next two
real-time departures.
UR NEXT-GENERATION CONNECTPoint
digital signage products are
now being deployed by several transit
agencies across the country. Our Connectpoint
Digital Bus Stop and Connectpoint
SmartStop are solar and battery powered,
enabling transit agencies to deliver real
time information to any bus stop or
shelter. Th e response from passengers to
date has been tremendous, with in-person
discussions confi rming what all the studies
indicate: riders want this information
provided to them at the stops.
Our fi rst product to launch was the
Connectpoint Digital Bus Stop. Th ese
“smart city” digital signs feature a high-resolution
E-Ink-based screen that provides
enormous messaging fl exibility. Th e digital
signs off er real-time departure and schedule
information, as well as service alerts
delivered using battery or solar power. Th e
Digital Bus Stop is available in three sizes:
10-, 13- and 32-inch. Th ey are easy to install
and can be retrofi tted to existing bus stops
or shelters. Th ey are managed remotely via
our web-based back-end.
Th e Digital Bus Stops were deployed
over a year ago by Pittsburgh’s Port Authority
of Alleghany County. Th ey are also
being piloted by Washington Metropolitan
Area Transit Authority, Santa Clara
Valley Transportation Authority, San
Antonio VIA, Fort Worth Transportation
Authority, Sonoma County Transit
and many more.
Th e web-enabled Connectpoint Interactive
Dual Screen 55-inch Touchscreen
Kiosk is a good option for transit centers
and rail stations and for both indoor and
outdoor locations. Th e 32-inch top screen
is used for advertisements and agency service
announcements, while the interactive
55-inch bottom screen allows for intuitive
interaction to explore transit options, such
as wayfi nding directions, route overview,
next departure times from every stop in
your system, and fi rst-last-mile mapping.
Port Authority of Alleghany County installed
its fi rst of 5 kiosks 18 months ago
with volume usage of approximately 14,000
interactive queries per month per kiosk.
Regional Transportation Commission of
Southern Nevada deployed its fi rst two
kiosks one year ago, with approximately
16,000 interactive queries per month. And
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) deployed
its fi rst kiosk at Love Field Airport
six months ago and is also experiencing
signifi cant usage.
New Westminster, B.C.
Santa Barbara, Calif.
Steve Vanagas
Vice President,
Communications
and Customer
Engagement
TransLink
Rick Wood
President and
CEO
CHK America
A
O