GRTC Launches Bus Stop Sign Pilot Project

GRTC customers will see new bus stop signs being installed on three GRTC bus routes this month. This Pilot Project will target Route 32 Ginter Park, Route 72 Ruffin Road, and Route 73 Ampthill.

There are approximately 2,000 basic bus stop signs in the GRTC system, and they will all be replaced and upgraded through 2017. New, modern, more visible signs will offer more information to riders at the bus stop. Weather permitting the first of these new signs will be installed starting Friday, March 18, 2016. Installation crews will remove the old bus stop signs and posts and then install the new signs and posts, working stop-by-stop. GRTC expects minimal disturbance, as the process should only last up to 30 minutes at each stop. Most of the new sign posts will be exactly where the existing sign is located, but some will be moving to better accommodate the bus stop area and improve ADA clearance.

Each sign features a taller, more visible pole 7 feet off the ground with an easy-to-spot round bus icon at the top. Bus stop numbers are more prominently and permanently displayed. Customers also see GRTC contact information by web and phone. Bus stops also show the route(s) serviced by that bus stop. Braille “BUS” markers will remain at the standard height on the bus stop pole.

An additional feature on some basic bus stop signs will also be a lower level sign displaying a printed schedule and map relevant to that specific route and stop. Eventually, all basic bus stop signs will also have this feature, but initially there will be 300 signs with this lower schedule sign.

The purpose of this Pilot Project is to install the new signs at targeted stops and allow time for feedback from customers before installing new signs across the system. If there are significant changes to be made based on feedback, GRTC may modify the Pilot Project signs to receive more input.

It has been nearly 20 years since bus stop signs had a makeover, and GRTC is pleased to present the new look and upgrades in design and functionality. Work on the GRTC bus stop signage project began in 2008. Two previous phases of the project are complete, including the new four-sided information kiosks and solar-powered information signs. This final phase, though, is the most extensive and will be transformative for basic bus stop signs across the system.