It's great that this service is being added without the help of a
lawsuit, as was the situation for the Chicago Transit Authority.

Kelly


Chicago Sun times

    Satellite system could soon help you catch a Pace bus

    March 7, 2003

    BY ROBERT C. HERGUTH
TRANSPORTATION REPORTER


    Leondria Blackman's voice--hoarse Thursday from a cold but normally
clear and soothing--soon might be recognizable to riders on Pace's 670
public buses.

    By the end of the year, all should be linked to a satellite-based
system that, using pre-recorded, digitized messages from Blackman,
announces stops, landmarks and transfer points as they approach.

    "They actually created a studio for me within the company," Blackman
said. "It's fun."

    She works at Pace as the agency's community and business development
representative, and was chosen to record the announcements, an official
said, because Blackman previously recorded in-house messages and her
voice was regarded as "gentle and calming."

    Traditionally, bus drivers have called out coming stops.

    The system, which now is installed on 35 buses at Pace's North Shore
garage and is similar to one being rolled out by the CTA, was unveiled
by the suburban bus agency Thursday.

    The technology has safety and customer-friendly applications that
Pace officials hope will not only improve on-time performance, but also
boost sagging ridership.

    The system allows dispatchers to track buses electronically in real
time, so officials should know if a bus veers from a route, and runs can
be adjusted mid-stream if buses bunch, said Pace Deputy Executive
Director Melinda Metzger.

    The same real-time information also will be put on the Internet and
linked to kiosks at malls and major stops, so people can find out
"exactly when the bus will be at their intersection," Pace spokeswoman
Mindy Laflamme said.

    There's a new console that allows drivers to send text messages to
dispatchers, plus a silent alarm that, when pressed in an emergency,
prompts dispatchers to summon police.

    Dispatchers also can activate a hidden microphone "to monitor what's
going on on the bus," Laflamme said.

    The audio announcements are accompanied by scrolling message boards
at the front of buses that display intersections and, perhaps someday,
advertisements of businesses along routes, Laflamme said. During a
demonstration run Thursday, "It's never too late for pancakes" appeared
on the screen as the bus came to an IHOP on Howard.

    Under consideration is the installation of small televisions on Pace
buses that offer bites of news, ads and schedule information, Laflamme
said.

    The $14.7 million satellite-based system, developed by Siemens
Integrated Local Government Systems, can trigger shorter red lights and
longer green lights--something that could move buses through
intersections more quickly--but Pace still must finalize details on
locations.

    Blackman may not always be the lone voice of Pace. The agency might
tap others to record announcements in Spanish and messages dealing with
proper conduct on a bus, officials said.

    Regardless, driver Juan Vargas say he's happy.

    "We don't have to worry about making announcements," he said. "This
does everything for us."


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