15-05-2025
Dozens of Boston-area bus stops finally give you ETAs
Dozens of Boston-area transit stops have, for the first time, gotten electronic signs that share real-time updates on bus and train arrivals.
Why it matters: The partnership between the MBTA and E Ink, an MIT spinout, brings solar-powered signs with arrival times to stops that don't have access to the electricity or the fiber network needed for the T's traditional electronic signs.
State of play: 76 solar-powered, electronic signs have gone up at stops along the Green Line's B, C and E lines under a $3.4-million contract between the MBTA, E Ink and Mercury Innovation.
By late 2025, the MBTA expects to have roughly 200 of these electronic signs installed.
How it works: E Ink's signs have a paper-like display similar to Amazon's Kindle e-readers, so they're readable even on a sunny day.
Mercury Innovation installs ePaper signs that rely on solar power, capturing roughly 20% of light.
By the numbers: In a given week, a solar panel at a bus or train stop has generated the equivalent of 13.65 hours of light from a 100-watt incandescent light bulb, the companies say.
They say the ePaper signs use so little energy that they'll keep running throughout Boston winters.
Zoom in: Crews recently installed them at 51 more stops on the E and B branches, including the entire stretch of the E branch that runs above ground to Heath Street.
The project also includes dozens of bus stops in Boston, Everett, Chelsea, Lynn, Belmont and Watertown.
A few highlights:
🦁 Franklin Park Zoo (Blue Hill Avenue and Ellington Street)
🎶 Near Brighton Music Hall (Brighton Avenue across from Quinton Avenue)
