CHK America has announced it will be developing easy-to-use customer information panels at all 1,200 bus stops located throughout Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus transit system, which spans 51 square miles from Pacific Palisades to UCLA, LAX, and the beach areas of Santa Monica and Venice.
Each stop-specific panel will offer pedestrian-level customer information that adheres to CHK America's No. 1 design guideline – the 8 Second Rule. Through the company's extensive research, it has been determined that passengers allow approximately 8 seconds to interpret travel information. They must begin receiving answers in that time or they become frustrated, resulting in passenger dissatisfaction.
The custom designs to be created for Big Blue Bus will include simple-to-understand route schematics identifying where a passenger is within the system, estimated travel times to onward destinations, critical connection information, and logically laid out schedules. All of the techniques that CHK America will employ for this project are rooted in the company's 8 Second Rule and will serve to promote an informed trip for passengers utilizing Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus. The panels are due to hit the streets later this year.
Rick Wood, president and CEO of CHK America, believes that Big Blue Bus is a leader and pioneer in many areas of public transportation. "This project is another example of their forward looking, customer service oriented approach to transportation," Wood said. "They recognize that providing stop-specific information throughout the Big Blue Bus system increases connectivity and ridership within their extensive service area."
Dan Dawson, customer relations manager for Big Blue Bus added, "The Big Blue Bus is committed to making public transit simple and easy to use and the addition of this new signage will be one more element that will accomplish this goal. Access to information about routes and schedules right at the stops will certainly help people wait less and make riding the Big Blue Bus even easier."
