The picture shows the LED smart stop sign.

(Photo by reporter Huang Ziyang)

[Reporters Huang Ziyang, He Yuhua/New Taipei Report] Smart bus stop signs are popular for passengers to grasp traffic information such as boarding time, and are being promoted continuously by the New Taipei City Government. Lin Shiqin, Chief of the Transportation Management Section of the Transportation Bureau, said that there are about 5,500 bus stops in New Taipei City. Among them, 2272 stations and 2613 smart stop signs have been set up, of which 181 are solar stop signs. The passenger coverage rate of smart bus stop signs has reached 85.7%.

Lin Shiqin pointed out that since 2017, New Taipei City has expanded the establishment of a bus dynamic information system. People can check the estimated waiting time through the Internet and smart bus stops. An average of 200 bus stops are built every year.

Smart bus stop signs in New Taipei City can be divided into stand-alone type and hanging type inside the bus shelter, and subdivided into two types: LED type and solar electronic paper type.

If the setting environment of the stop sign is difficult to connect to electricity, it will be evaluated and changed to a solar stop sign. A proper assessment will be made before installation to ensure the stability of the power supply.

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Although solar-powered smart bus stop signs are environmentally friendly, the public is worried that if it rains and there is no sunshine for many consecutive days, will the stop signs be "unsmart"?

Lin Shiqin said that the solar stand-alone stand sign can store 320 watt-hours of electricity per day, and the daily power consumption is about 100 watt-hours. Using batteries and solar panels to store electricity can maintain the operation of the equipment for up to 20 days.

New Taipei City's first new version of the solar-powered e-paper smart stand-alone stand was unveiled on December 28, 2019. It uses an e-paper display, which has advantages such as lower power consumption than traditional LEDs, which helps save energy and reduce carbon emissions.

From July 2021, the Bureau of Transportation will promote the smart stop signs attached to the solar bus shelters. The solar panels will be installed above the bus shelters. The stop signs will be stored by batteries and solar panels. In the absence of sunlight, the equipment can still be maintained for 20 days. Above, there is no need to dig buried pipes, and the construction can be completed in one day, which is energy-saving and environmentally friendly.

The picture shows the solar bus shelter with a hanging smart stop sign.

(Photo by reporter Huang Ziyang)