The Luzerne County Transportation Authority (LCTA) has updated more than 700 bus route signs throughout the county with a new feature. A note on new signs instructs riders to use their cell phone to text a six digit phone number. They will then receive an estimated time of arrival message from the transit agency for the specific bus, which is tracked via GPS.
The updated signs are larger. They now contain both the route number and bus stop code number.
LCTA’s Executive Director Robert Fiume explained the two simple steps to receive information about an approaching bus.
“321-123, you type that in, then you type the stop code,” he said. “It gives you real time when your bus will be there.”
This sort of instant update system was one of the most requested features among bus riders, Fiume said. Grants and development coordinator Kathy Bednarek said the updated sign project began back in 2018.
“All in all we’ve been working on the signage for about four years,” she said.
The project is nearly complete, so bus riders in Luzerne County should soon see the updated signs at all of their local bus stops and on all routes. Fiume said that LCTA has already received positive feedback.
“We’ve been getting comments on it already. It seems that our current riders appreciate it,” he said.
According to LCTA, the goal of the updated sign project was to simplify public transportation for existing riders and also attract new riders.
Fiume added that now is a great time to try out public transportation. He said, with the price of gasoline on the rise, a bus pass might look more appealing to commuters.
“Try to save some money, and try our service,” he said.
Director Fiume joined the Luzerne County Transportation Authority in October 2021 after serving as the head of the County of Lackawanna Transit System (COLTS) since 2008.
LCTA is in the process of building a new transportation center on South Pennsylvania Avenue in Wilkes-Barre. The project broke ground in December 2021 and is expected to take 18-24 months to complete.
For more information about updates and bus routes, visit LCTAbus.com.
