Some shelters will soon display arrival times

Some shelters will soon display arrival times
Wondering when — or if — another bus is coming?

Soon, 160 bus stops around the city will be able to tell you.

The Chicago Transit Board on Wednesday approved the purchase of 160 LED signs that will display estimated bus arrival times at shelters around the city.

The signs will at first be posted at bus stops with the highest numbers of boardings or at busy transfer and connection locations, CTA officials said. At least one stop per ward will get a sign.

The four-line digital read-outs will contain information from the CTA’s Bus Tracker system, which currently riders can check via the Internet.

Luminator Holding was awarded the one-year, $1 million contract to manufacture the signs. A separate contract to install, maintain and remove the signs was awarded to JC Decaux in the amount of $687,300.

“LED displays are yet another method by which customers can get estimated bus arrival times,” CTA President Richard Rodriguez said.

The board also approved the appointment of Forrest Claypool to replace Rodriguez, who joined the agency in March 2009. Claypool’s first day in the $198,000 post will be Monday

Claypool praised the new signs.

“The more information you can give, the better off the customers are going to be,’’ he said. “I think a lot of it is knowing exactly when the trains and buses are going to be there. If you know that, then you can plan your schedule more accordingly and could avoid some frustrations”

The CTA has the option to purchase an additional 2,050 signs.

The Transit Board also amended two lease agreements that will expand the number of parking spaces for I-GO and Zipcar and extended their contracts for six-months. I-GO and Zipcar are car-sharing services that lease parking spaces near select CTA rail stations and bus stops.

Together, the companies will have more than 50 parking spaces near about 20 CTA locations, the CTA said. The combination of added spaces and the six-month extension is expected to yield more than $31,000 for the CTA.