Smart City: The bus station of the future does not need to be connected to power, and has electronic paper signage and Qi loading areas

A modern bus station does not need an electrical connection, and travelers do not have to do without convenience. The “Smart Bus Shelter” from Poland’s ML Systems showed what the future could look like at the Smart City Expo in Barcelona.

The bus station has a photovoltaic system on the roof for power supply, which also allows some light to pass through. The advantage is not only in environmentally friendly electricity generation. Cable work is also not needed to connect the bus station. In fact, the station only has to be set up on the street.

According to the manufacturer, rechargeable batteries built into the seat ensure that the bus station remains operational even in winter in our latitudes. When the sun is shining, the bus station is charged in order to have reserves in poor light conditions, including inclement weather.

The terminal also needs various functions. First, there is the lighting. However, at the same time, the digital signage system must continue to operate. ML Systems offers two color electronic paper displays (inside and out). This is particularly energy efficient, as it only requires energy when information is changed. The panel is indirectly lit. The screen can also be controlled with gestures.

At the show, ML Systems was unable to identify the manufacturer of the board. Picture quality wasn’t the best, and it doesn’t come close to the new electronic paper-print displays from E-Ink revealed at Displayweek. Still, the image quality is more than adequate for its intended purpose, which is to display the next bus.

ML Systems provides additional functionality for tech-savvy travelers with smartphones. Two Qi loading areas are built into the seat. There are also USB sockets in the seat, from which less picky laptops can be used to a limited extent, at least on a trickle charge. The seat is also heated.

The company has already installed the first bus stops. These are located in Rzeszów near the company headquarters in Zaczernie. The city is located in southeastern Poland, between Krakow and Przymol.

You travel a lot and always have tech in your backpack. This is what sets me apart and sometimes gives me to think outside the box. It all started as a Windows and Mac administrator at a small music company in 2000. Putting computers together, placing orders for larger laptops or configuring WLAN and LAN for events outside was all part of it. From 2005 to 2021 I worked at golem.de and since 2017 I have been an editor at airliners.de. Topics: technology, planes and – yes – trains.