Bahrain deploys e-paper displays to increase sustainability

Bahrain is replacing paper timetables with solar-powered e-paper bus stop displays to provide live, accurate bus arrival/departure times and other important information to travellers at the busiest stops in its capital city of Manama.

The bus stops use technology from e-paper specialist Papercast, which is working in partnership with integrated traffic and transport systems provider Spark City (Gulf).

Sustainable development

This project has been undertaken on behalf of the Government of Bahrain’s Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunication, responsible for implementing the infrastructure, which is operated by the Bahrain Public Transportation Company.

It is part of a national strategy to modernise public transport and transform mobility for all users. The initiative contributes to Bahrain’s sustainable development strategy that is aligned directly with Goal 11 (sustainable cities and communities) of the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

“Using public transport is important for the energy transition and making our cities more sustainable, and this is a smart contribution to that”

The system serves as a stepping stone to deliver real-time passenger information across the entire public transport network, with the first ever metro project in the pipeline.

“It is great to see Spark City and Papercast rolling out this valuable new information system. It will help people to use the bus network flexibly and in the future link into the Metro,” said Roddy Drummond, British ambassador to Bahrain. “Using public transport is important for the energy transition and making our cities more sustainable, and this is a smart contribution to that.”