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>> Sumi Das: It's always a shot in the dark when you take the bus. How long until the next bus arrives? What's the fastest route to your destination? In the future bus stops may have the answers.
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>> Sleeker, smarter, greener. This is how MIT Media Lab researchers envision the future bus stop. Developed for the city of Florence the I Stop with its translucent glass and electronic ink displays looks more like modern art than a place to hop a bus. But the chic shelters and bus poles have plenty of function to accompany their form.
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>> Instead of scrutinizing the horizon for an approaching bus interactive touch screens powered in part by photovoltaic surfaces tell riders exactly how many minutes they have to wait and as the bus nears the I stop glows more intensely. And you could say good bye to traditional ticket hassles. Riders can buy their fare online or at the I Stop then a bar code serving as proof of payment would be emailed to your mobile phone which you can scan once you board. No more fumbling for the exact change or wondering where you put that ticket. And the technology lets you do more. Post community announcements on an electronic bulletin board. Plan a trip and text the itinerary to your phone and if passengers decide to share itineraries they could receive targeted ads. For example, for a restaurant near the rider's destination and how will the I Stop handle the vandals of the future? The inventors plan to cover valuable electronics with tempered glass and they're investigating self cleaning, scratch and graffiti proof surfaces. The future bus stop it could put an end to the waiting game. For ZDNet I'm Sumi Das.
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==== Transcribed by Automatic Sync Technologies ====
