Orange County Transit Authority Solar Lighting & E-Paper Displays

Sep 8, 2022

OCTA Solar Powered Bus Stop Lighting & E-Paper Displays

2022 | Orange, CA

Project Summary

Urban Solar was awarded the contract through Orange County Transit Authority (OCTA)’s RFP for solar powered lighting and digital e-paper displays.  The new systems include the PV Stop Plus from Urban Solar and the 13″ E-paper display from Papercast.  All solar packages have the SmartLink SL-2-DC controller integrated inside them to wirelessly manage the LED lighting and e-paper displays.  SmartLink enables all parties to remotely monitor, control, change settings, and receive alarms for the amenities at their convenience.   

“The Orange County Transportation Authority created a project to install digital real-time arrival signage and solar lighting in coordination with our new limited stop “Bravo!” service Route 553 along Main Street in the city of Santa Ana. OCTA released a competitive procurement for purchase of the digital devices. Urban Solar and Papercast were awarded the contract to manufacture and install 23 locations that will serve the new Route 553. They were selected because they have the best devices, at the best prices, out of the proposals we received.

We have had an excellent experience working with Urban Solar and Papercast teams and are very satisfied with our purchase. We have received positive feedback from our customers and OCTA staff on the design and functionality of the devices. We will most likely be purchasing more devices in the future.”

 

– Jeff Tatro, Section Manager, Stops & Zones and Schedule Checking

Orange County Transportation Authority

 

Remotely Confirm Lights and Displays Are On

OCTA and its solar lighting supplier, Urban Solar, can use the SmartLink portal to confirm whether solar lighting is on and ensure riders feel safe while waiting for the bus.

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Instant Outage Notifications & Rebooting

OCTA receives instant notifications when lights or the real-time displays stop working and SmartLink enables Papercast to immediately reboot the displays from any desktop of mobile device to restore functionality.

Multiple Supplier Management

With two suppliers for the amenities at each location, it’s important to determine the responsible party if issues arise.  SmartLink separately controls the lights and displays, which speeds up troubleshooting and gets to the core issue as soon as possible. 

PV Stop+ with 23 inch Papercast E-Paper Sign - 2