Transit Screen Display Screen Shot of Real-Time Digital Signage for San Francisco Bay Area

“The San Francisco Bay Area was an obvious next step for Transit Screen, with its similar culture of carless living, abundance of transportation options and the transit agencies open data policies.”
-Matt Caywood, President of Transit Screen

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) July 22, 2013

Transit Screen officially announces the launch of the first multimodal transportation information display in the San Francisco Bay Area. Transit Screen displays communicate aggregated, real-time transit feeds at any location with a single, cloud-based display.

Transit Screen displays feature all major transit agencies within the San Francisco Bay Area, including: San Francisco Muni (Buses and Muni Metro), AC Transit (Oakland, Alameda County) and BART. Transit Screen also includes minor agencies, such as Emery Go Round and Dumbarton Express.

Washington, D.C. was the starting city for Transit Screen because of its “complex mix of subway, walking, bicycling, bike sharing, buses, car sharing, and taxi services,” stated Matt Caywood, President of Transit Screen. “The San Francisco Bay Area was an obvious next step for Transit Screen, with its similar culture of carless living, abundance of transportation mode choices (including the new Bay Area Bike Share) and transit agencies that pioneered open data policies.”

The requirements to host a Transit Screen display are Internet access (Wi-Fi or wired), a power connection and a display screen (7” to HDTV).

Vice President Ryan Croft is relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area following this launch. Transit Screen will continue to build relationships with the local Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), Community Benefit Districts (CBDs) and urban planners in the Bay Area, as well as private businesses, institutions and governments.

“We have a long list of Transit Screen’s top markets, and the San Francisco Bay Area was at the top of that list. I’m looking forward to moving to the Bay Area and building on the successes we had in Washington, D.C.,” remarked Ryan Croft, Vice President of Transit Screen.

Transit Screen currently serves the Greater Washington, DC area and the San Francisco Bay Area, with plans to cover multiple other major North American cities in 2013.

About Transit Screen

Transit Screen develops web applications and digital signage solutions for mobility and transit. Transit Screen is a live display of all transportation options at a given location (Bus, Train, Bike share, et al.). Transit Screen currently serves the greater Washington, DC area and the San Francisco Bay Area. Three primary markets served are private businesses (commercial real estate developers, residential buildings, property managers, hotels, stadiums, arenas), institutions (colleges, universities, hospitals and health centers) and governments (federal, state, local governments, municipalities, transit agencies, and business improvement districts [BIDs]). Transit Screen is a solution for Transportation Demand Management (TDM) programs to create sustainable, walkable, bike-able cities of the future. http://www.transitscreen.com

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Article source: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/7/prweb10944990.htm

Critics of the plan have said the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, which guides policy for region’s host of transit agencies, should not use toll money to purchase the new headquarters, at 390 Main St. in San Francisco. The relocation plan drew particular heat since the MTC’s proposed bid for the building — $105 million before renovation costs — was nearly twice as much as the $60 million that the U.S. Postal Service sold the property in 2009.

East Bay officials in particular criticized the proposal, saying the MTC should pursue new headquarters in its longtime Oakland home. Disabled activists also said the new location was too far from local transit options. In response to these criticisms, the MTC rescinded an earlier approval of the relocation plan, in favor of forming an ad-hoc committee to explore its other options.

Despite the concerns, the ad-hoc committee has recommended again that the MTC should move forward with the relocation effort to 390 Main St.. The committee detailed a number of findings supporting its decision, noting that market prices have appreciated considerably since the post office sold the building.

The committee also said that the new location is only four blocks from the Embarcadero BART station, and that a van would be available to provide shuttle service for disabled passengers.

Although the MTC plans on spending nearly $180 million to purchase and renovate the building, the agency actually projects to net $49 million over the next 30 years by renting out the property to other tenants, according to agency spokesman Randy Rentschler. The agency has said it’s essential to purchase the new building to accommodate its growing staff.

San Francisco Supervisor and MTC Commissioner Scott Wiener said the relocation plan is a good idea. “Over time, this will pay for itself,” Wiener said. “This committee conducted an extensive analysis of various options, and it was not even a close call.”

State Sen. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord, an opponent of the move, said that using toll funds for the project was inappropriate.

“Commuters must travel Bay Area bridges daily to get back and forth to work,” DeSaulnier said in a letter addressed to the MTC. “They expect that their toll fees go to road repair and bridge maintenance, not for real estate speculation.”

On Wednesday, the MTC will vote once again on the relocation proposal.

Middling returns?

$179 million: Cost to purchase and renovate 390 Main St.*
$60 million: Cost that the USPS sold the building for in 2009
$49 million: Rent revenue the MTC projects to net over the next 30 years

*Includes contingency costs

Source: MTC

wreisman@sfexaminer.com

Article source: http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/2011/09/mtc-reiterates-desire-move-san-francisco