The Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications and the Municipality of Iquique inaugurated this Friday the project of 15 bus stops with Variable Information Panels (VIP), pioneers in the region, which will help better plan the trips of users of public transport greater than the city, by having updated data on the bus route and arrival time, Braille buttons, two-way signage and lighting system.
The ceremony was headed by the Seremi of Transport and Telecommunications of the Tarapacá region, Pedro Medalla, and was attended by the mayor(s) of Iquique, Marco Pérez Barría, and the Regional Presidential Delegate of Tarapacá, Daniel Quinteros.
With this, Iquique became the first city in the country, after Santiago, in which the MTT implemented an initiative of these characteristics. These are the first 15 PIVs of the 70 that have been calculated at the national level by 2026, a number that may increase with the project portfolio for the coming years.
“We are very happy to inaugurate these 15 bus stops with variable information, better known as smart bus stops, because Iquique becomes the first city in the country, after Santiago, to have this type of infrastructure, more modern, safe and technological. The LED panels will provide users with precise and updated information about the status of the services, which will undoubtedly provide greater certainty and security to users, because it will allow them to plan trips and reduce waiting times at stops. In addition, They are inclusive, since they have an audio system with a Braille button that translates the information on the screen into audio,” said the Minister(s) of Transportation and Telecommunications, Jorge Daza.
This project, which has an investment of more than 430 million pesos by the MTT, is a joint work with the municipality of Iquique, as a technical unit, and also contemplates the conservation of 41 stopping areas in the city.
The PIVs are located in the north, center and south of the city. For example, Colón almost on the corner of Salitrera Victoria, Serrano almost on the corner of Luis Uribe, Héroes de la Concepción almost on the corner of Arturo Prat and Avenida La Tirana almost on the corner of Calle 1, among others.
Meanwhile, the Seremi of Transport and Telecommunications, Pedro Medalla indicated “the panels will provide users with precise and updated information about the status of the services, including the arrival time of the next bus, the line number and the route. This, without a doubt, will provide greater certainty and security to users, because it will make it possible to plan trips and reduce waiting times at stops,” he said.
In terms of security, the regional secretary indicated that they will provide greater security, because “they have a lighting system and two-way static signage that allows the routes to be viewed from both ends of the sidewalk. In addition, they are inclusive, as they have an audio system with a Braille button that translates the information on the screen into audio.”
The mayor(s) of the Illustrious Municipality of Iquique, Marco Pérez, stated that “without a doubt, this is an important advance for Iquique, the first city after Santiago to have this technology, which is also inclusive, as it incorporates an informative method for the blind. In this way, as a Municipality, we join the effort to have better public transportation for everyone and we encourage its use,” said Mayor (S) Marco Pérez Barría.
Regarding their operation, PIVs connect to the Internet in a similar way to a cell phone, that is, they have a modem that operates with two 3G chips or higher. Furthermore, the data they project is the same as that of the Red Regional app.
This initiative responds to the main concerns that users expressed in different instances of citizen participation and of which, together with the municipality of Iquique, the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications took charge.
