Newly designed prototype signs are coming to a few select Bay Area public transit stations as part of a regional effort to create a more easily navigable transportation environment.
The signs are intended to “establish and reinforce a common identity for all Bay Area transit services,” according to an announcement Tuesday from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.
They will be in three colors — golden yellow, sky blue and dark blue — and will feature large, “more visually prominent” icons of trains, buses and ferries, MTC officials said.
The designs will also be featured on a new “mobile-friendly” website accessible by scanning QR codes at bus stops, train stations or ferry terminals.
The website will provide real-time schedule information, as well as language translations and audio descriptions for the visually impaired.
The prototype installations are part of a $6 million contract MTC signed with Applied Wayfinding, Inc. to develop a unified map and “wayfinding” system to be used by all Bay Area transit agencies, MTC officials said.
The company has done similar work in London, Toronto, Seattle, Cleveland, and Vancouver, B.C., among other places.
The signs are scheduled for installation sometime this year at the El Cerrito del Norte BART station, the Santa Rosa Transit Mall and the Santa Rosa SMART station, according to MTC.
Once they’re installed, people will have the chance to provide feedback to MTC, the Bay Area’s transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency.
Final installation of the signs throughout the region is expected to start sometime in 2027.
