There will soon be a new way to learn about what’s going on in Jersey City.
A Midtown Manhattan-based company called Smart City Media will install CityPost devices throughout Jersey City in partnership with City Hall. These networked public information kiosks will include current transit data such as when the next PATH train is arriving along with information about upcoming community programs, emergency alerts, and a wayfinding directory of local businesses, according to Jersey City Press Secretary Hannah Peterson.
“We plan to install no more than 50 across the city and will start with transit hubs,” Peterson told Jersey Digs in the spring, adding that “the kiosks will be installed, maintained, and serviced at no charge to the city, and the city will receive a portion of revenue generated from advertisements from the kiosks.”
City Hall issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for these types of devices at the end of 2017. The RFP stated in part that “kiosk designs shall be of a modern aesthetic and shall reflect Jersey City’s streetscapes and architecture,” adding that at least one must be installed at or near all of Jersey City’s PATH stations, the Martin Luther King Drive and West Side Avenue Hudson-Bergen Light Rail stops, and at least two Jersey City Housing Authority complexes. The RFP also required applicants to include at least one kiosk per ward in their proposal.
Smart City Media was awarded the contract earlier this year. The company has also installed CityPost kiosks in cities like Little Rock, Kansas City, and Louisville.
Across the Hudson, New York installed kiosks beginning in 2015 as part of the LinkNYC program. Meanwhile, across the Hackensack and Passaic, Newark is installing kiosks through its new LinkNWK program. Unlike the upcoming devices in Jersey City, the New York and Newark kiosks provide free internet access to passers-by.
