# Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (septa) Septa #Item RFI Request for Information for B-IV Announcement and Passenger Information System

SEPTA B-IV Subway Communications and Passenger-Information System Upgrades

**Posted:** October 31, 2026
**Respond By:** November 30, 2026
**Identifier:** Item RFI Request for Information for B-IV Announcement and Passenger Information System
**NAICS:** 334290, 541330, 541512, 541511, 238210

SEPTA is gathering vendor information for communications and passenger-information upgrades across its 124-car B-IV Broad Street Line subway fleet.
- **Government buyer:** Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), Procurement, Supply Chain Management Department; Contract Administration.
- **Opportunity status:** This is an information-gathering RFI/Expression of Interest to help SEPTA shape a future competitive solicitation. It is not a vendor selection or contract award.
- **Fleet scope:** Upgrades are intended for the 124-car B-IV fleet. Item-level quantities and part numbers are not provided.
- **Systems and equipment requested:**
  - Interior digital passenger-information displays and CPUs for remote wireless updates.
  - Exterior full-color LED dot-matrix signs and protective enclosures.
  - Interior and exterior public-address speakers and audio equipment, including announcement and chime functions.
  - Passenger emergency intercom equipment with an ADA-compliant activation interface.
  - Operator controllers for route selection, announcements, PA and intercom functions.
  - Real-time location-tracking equipment using wheel-tick/dead-reckoning and/or GPS.
  - A content-management system and platform for schedules, passenger information, alerts, and wireless updates.
  - Door-close warning strobes adjacent to doorways.
- **Services of interest:** System design, manufacture, integration, testing, installation, and professional services, potentially delivered by a vendor or a SEPTA-approved installation provider.
- **Notable technical requirements:** Support for GTFS, GTFS-realtime, TSDE, and TODS data; secure APIs and open-data interoperability; real-time and schedule- or headway-based operation; text-to-speech, speech-to-text, and translation; and configurable display content. The system should support wireless and remote updates, manual and automatic announcements, route and destination information, and real-time location synchronization across controllers, signs, and speakers.
- **Accessibility and resilience:** SEPTA is interested in ADA-compliant intercom activation and audio-assistive options such as Auracast Bluetooth or a hearing loop. Solutions should address cybersecurity, validation, error handling, redundancy, and disaster recovery, and remain compatible with legacy cars during phased fleet installation. Agency-related data is to remain SEPTA-owned.
- **Vendors and OEMs:** No vendor or equipment manufacturer is identified in the provided materials. Auracast Bluetooth and hearing loop are referenced as assistive technologies, not as named suppliers.
- **Commercial context:** SEPTA anticipates a future multi-year contract after market research and a competitive solicitation. Performance dates, contract duration, and subscription terms are not specified; the opportunity does not provide a contract value.

### Description

SEPTA is seeking information from qualified vendors on communications system upgrades for its B-IV subway cars on the Broad Street Line. The systems of interest include digital displays, LED signs, public address systems, passenger emergency intercoms, operator controllers, real-time location tracking, and content management capabilities. SEPTA is gathering market information to inform a future competitive solicitation and possible multi-year contract for upgrades across the 124-car fleet; this notice is not a vendor selection process or commitment to award. Responses are due November 30, 2026, by 11:00 a.m. ET.

[View original listing](https://wwww.septa.org/procurement/bids/request-for-information-roi-biv-announcement-passenger-information-systems/)