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Read the press release here.

More Bus Countdown Clocks On Way to Staten Island

By Nicholas Rizzi | July 3, 2014 2:44pm
 Councilman Steven Matteo announced he allocated $200,000 to install more countdown clocks at MTA bus stops in his district. The DOT first installed four of the clocks last year in Staten Island.
Councilman Steven Matteo announced he allocated $200,000 to install more countdown clocks at MTA bus stops in his district. The DOT first installed four of the clocks last year in Staten Island.
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DNAinfo/Nicholas Rizzi

OAKWOOD — A pilot program that added countdown clocks to Staten Island bus stops is being extended.

Councilman Steven Matteo has allocated $200,000 to add more real-time countdown clocks to MTA stops in his district, They let riders know exactly how close the next bus is.

"I believe these funds will help make the lives of Staten Island bus riders a little easier,” Matteo said in a statement. “Countdown clocks will make a world of difference to the many borough residents who rely on MTA buses to commute, to run errands or just to simply get around."

Matteo allocated the money to the Department of Transportation, who will handle the installation of them, and they haven't set a time for them to be fitted, a spokesman for the councilman said.

The DOT first installed the solar-powered fixtures at two stops in December — the Bay and Prospect streets stop in Stapleton and the Hylan Boulevard and Reno Avenue stop in Oakwood — and eventually expanded it to two others in the borough.

After the program, other council members pushed to get the clocks installed, and the DOT said 13 were slated to come to Downtown Manhattan in the summer.

The signs costs around $20,000 to install, the DOT previously said.

And while some criticized the clocks because most riders can check the status of their bus with their smartphone on the MTA's Bus Time website, Matteo said they make it easier for many senior riders without phones to know when their bus will come.

"I think everyone in our borough has had that day where they wished they knew if they had the time to get a new MetroCard or buy a bottle of water for the ride," Matteo said in a statement.

“At least now, they will be able to know their options.”