During a trip last month, I had the opportunity to ride four different train systems, ranging from fairly ancient to brand new. The newer trains (and even some of the old ones) included some nice approaches to customer messaging. For example:

– When you’re waiting on the station platform, electronic signs tell you when the next train is arriving.

– When you’re riding on the train itself, electronic signs show the name of the next stop.

However, after I waited nearly half an hour for two separate trains to actually leave the first station, I realized that something is missing. In particular, the digital signs on each train should tell you when the train will actually start moving away from the first station. With this information in hand, customers will be far less impatient and anxious at the start of their trip, which should make the entire process seem smoother, faster and more efficient.