Wi-Fi, Cameras, and Route Displays to Operate at Smart Stops in Chita
Nine bus stops in Chita are set to be upgraded with smart technology under a new maintenance contract.
A contractor for the maintenance of smart public transport stops has been selected in Chita—a contract worth 3.8 million rubles (approximately $38,000 at current rates) has been signed with the company Tsifra LLC. This information was published on the public procurement website.
The company will be responsible for maintaining the bus pavilions integrated into the city«s »Smart Transport« dispatch system. The list includes nine stop locations in various districts of the city.
Maintenance services will run from 1 February to 31 December 2026. The work will affect stops on Butina, Lenin, Amurskaya, and Krasnaya Zvezda streets, as well as in the Oktyabrsky neighborhood.
There are two types of pavilions. The first type of stop pavilion is equipped with free Wi-Fi, USB ports for charging smartphones, an emergency button to contact the 112 system dispatcher, an audio information system for visually impaired passengers, an electronic transport display, and four vandal-proof surveillance cameras with recording capability.
The second type of pavilion has an information stand built into the back wall with an illuminated city map and public transport route map. The pavilion is also equipped with an electronic display showing information on routes, arrival times, date, time, and air temperature. The information updates automatically. It will also feature free Wi-Fi with a speed limit, USB ports, an emergency call button for 112, and an audio information system for the visually impaired. The electronic display is designed for 24/7 operation and is reliably protected from weather conditions and damage.
According to the Kontur.Fokus service, Tsifra LLC is a Chita-based company founded in 2015. Its director and founder is Vadim Popov. In 2018, the company won three contracts to design public spaces in the Nerchinsky district. Data on financial dynamics is unavailable.
In 2025, the contract for maintaining the smart stops was signed with individual entrepreneur Vadim Popov, who had previously been involved in their launch.
Smart stops with USB panels for charging mobile devices, Wi-Fi, and information displays began to be installed in Chita in early 2020, but even by the beginning of 2023 they had still not become operational. The Chita administration gave various reasons: sometimes they were deliberately disconnected to integrate with the 112 rescue service system; sometimes the software on some stops was «being reconfigured»; another part was being connected to the power supply; and «freezing temperatures were making adjustments to the operation». In February 2023, the Chita administration reported that they had not yet found a contractor to service the smart stops, although that same February, according to the Kontur.Fokus system, individual entrepreneur Vadim Popov signed a contract to service the stops for 4.7 million rubles (approximately $47,000 at current rates).
