Clever Devices

Clever Devices is an American technology company that develops telematics and intelligent transportation systems for public-transit operators. Its offerings are designed to help agencies monitor vehicles, manage service, communicate with passengers, collect operational data, and improve accessibility across bus and other transit networks. The company is headquartered in Woodbury, New York, and has operated in the United States, Canada, South America, and Europe. The business grew out of the Heigh Ho Doorbell Company, an electronic-doorbell manufacturer associated with Bill Long, who was both a co-owner and bartender at a bar in Port Washington, New York. After Heigh Ho ceased operations, Long established Clever Devices in 1987. The company initially produced digital audio equipment for a variety of machines and commercial applications rather than focusing exclusively on public transportation. Its early work included announcement systems for amusement-park rides, casinos, and other settings where prerecorded or automated audio was useful. A significant transition toward transit technology occurred in the 1990s. In 1996, Clever Devices received a contract to produce audio announcements for New York City taxis, including announcements delivered by celebrity voices. The company subsequently benefited from the growing need for accessible public transportation systems following the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Transit providers increasingly required audible and visual stop announcements so that passengers with disabilities could receive equivalent service information. Clever Devices says it installed the first automated announcement system on a United States transit system in 1997, and it supplied electronic announcement equipment for Metropolitan Transportation Authority buses in New York City in 1998. By 2000, public-transit agencies accounted for most of the company's business. The company reported annual sales of $16 million at that time, with approximately 85 percent attributed to public-transit customers. In 2002, it secured a major passenger-information-system contract for the Chicago Transit Authority bus network, then described as its largest order. That work helped establish Clever Devices as a provider of integrated technology for large urban transit systems. Over time, Clever Devices expanded beyond audio announcements into computer-aided dispatch and automatic vehicle location systems, automatic passenger counting, audible turn-warning equipment, and broader fleet and passenger-information platforms. These systems can connect vehicle equipment, communications networks, dispatch functions, real-time service information, and customer-facing announcements. Notable customers and deployments associated with the company include the Chicago Transit Authority, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, Miami-Dade Transit, Pittsburgh Regional Transit, and Disney Transport. The company also broadened its capabilities through acquisitions. It acquired Digital Recorders in 2012, RSM Services Corporation in 2015, and Italian transportation-software company M.A.I.O.R. in 2017. These transactions supported expansion in transit software, scheduling, operations, and international markets. In 2026, Hitachi Rail announced an agreement to acquire Clever Devices, with the transaction reported as closing on July 1, 2026. Following that transaction, Clever Devices operates as a subsidiary of Hitachi Rail while continuing to serve public-transit agencies under its own brand.

Clever Devices originated in the electronic-audio and announcement-equipment business rather than in public transportation. Its founder, Bill Long, had been associated with the Heigh Ho Doorbell Company, a manufacturer of electronic doorbells based in the Port Washington area of New York. After that company folded, Long founded Clever Devices in 1987. The early operation was reportedly based in the basement of a bar where Long was a co-owner and bartender. During its first years, Clever Devices developed digital audio devices for machines and commercial applications. The technology was used in environments that required automated or prerecorded announcements, including amusement-park rides and casinos. This early experience in durable audio hardware and automated messaging later became relevant to public transit, where vehicles needed reliable onboard announcements and communications equipment. In 1996, the company was contracted to produce audio announcements for New York City taxis. The announcements used celebrity voices and demonstrated Clever Devices' ability to deploy specialized audio systems in public-facing transportation services. The company subsequently moved more decisively into transit as accessibility requirements and passenger-information expectations expanded. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 increased the importance of audible announcements and equivalent passenger information on United States public transportation. Clever Devices benefited from this shift and states that it installed the first automated announcement system on a United States transit system in 1997. In 1998, it was hired to add electronic announcement systems to Metropolitan Transportation Authority buses in New York City. These projects helped turn automated announcements from a specialized feature into part of a broader transit-information infrastructure. By 2000, Clever Devices had reached $16 million in annual sales, and public-transit agencies represented approximately 85 percent of that business. The company's largest reported order at the time followed in 2002, when it won a contract to install passenger information systems across the Chicago Transit Authority bus network. The Chicago project reinforced the company's position in large metropolitan transit systems and provided a foundation for further expansion into fleet operations and passenger communications. The company's product scope expanded from audio announcements into computer-aided dispatch and automatic vehicle location, automatic passenger counting, audible turn-warning alarms, and other intelligent transportation functions. These technologies support the operational side of transit by helping agencies track vehicles, coordinate service, understand passenger loads, and distribute real-time information. They also support the customer side through audible and other passenger-information services. Clever Devices pursued growth through acquisitions as well as internal development. In 2012, it acquired Digital Recorders, a competitor. It acquired RSM Services Corporation in 2015 and M.A.I.O.R., an Italian transportation-software company, in 2017. The acquisitions broadened the company's software and international capabilities and contributed to its ability to serve transit agencies beyond the United States. The company has been associated with deployments or customers including the Chicago Transit Authority, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, Miami-Dade Transit, Pittsburgh Regional Transit, and Disney Transport. Its geographic footprint has included the United States, Canada, South America, and Europe. In April 2026, Hitachi Rail announced a definitive agreement to acquire Clever Devices, and the reported transaction closed on July 1, 2026. Clever Devices therefore became part of Hitachi Rail while retaining its identity as a provider of public-transit technology.

• 2026

  Hitachi Rail acquisition

  [1]Clever Devicesen.wikipedia.org

  Hitachi Rail announced an agreement to acquire Clever Devices; the reported transaction closed on July 1, 2026.

• 2017

  M.A.I.O.R. acquisition

  [1]Clever Devicesen.wikipedia.org

  Clever Devices acquired M.A.I.O.R., an Italian transportation-software company, extending its international and software capabilities.

• 2015

  RSM Services Corporation acquisition

  [1]Clever Devicesen.wikipedia.org

  The company acquired RSM Services Corporation as part of its expansion in transit technology.

• 2012

  Digital Recorders acquisition

  [1]Clever Devicesen.wikipedia.org

  Clever Devices acquired competitor Digital Recorders.

• 2002

  Chicago Transit Authority contract

  [1]Clever Devicesen.wikipedia.org

  Clever Devices won a major contract to install passenger information systems on the Chicago Transit Authority bus network, its largest reported order at that time.

• 2000

  Public transit becomes the core market

  [1]Clever Devicesen.wikipedia.org

  The company reached reported annual sales of $16 million, with public-transit agencies accounting for about 85 percent of sales.

• 1998

  Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus announcement systems

  [1]Clever Devicesen.wikipedia.org

  Clever Devices was hired to add electronic announcement systems to Metropolitan Transportation Authority buses in New York City.

• 1997

  Automated transit announcement deployment

  [1]Clever Devicesen.wikipedia.org

  Clever Devices says it installed the first automated announcement system on a United States transit system.

• 1996

  New York City taxi announcement contract

  [1]Clever Devicesen.wikipedia.org

  The company produced audio announcements for New York City taxis, including announcements using celebrity voices.

• 1987

  Clever Devices is founded

  [1]Clever Devicesen.wikipedia.org

  Bill Long founded Clever Devices after the closure of the Heigh Ho Doorbell Company. The business initially developed digital audio devices for machines and commercial applications.

A specialist provider of integrated technology for public-transit agencies, combining onboard hardware, fleet telematics, dispatch and location tools, passenger information, accessibility systems, and transit software.

• Passenger information

  Passenger information and automated announcement systems

  Systems that provide audible and other passenger-facing service information on transit vehicles and networks. They can support stop announcements, route information, accessibility requirements, and operational messaging. Clever Devices developed this area from its earlier digital-audio work and deployed electronic announcement systems for major transit operators.

• Fleet operations and telematics

  Computer-aided dispatch and automatic vehicle location systems

  Transit operations technology used to monitor vehicles, coordinate dispatching, track service locations, and provide agencies with operational visibility. These systems connect vehicle and communications data with control-center functions and can support more reliable service management.

• Transit data systems

  Automatic passenger counters

  Equipment and software used to count passenger boardings and alightings. Transit agencies can use the resulting data for ridership analysis, service planning, capacity management, and reporting.

• Vehicle safety and accessibility

  Audible turn-warning alarms

  Audible warning equipment intended to alert people near a transit vehicle when it is turning or maneuvering. The product reflects Clever Devices' broader role in supplying onboard systems that support transit safety and accessibility.

• 2026

  Acquisition by Hitachi RailM&A

  Background

  Hitachi Rail announced a definitive agreement to acquire Clever Devices as part of its expansion in digital and intelligent transportation systems.

  Action taken

  Hitachi Rail acquired Clever Devices in a transaction reported as closing on July 1, 2026.

  Aftermath

  Clever Devices became a subsidiary of Hitachi Rail and continued operating under its established brand.

  Source

• 2017

  Acquisition of M.A.I.O.R.M&A

  Background

  Clever Devices pursued international expansion and additional transportation-software capabilities.

  Action taken

  The company acquired M.A.I.O.R., an Italian transportation-software firm.

  Aftermath

  The transaction expanded Clever Devices' international and software footprint.

  Source

• 2015

  Acquisition of RSM Services CorporationM&A

  Background

  Clever Devices continued to use acquisitions to broaden its transit-services capabilities.

  Action taken

  The company acquired RSM Services Corporation.

  Source

• 2012

  Acquisition of Digital RecordersM&A

  Background

  Clever Devices sought to expand its capabilities and customer base in transit technology by acquiring a competitor.

  Action taken

  The company acquired Digital Recorders.

  Aftermath

  The acquisition contributed to Clever Devices' expansion in public-transit technology.

  Source

• 2026

  Hitachi Rail announces agreement to acquire Clever Devices[1]Clever Devicesen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Hitachi Rail announced a definitive agreement to acquire Clever Devices, bringing the public-transit technology company into the Hitachi Rail group.

• 2026

  Clever Devices acquisition by Hitachi Rail closes[1]Clever Devicesen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  The reported acquisition of Clever Devices by Hitachi Rail closed on July 1, 2026, making Clever Devices a Hitachi Rail subsidiary.

1. 1Clever Devicesen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Clever Devices official websitecleverdevices.com
3. 3BBH Capital Partners Completes Investment In Clever Devices Ltd.prnewswire.com