Digital signage provides transit agencies with a unique opportunity to improve the passenger experience, create new revenue streams and modernize their services.
Whether it’s a solar-powered static display at a bus stop or a customized 34-foot display, these companies are working to provide solutions for all types of situations.
Real-time information at the stop
Connectpoint is a provider of static passenger information and realized several years ago there was a demand for a digital signage option that would allow transit agencies to send out messages in real time to passengers at various stages of their journey, explains Connectpoint President and CEO Rick Wood. Connectpoint partnered with ePaper solutions provider E-Ink to create the solar-powered Digital Bus Stop®.
The modular and customizable product, available in 10-, 13- and 32-inch displays, is an option for agencies looking for an alternative to LED and LCD signs. The product is ruggedized and designed to be used throughout the system, no matter the weather or location.
“We designed our family of compact and portable ePaper displays to be energy efficient. They come with a solar panel and a built-in battery that ensures the device is powered 24/7,” Wood said. “The Digital Bus Stop is highly adaptable and works in a variety of outdoor environments. Agencies can now deploy aesthetically pleasing digital signage at any stop within their system that has sun exposure with no requirement for electrical lines, connecting wirelessly via 4G networks.”
The Digital Bus Stops can easily be deployed at bus stop poles and shelters within 30 minutes, allowing transit agencies to directly communicate with customers at the bus stop level without needing electrical infrastructure. And the built-in battery can serve as a backup power source for weeks on a single charge during the nighttime or cloudy days.
Not only is the signage ADA compliant with all displays having text to speech capability but it is also eco-friendly and reduces light pollution. The signage is also readable in sunlight and has a high-contrast display with LED illumination.
In addition to the Digital Bus Stops, Wood explains Connectpoint provides a content management system that can remotely control and monitor the various deployments.
“Connectpoint’s Asset Management System is the industry’s only device agnostic content management system, managing LED, LCD and Digital Bus Stops, and lets agencies remotely control and monitor digital signage from our easy to use and powerful interface,” Wood said. “It’s intuitive and customizable, allowing agencies to schedule custom messages for their riders, such as holiday schedules and promotions, but also delivers real time alerts via the agency’s real-time feed.”
A modern experience for the bus rider
At the stop isn’t the only place for digital signage. With transit agencies looking to add passenger amenities to improve the rider experience, on-board digital signage may be the answer.
ENGIE Business Development Manager Kilian Ollivier explains transit agencies can install LCD displays onboard buses for several purposes.
“The main purpose is to inform their riders about route information, network map, upcoming connections, arrival times or detour alerts,” Ollivier said. “They can also use it for security purposes by integrating real-time stream of the CCTV on the screen, showing riders they are being monitored to enhance safety and security.”
Ollivier adds some clients also use the digital displays to advertise, either about the transit agency’s own service and news or through a third party to create a new revenue stream from outside advertisements.
In addition to providing another revenue stream, on-board digital signage can provide better communication by keeping riders informed of on-going detours and connections available along the route, creating a modern experience for passengers.
“This is key in providing a seamless experience aboard vehicles,” Ollivier said. “We’ve [also] had bus operator feedback saying it helped them focus on the road instead of giving transfer information to the passengers.”
Transit agencies can think big when it comes to displays
“Metro North [Railroad] was looking for a modern, future-proofed display solution to replace the single-digit LED products that had adorned [Grand Central Station] since the 1990s,” said Dan Rossborough, director of special projects, NanoLumens. “The completed Grand Central Station installation includes 96 track boards that highlight entrances to each track, six big boards in the main hall, six toppers above the big boards, two info boards adjacent to the big boards and two toppers above the info boards.”
Rossborough explains Metro North wanted a solution that wouldn’t alter the existing architecture, so the company built a custom-sized Nixel subcomponent boards to create an exact retrofit of the old display.
“That wouldn’t have been possible with an off-the-shelf product,” Rossborough said.
NanoLumens also worked with All Aboard Florida when it launched its high-speed intercity passenger rail system, Brightline. Brightline wanted to create state-of-the-art stations to complement its state-of-the-art trains, so it focused on making a statement at the downtown Miami station, the highest-profile Brightline stop.
“[The] creative process led them to install a massive, four-sided digital display around a 34-foot tall concrete column that strikes through a central thoroughfare,” Rossborough said. “Though formed from separate panels, the four displays merge seamlessly at each corner to create the visual of a fully-wrapped column. Built with a 6.3-millimeter pixel pitch throughout, the displays now showcase content 24 hours a day. Passengers... are immersed with display content like train schedules, amenities details and station alerts.”
Rossborough explains that while most stations won’t need a massive display or something with a hundred displays with custom subcomponents, the option is available, adding that the products and partners are there to help them accomplish almost anything.
“Transit stations may serve the same purposes, but each has their own weird architectural quirks and local aesthetics that they want to navigate around or emphasize,” Rossborough said. “Transit stations don’t have to put any limit on how they deck out their space with displays. Customized displays let transit stations express themselves a little bit more while giving passengers a more modern experience that’s consistent with the rest of their lived experiences.”
A seamless installation from start to finish
Direct View LED (dvLED) video walls can be used for almost any indoor or outdoor digital signage display and are well-suited for large, eye-catching displays, such as billboards or roadside messages. The video display technology produces bright, vibrant colors by using light emitting diodes without giving off excess heat or using a lot of energy.
“With installations of dvLED video walls continuing to rise into 2020, Peerless-AV is addressing this growing market by offering its SEAMLESS LED Video Wall Integration program,” said Earl Naegele, managing director of commercial sales, Peerless-AV. “Encompassing expert engineering and design, custom project managers, full installation services, dedicated dvLED mounting solutions and easy-to-use online tools like the LED Video Wall Configurator, SEAMLESS by Peerless-AV provides all of the elements for a successful installation.”
The dvLED solutions can be used indoors and outdoors, with dvLED video walls providing wayfinding in stations with large-scale maps with directions to specific areas within the venue, explains Naegele. There’s also an interactive option, which would allow customers to find a custom route instead. And like other digital signage displays, dvLED video walls can also display scheduling updates, delays, track or terminal changes and emergency alerts, as well as advertisements and large unique signage.
To achieve a successful deployment of dvLED video walls, Naegele says SEAMLESS offers help for every step of the process.
“Our custom engineers and support staff will create new and effective solutions that accommodate mass transit applications,” Naegele said. “From heavy traffic areas to elements such as water, dust and dirt, our support ensures you have a safe and protected digital signage solution.”
Agencies who utilize this service will also have a single point of contact from the SEAMLESS LED Solutions Team, who will oversee the entire project from installation and maintenance to troubleshooting and post-installation services.
A streamlined experience
Luminator Technology Group (Luminator) works with transit agencies to deploy on-board and stationary passenger information systems to help enhance the passenger experience by providing real-time information.
“With the implementation of Luminator’s digital sign technologies, transit agencies can instantly and remotely update content on displays throughout the network using easy-to-use software,” said Luminator Chief Technology Officer Werner Malcherek. “Along with transmitting information, Luminator's system also provides health and diagnostic data to maintenance personnel, further enhancing efficiency for the maintenance team.”
Malcherek explains that when transit agencies utilize passenger information systems, this creates a more streamlined passenger experience, allowing riders to easily benefit from the agency’s services.
“With on-board and stationary digital signage, transit agencies can get rid of wasteful paper signs and reduce the labor costs and time required to update information along hundreds of routes,” Malcherek said. “If an agency requires additional signs in remote locations or wishes to save on power consumption, low-power LED technology available with E-paper signs, combined with solar, is an environmentally and budget-conscious alternative.”
Luminator also offers its INFOtransit on-board passenger information systems, allowing transit agencies to generate revenue from paid advertising while promoting their own services. Malcherek explains these displays also integrate with security camera feeds and have the option to add on the audio announcement component.
Managing the message
Once transit agencies have installed their digital signage across the system, they’ll need a way to manage and monitor their messages. That’s where IxNConnect from Intersection comes in.
“IxNConnect is a content management platform that helps transit agencies improve communications with their customers and maximize revenue with adjacent advertising,” said Hal Dick, vice president, product, Intersection. “IxNConnect provides a central hub for transit agencies to manage and monitor the delivery of real-time arrival and schedule information, service updates, marketing campaigns and emergency messaging to digital screens systemwide.”
The platform allows agencies to distribute and manage communications at scale, allowing campaigns to be scheduled to the right locations at the right times via a central dashboard and API integrations, explains Dick. And instead of having to physically monitor displays, the platform allows users to continuously monitor the messaging from their desk.
“Instead of going on-site to check that a campaign is playing, IxNConnect users can save time by pulling up a live view of any display from their desk,” Dick said. “Users can analyze metrics dashboards to fine-tune the coverage and scheduling of messaging, while operations staff get one place to check on the health of the display network.”
IxNConnet allows agencies to leverage their digital displays by creating a network of screens, providing a way to communicate across the system in real time with information such as service changes, delays and other useful information.
“Since the screens contain mission-critical information, consumers pay close attention, making them a perfect location for advertising, which generates revenue for the agency,” Dick said.
Simultaneously benefiting agencies and riders
Whether it’s onboard vehicles, secured to a wall or installed at an existing bus stop, digital signage provides transit agencies with an opportunity to generate revenue, to modernize stops and stations and to enhance the passenger experience, all while being efficient and cost effective.
“Moving forward, transit agencies should employ these smart, adaptable technologies in order to maximize the benefit for transit passengers, all while providing a more economical and efficient solution for the transit operator,” Malcherek concluded.
Megan Perrero | Editor in Chief
Megan Perrero is a national award-winning B2B journalist and lover of all things transit. Currently, she is the Editor in Chief of Mass Transit magazine, where she develops and leads a multi-channel editorial strategy while reporting on the North American public transit industry.
Prior to her position with Mass Transit, Perrero was the senior communications and external relations specialist for the Shared-Use Mobility Center, where she was responsible for helping develop internal/external communications, plan the National Shared Mobility Summit and manage brand strategy and marketing campaigns.
Perrero serves as the board secretary for Latinos In Transit and is a member of the American Public Transportation Association Marketing and Communications Committee. She holds a bachelor’s degree in multimedia journalism with a concentration in magazine writing and a minor in public relations from Columbia College Chicago.
