Digital displays have become a staple in transportation hubs – from airport terminals to train stations – where they provide real-time flight and transit information to thousands of passengers. Modern digital signage now replaces static signs with dynamic screens that can show schedules, wayfinding directions, safety alerts, and even advertisements in high definition. This not only keeps travelers informed with up-to-the-minute updates but also improves the overall passenger experience by reducing confusion and perceived wait times.
Screenly, a leading digital signage platform, offers a cloud-based solution tailored for transportation displays, making it easy for transportation facilities to deploy and manage these smart displays at scale. By leveraging Screenly’s tools, transit hub operators can centrally control content across all their screens – whether in an airport or a bus network – ensuring consistent messaging and quick updates when it matters most. In this post, we’ll explore the benefits of digital signage in transportation and how Screenly empowers transit operators to inform and engage travelers more effectively.
The importance of digital signage in transportation
Transportation environments are fast-paced and information-driven. Digital signage plays a critical role in delivering timely information and enhancing the journey for commuters and travelers. Key benefits include:
Real-time information updates: Schedules in transit can change rapidly due to delays, cancellations, or service changes. Digital signage allows instant updates to arrival/departure boards and platform displays so passengers always see the latest information. For example, high-resolution LCD screens in airports and train stations automatically refresh with real-time data. With a platform like Screenly, transit staff can push updates to all relevant screens via the cloud within seconds, ensuring everyone is informed simultaneously. In most cases, these updates happen automatically through integration with the trasit facilitie’s data systems and the Screenly API. This immediacy builds trust and reduces uncertainty for passengers who depend on accurate, current information.
Enhanced passenger experience & wayfinding: Beyond schedules, digital signs improve the overall travel experience. They can display directional guidance or even announcements for boarding and gate changes. In crowded transit hubs, this wayfinding capability helps newcomers navigate complex terminals with ease. Screens can also share helpful content like news, weather, or trivia to keep waiting passengers engaged. By providing useful and engaging content, transportation providers make wait times feel shorter and reduce passenger frustration. The flexibility of Screenly’s software means content can range from simple images and videos to live webpages or even custom apps showing things like subway maps – all in rotation as part of a programmed playlist.
Emergency alerts and safety notifications: In case of emergencies or service disruptions, digital signage becomes a crucial communications tool. Instead of relying on static signs or public address alone, screens can instantly switch to display emergency messages, evacuation instructions, or safety alerts in multiple languages. With Screenly, operators can trigger a priority playlist that overrides regular content on all screens to broadcast urgent announcements. For instance, if a train station must be evacuated, every Screenly-powered display can flash evacuation directions and exit locations, ensuring the message reaches everyone on-site. This centralized control of content allows faster response times during critical events.
Advertising and revenue opportunities: Transportation hubs are prime locations for advertising, given the high foot traffic and dwell times. Digital signage enables transit authorities and facility operators to display advertising content – from local business ads to national brand campaigns – on screens alongside informational content. Bus shelters and station platforms increasingly use outdoor digital displays to show not just route maps and schedules, but also rotating digital adverts while riders wait. This creates a new revenue stream without the additional overhead of printing posters. Screenly supports high-definition images and videos (even 4K), ensuring ads are eye-catching and professional. With its scheduling feature, different ads can play at different times of day or in specific locations, allowing targeted advertising (for example, promoting a coffee shop during morning commute hours). By integrating advertising into their digital signage, transportation providers can offset costs and invest more in passenger amenities, all managed through Screenly’s easy interface.
Next, we’ll look in more depth at how Screenly’s platform specifically supports the above use cases, providing the tools needed to deploy and manage transit digital signage effectively.
How Screenly supports transportation digital signage
Screenly’s digital signage platform is feature-rich and perfect for a variety of transportation usecases. Screenly offers a combination of software, hardware flexibility, and cloud services that address the unique needs of transit environments. Below are key Screenly features and how they apply to transportation use cases:
Cloud-based content management and scheduling
Managing dozens or even hundreds of screens across a transit system is straightforward with Screenly’s cloud-based CMS (content management system). Administrators can log into the Screenly web dashboard to upload content, organize playlists, and schedule when each piece of content should play. Additionally, teams can integrate their digital signs with existing databases and data providers so that content is updated automatically. This central management and programmatic scheduling means a small team can handle signage for an entire airport or city-wide transit network from one interface – no need to update content via USB sticks or visit each sign.
Screenly’s dashboard also lets you group screens by location or function so you can deploy content to, say, all “Platform Screens” or all “Lobby Displays” with one click. You can schedule playlists to run at specific times (for example, a “Night Service” schedule on platform screens after 10 PM) or even set up day-parting and weekly schedules in advance. Importantly, if something unexpected happens (like an emergency or a sudden delay announcement), Screenly allows you to push instant updates or override content with priority messaging across all screens. All of this is done remotely via the cloud, ensuring real-time updates system-wide without physical intervention.
Hardware flexibility and 24/7 reliability
Transportation facilities often have a mix of display types and require hardware that can run reliably 24/7. Screenly excels here by being hardware-agnostic and offering robust player options. Screenly digital signage players are purpose-built media devices optimized for digital signage, available in models like the standard Screenly Player and the high-performance Screenly Player Max. These players simply connect to any TV or digital display via HDMI and to the internet via WiFi or ethernet, then automatically retrieve and play scheduled content from the Screenly cloud. They support 1080p Full HD and 4K playback for crisp timetable screens or ad content, and they’re designed for reliability – including features like automatic rebooting and security updates to keep them running smoothly in unattended locations.
For transit agencies that may want to utilize existing hardware, Screenly provides flexibility through Screenly Anywhere which lets you use virtually any device capable of running a modern web browser as a digital signage player. That means a mini PC behind a large LED departure board or even a smart TV with a built-in browser could be used as a Screenly display client, reducing the need for specialized equipment.
With Screenly digital signage player devices, Screenly caches content locally on each player, so if the network connection drops (such as in a subway tunnel or during an outage), the screen will keep displaying the last updated content instead of going blank. This local content caching is crucial in many transit environments – it maximizes uptime and ensures your passengers always see information on the screen, even during connectivity hiccups.
Live data integration and Edge Apps
Transportation signage is most useful when it can tap into live data – for example, pulling the latest train schedules, service alerts, or weather conditions automatically. Screenly supports this through integrations and Edge Apps. With Screenly’s open API, transit operators can connect their existing data systems (like a public transport schedule database or flight information feed) directly to their digital signs. This enables automation – for instance, when a bus is delayed, the transit database could trigger an update on all affected station displays via the Screenly API without manual input.
Screenly’s Edge App Store offers ready-made apps that allow users to integrate with systems out-of-the-box or in a customized way. Each Edge App is customizable at the code level. A great example is Screenly’s Transport for London (TFL) Bus Stop app, which Screenly provides for free: it allows any screen to display real-time bus arrival times for a specified stop in London. A local transit authority can deploy a customized TFL app in their city across all bus stop displays at once, and the app will automatically show each stop’s unique schedule based on the screen’s location metadata. This dramatically simplifies scaling digital timetable displays – one app deployment updates all stops with relevant local data.
Other Edge Apps include weather forecasts, news tickers (RSS feeds), a countdown timer, a clock app, and more, which can easily be incorporated into transportation signage to keep content fresh and useful. And since Screenly’s Edge Apps are customizable at the code level, tech-savvy transit IT teams can modify them or create new ones tailored to their specific needs (for example, a live train status dashboard or a wayfinding map with live travel times to each gate). These integration capabilities mean Screenly can seamlessly become part of a transportation agency’s broader information ecosystem, ensuring screens always display accurate, context-relevant data in real time.
Remote monitoring and secure management
When managing digital signage across critical infrastructure like transportation hubs, having oversight and control is essential. Screenly addresses this with a robust remote monitoring and management dashboard. From the Screenly online interface, administrators can monitor the health status of every connected screen at a glance. The system provides a color-coded map or list that shows which screens are online, offline, or need attention, helping teams quickly spot any issues. Screen health data includes information like connectivity status and whether the player’s content is up-to-date.
If a screen goes down or falls out of sync, Screenly can send instant alerts via email or integrations like PagerDuty so support staff can respond immediately. This proactive monitoring is vital in transit settings – for example, if a display at a train platform is offline, technicians can be dispatched before it impacts too many passengers.
In terms of digital signage security, Screenly’s platform offers granular user access controls and can support SSO/SAML for enterprise deployments, ensuring that only authorized personnel can manage the displays. Content is distributed with encryption, and players receive regular updates, protecting against vulnerabilities. With these enterprise-grade security controls, Screenly gives transportation IT teams confidence that their digital signage network is both reliable and secure, requiring minimal manual oversight to maintain uptime. Overall, the ability to centrally monitor and manage all screens means higher efficiency and peace of mind – your digital departure boards and info kiosks will be running smoothly when travelers need them most.
Screenly use cases in transportation environments
To illustrate how all these features come together, let’s consider a few transportation scenarios where Screenly adds value:
Airports: An international airport deploys Screenly on hundreds of screens – including departure/arrival boards, gate info displays, baggage claim signs, and concourse advertising video walls. Through Screenly’s cloud dashboard, the airport’s operations team schedules airline content feeds (via integration with the airport’s flight information system) to update gates and flight times in real time. They group screens by terminal and gate area, so each area’s displays show relevant flights and directions. If a gate changes or there’s an urgent security message, they use the priority override to instantly flash alerts across all affected screens. Between flights, the screens show welcome messages, duty-free shop promotions, and weather updates using Screenly’s playlist scheduling. The result is a cohesive, up-to-date visual communication system that enhances passenger experience from check-in to boarding.
Public transit (train/bus systems): A city transit authority uses Screenly to manage digital signs at train stations, bus terminals, and even on buses. At each train station, a Screenly Player powers content on LED boards that list upcoming train arrivals, delays, and notices are pulled automatically from the central transit schedule (thanks to a custom integration via Screenly’s API). Bus stops throughout the city have smaller screens running the TFL-style bus arrival Edge App, configured for the local transit feed – this provides riders at each stop with real-time ETAs without any custom programming. Transit staff schedule public service announcements and safety reminders to run during off-peak hours and sell ad slots to local businesses, which are inserted into the content rotation. When a sudden service disruption occurs (e.g. a subway line closure), the control center uses Screenly to push an immediate alert to all screens network-wide, informing riders of alternate routes. Throughout the day, the team monitors screen statuses via Screenly’s dashboard; if a station’s sign goes offline, maintenance is alerted via PagerDuty before the next rush hour.
Other transportation venues: Screenly’s versatility extends to any transportation-related venue – from port authorities displaying ferry schedules to corporate shuttle services with onboard info screens. For example, a ferry terminal might use Screenly to show departure times, boarding calls, and tourism ads on displays in the waiting area. Because Screenly supports virtually any screen orientation or size (landscape or portrait, HD or 4K), it can drive everything from large outdoor LED marquees to small customer information screens at ticket counters.
These use cases demonstrate the flexibility of Screenly in meeting various transportation signage needs – whether it’s a single transit center or a sprawling, city-wide network of displays.
Transforming transit communication with Screenly
Digital signage has become a game-changer in transportation, elevating everything from daily commutes to international travel by delivering timely information and engaging content. A well-implemented signage system leads to smoother operations and happier passengers – missed announcements and static bulletin boards are quickly becoming things of the past. Screenly’s digital signage platform offers transportation authorities an all-in-one solution to harness these benefits: an intuitive content management interface, flexible and reliable playback hardware, real-time data integration, and enterprise-grade monitoring and security. By deploying Screenly, transit hubs can ensure that their passengers always know where to go and what’s happening.
Ready to enhance your passenger experience with dynamic digital displays? Sign up for Screenly’s 30-day free trial and discover how easy it can be to modernize your transportation signage. From bus stops to airport lounges, Screenly provides the tools to keep your information flowing and your passengers moving.
