Daily transportation, whether by plane, bus, train, or another vehicle, sees an influx of travelers all day — all of whom need instant access to travel schedules and other important details for a safe and successful trip.
Digital signage software is widely used across industries to improve communication and enhance user experiences. Those benefits are what make it an attractive solution for the transportation industry, which relies on the efficient spread of information to run operations smoothly.
Uses of Digital Signage in Transportation Hubs
Digital signage proves to be a valuable addition to any transportation hub. Here are some ways it’s used.
Advertising
With its dynamic and eye-catching displays that draw attention, digital screens are hard to ignore. This makes them very powerful platforms for advertising your transport hub’s services, amenities, and other relevant products and offers, such as car rentals or travel insurance.
You can also monetize your screens by selling ad space to local businesses. By allowing them to feature their ads for a fee, your digital signage can yield passive income for your transportation hub.
Entertainment
In transportation hubs, most passengers have long hours of downtime waiting to board their flights, trains, or buses. Any source of entertainment will be a welcome distraction. Use your digital signage, especially those situated in waiting areas, to display engaging content.
For example, you can live stream YouTube videos of travel vlogs, broadcast a movie or TV show, or display news and social media feeds.
Menu Boards
If your transportation hub has a cafe or restaurant, you might want to invest in digital menu boards that show the drinks and dishes available at a glance. Especially important in a fast-moving setting like a transit hub, digital signage can help streamline the ordering process and make the queue run faster.
Digital menu boards can also entice customers to dine by showing high-definition mouth-watering images of food that passersby will find hard to resist.
Safety and Security
For the safety of your passengers and staff, it’s crucial that you’re able to deliver safety and security information quickly so they have enough time to act accordingly.
Digital signage comes with emergency alert features you can use to deploy emergency information in a split second. This becomes especially important in case of fires, earthquakes, or other emergencies that require you to act fast.
Transit Schedules
From your operating hours to your trip schedules, passengers need to know what time they can board and what time they will arrive. Use digital signage to help them plan their trips and ensure their timely arrival at their destination by displaying the ETA of the next bus or train, arrival and departure times, etc.
You can also use digital signage at your ticketing booths to manage queues, showing passengers the expected wait time to get their tickets.
Travel Updates
Transportation hubs are notorious for delays and schedule changes — information that, if not properly disseminated, can be very frustrating to a traveler trying to get to their destination at a specific time.
Digital displays can be used to update passengers on last-minute changes in transit times, schedules, and other important information in real-time, allowing them to plan and adjust their itineraries accordingly.
Wayfinding
With plenty of amenities, managed entrances and exits, and multiple floors, it’s easy for a non-frequent traveler to get lost in a transportation hub. Help them find their way around easier with wayfinding digital signage.
Whether in the form of an interactive kiosk at the entrance or directional signage scattered in strategic locations, these will help make navigating your hub easier and improve your passengers’ experience.
Weather Updates
The weather is a common enemy for all travelers. Give them value in your transportation hub by displaying weather updates and predictions for the day. This also gives you the opportunity to communicate any weather-related disruptions or changes.
Benefits of Digital Signage for Transportation Hubs
Digital signage in a transportation hub has many benefits, depending on how it is used.
Accessibility
Digital signage makes your transportation hubs more accessible for all types of passengers. For example, interactive kiosks give them access to the information they need without written instructions. You can also adjust your content and design to cater to those with cognitive disabilities.
Branding
With digital signage, you retain a high level of control over the content that shows up on the screen. You can use this screen time to display your company branding and improve brand recognition and recall among your passengers.
Decreased Employee Workload
Your employees are spending a lot of time answering questions from travelers or giving them directions to areas in your transportation hub. Digital signage takes this burden off of their shoulders by making information about travel schedules, wayfinding, etc. accessible to your travelers.
Decreased Wait Times
Long queues in your ticketing booth and delayed schedules can significantly impact a traveler’s mood and overall experience. Your digital signage can help you decrease perceived wait times by 35% by taking people’s attention away from the wait and improving your queue management system.
Enhanced Travel Experience
Wait times, ticketing queues, wayfinding, entertainment, and information access— all of these play into a traveler’s experience in your transport hub. By streamlining processes and engaging viewers, digital signage can enhance a passenger’s experience and make their stay more enjoyable.
Improved Communication
Digital signage makes it fast and easy to communicate with passengers and staff. You no longer need to ping everyone on their mobile devices or broadcast schedule changes on a megaphone. Your software will help you deploy information to your screens in seconds, reaching a wider audience with minimal effort.
Increased Revenue
Digital signage allows you to upsell your transport hub’s products and services, from restaurants to monthly travel passes. You can also leverage it to make passive income by selling ad space to local businesses.
Reduced Cost
Digital signage may come with an upfront investment, but it costs significantly less to maintain than traditional communication and advertising. You don’t need to print out new posters or flyers every time a new update or change rolls out. You simply go to your digital signage software and deploy new content in real-time.
Sustainability
Traditional signage like posters, flyers, and brochures, is increasing your transportation hub’s environmental footprint. Digital signage is a more sustainable solution, eliminating the use of paper and using less energy compared to conventional communications and marketing platforms.
Upscale Your Transport Hub with Digital Signage
If you’re looking to improve your transportation hub and yield positive traveler experiences, there’s no doubt you need to invest in digital signage solutions. Explore how Rise Vision can help you reap the benefits of digital signage in your transport hub by creating digital signs for free.