Skip to main content

Washington DC gets multimodal transportation information displays

US-headquartered digital signage specialist Transit Screen has partnered with local Business Development Agencies (BID) Business Improvement Districts in what is said to be Washington, DC’s, first real-time multimodal display of transportation information. The Transit Screen displays provide a live, real-time snapshot of all Metro, Capital BikeShare, Metrobus, Circulator, and ART bus transit arrivals at a given location.
May 31, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
US-headquartered digital signage specialist 7358 Transit Screen has partnered with local Business Development Agencies (BID) Business Improvement Districts in what is said to be Washington, DC’s, first real-time multimodal display of transportation information.  The Transit Screen displays provide a live, real-time snapshot of all Metro, Capital BikeShare, Metrobus, Circulator, and ART bus transit arrivals at a given location.

Every 20-30 seconds, each screen receives the current arrival times for each transit agency at all stops within walking distance of its location. This real-time, reliable information is available through open data sharing from the Washington, DC transit agencies.

By bringing Transit Screen displays into the communities and business districts, the BIDs hope to bring customers, businesses and residents to the area by promoting the ease of local transportation.

Urban planners in cities and municipalities, such as Falls Church, Virginia, are adding Transit Screen to future transportation demand management plans. The idea is that builders and developers will play a major role in promoting transportation alternatives to decrease the need for single occupancy vehicles.

Every Transit Screen will have its own customised display that displays options in a logical, memorable, and predictable order. Customisations can also be made to include weather, airport delays, 2171 Twitter integration, custom maps, and messaging among others.

“A city such as Washington, DC has a complex mix of subway, walking, bicycling, bike sharing, buses, car sharing, and taxi services. The challenge to us was how to make multimodal transit easier to use. Our Transit Screen displays provide real-time, location-specific transit information for all local transportation options. The traveller can instantly view the easiest, fastest or most convenient transportation option from that display’s location,” stated Matt Caywood, president of Transit Screen.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Website tracks health effects of walking and cycling
    August 8, 2017
    Andrew Bardin Williams looks at a new online biking and walking benchmark report that allows transportation practitioners to compare communities and track progress. Transportation and public health are inextricably linked. The more people are encouraged to opt out of single occupancy vehicles, the healthier the overall community becomes. Sure, fewer pollutants are released into the air and commuters spend less time in traffic, but it’s the push to get people to ditch fully motorised transportation options a
  • MassDOT uses Bluetooth to provide real-time information on signs
    May 28, 2013
    Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has deployed forty-eight message signs along the Massachusetts Turnpike, Route 3 on the South Shore and the Mid-Cape highway, which will use information from Bluetooth enabled devices to display real time traffic information. The signs will operate seven days a week from 5am to 10pm and will be updated every three minutes with new information. A unique identifier and a time stamp is created when a Bluetooth enabled device, such a cell phone in a car, pass
  • Viaduct deck renewal creates detour dilemma for MassDOT
    May 26, 2016
    As the deck renewal of the I-91 viaduct in Springfield gets underway, David Crawford looks at the preparation and planning to ease the resulting traffic congestion. Accommodating the deck renewal of a 4km-long/four-lanes in each direction viaduct in the heart of Springfield (Massachusetts’ third largest city), has involved the state’s Department of Transportation (MassDOT) in a massive exercise in transport research and ITS-based area-wide preplanning and traffic management. Supporting a workzone of well ab
  • Investment in pedestrian, cycling initiatives pays off
    June 30, 2014
    Five years after the Non-motorised Transportation Pilot Program (NTPP) was established to measure the impact of investment in walking and cycling initiatives, the US Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has reported a 22.8 per cent increase in walking and a 48.3 per cent increase in cycling, while an estimated 85.1 million vehicle miles were avoided. The NTPP provided approximately US$25 million each to four pilot communities (Columbia, Missouri; Marin County, California; Minneapolis area, Minnesota; an