Passenger information systems have quickly evolved in the bus and coach industry, with companies such as Hanover Displays at the forefront of technology change in the sector. Long gone are the days of the good old roller blinds or flip dot technology, with LED displays and a variety of extras now allowing Hanover’s latest product range to meet the diverse needs of its customers.
“We’re now a one-stop shop for passenger information systems, ranging from front destination signs that everyone knows to our high-resolution, full colour internal LED signs,” Hanover Displays Australia director Fiona Watson told ABC.
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“The optics and capabilities of our products are much greater than what they used to be – rather than having just internal signs, we can provide full 29-inch TFT screens that display advertising, X feeds, Facebook feeds, weather feeds and next stop updates.”
Watson says passenger information has gone “from zero to hero”, emerging to be as informative as passengers and operators want it to be. Whether it’s a single sign or a four sign set up in a larger bus, Hanover Displays offers complete flexibility for customers.
This includes offering a broad range of sizes and colour options to choose from, as well as options for resolution and sign configurations. While Hanover’s onboard destination display signs are able to show basic passenger information, Watson is hoping more customers continue to invest in the finer details to enhance their customer information systems with images, colours and animations.
“Our touchscreen advanced EG4 controllers are so easy to use and provide great options for customers,” she says.
“An operator may just want a basic destination display system, but our expertise comes into play when we can provide colour-coded routes and advertising on the screens to raise revenue.
“People don’t want to think about these finer details, but we make it easy – all a customer has to do is decide if they want a female or male voice announcing the next stop updates, as we can program everything else from the start.”
This flexibility is allowing customers to dream of grander displays on their buses. Watson says 2024 has been an extremely busy year for Hanover Displays due to more and more operators choosing to go down the route of using detailed and advanced passenger information systems. This means the Hanover team are completing more in-depth installation projects compared to installing a single destination sign.
“It’s moving forward and evolving – we’ve done more full next stop passenger information projects this year than we’ve ever done,” Watson says.
“They may take a bit more time to prepare on our end, but once set up, it’s so easy for the operators to set and forget. If operators have a change they need to make, such as removing or adding a stop or updating the system due to roadworks, it’s easy to tweak via a USB update.”
What to look forward to in 2025
Following the release of its latest high-resolution passenger information destination signs in 2024, Hanover Displays is looking towards more local growth in people embracing this innovative technology.
While Hanover will also continue building its local support capabilities, this aftersales focus is about educating operators about what more they can do with their signs. It will also continue with its extensive product development program, offering customers state-of-the art passenger information systems.
“Rather than just using a TFT sign for next stop information, we want operators to introduce X or Facebook feeds, or even use the advertising side to gain full benefits,” Watson says.
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