Real-Time Displays — Viola Hernandez

TL;DR

Passengers lacked clear real-time context, and the legacy displays were outdated and restrictive. Working with the Transit Technology team, I redesigned bus terminal departure boards and on-bus next-stop displays, stress-testing type for distance and long destination names, and turning subjective data like bus occupancy into something passengers could read at a quick glance.

2Display typesDeparture boards at terminals, and next-stop screens on board buses
500+Buses equippedThe on-bus design runs across YRT’s current fleet
15Transit facilitiesThe departure board design is in use at major YRT terminals and TTC subway stations

The Problem

The legacy departure boards and next-stop displays came with limitations: fixed hardware, backend character limits and templates that varied by facility. Destination names were often truncated. Commuters tend to read from a distance or on the move with limited time to wait out the full scroll. And during the pandemic, the team was asked to show how full each bus was.

Key Decisions

1. Design departure boards for people in motion

At locations like Richmond Hill Centre Terminal (RHCT), passengers sometimes read the board from far away while in a hurry to make their transfers. I enlarged the date and time, adjusted the destination column so long names aren’t needlessly truncated, and added a page indicator so passengers know more departures are coming. A real-time icon also helps differentiate live departures from scheduled ones, and any bus leaving within one minute turns its whole row blue so commuters can spot it without reading every time.

My first mockup of the departure board, annotated in magenta with the hex code and font size for every element: the time at 58px, destinations at 40px, column headings at 30px. — My first annotated mockup for Transit Technology: the hex code and font size of every element, so the template could be built exactly as designed.

Legacy departure display at Richmond Hill Centre Terminal. — Richmond Hill Centre Terminal, before and after (photographed October 2026).

Redesigned departure display at Richmond Hill Centre Terminal. — Richmond Hill Centre Terminal, before and after (photographed October 2026).

Departure board at Vaughan Metropolitan Centre on a wider screen, listing eight route 20 departures with real-time icons and a Page 1 of 2 indicator. — The template adapted for other hardware: Vaughan Metropolitan Centre (VMC), photographed August 2022.

2. Make occupancy data meaningful

Fractions like “1/3 full” are subjective (is that actually 1/3 of seats taken, or just a handful of people?). We first explained it with percentages, then switched to plain-language labels (Not Crowded, Some Crowding, Crowded) so passengers could judge at a glance.

Initial mockup: departure board with an occupancy legend in percentages. — Occupancy, from percentages to plain language.

Final design: departure board with occupancy labelled Not Crowded, Some Crowding and Crowded, and a service alert bar. — Occupancy, from percentages to plain language.

3. Show the journey without overwhelming

New on-bus LCD screens were installed to improve on the existing VMS signs, which could show only one stop. I emphasized the upcoming stop and greyed out the ones after, keeping a contrasting “Stop Requested” red indicator to match the legacy signs and tested type sizes against the longest names so they’re as readable as possible from the back of a 60-foot articulated bus.

On-bus screen showing the next stop, upcoming stops and a red Stop Requested indicator. — **Next stops**:The upcoming stop stands out, with the red Stop Requested indicator riders know from the old signs.

On-bus screen listing connecting routes at Yonge and Major MacKenzie, with stop numbers and minutes until each arrives. — **Next stops**:The upcoming stop stands out, with the red Stop Requested indicator riders know from the old signs.

The next-stop screen installed on board a YRT bus, showing the destination Newmarket Terminal and the next four stops with the minutes to each. — In service: the next-stop view on board a YRT bus heading to Newmarket Terminal.

Outcome

In service across 500+ vehicles and 15 transit facilitiesDesigns are currently in use across YRT fleet and transit locations, including TTC subway stations that connect to YRT services.
Templates that work within backend limitsRefreshed designs put the most important information first, and many long destination names now display in full without truncation.

Reflection

Looking back, I wish I had mapped out which designs would run on which hardware, and where they are physically installed on site. Not every display was replaced, so terminals ended up with a mix of old and new screens in different sizes, and I couldn’t always tell how the design would look in its environment. That matters for wayfinding, since a screen isn’t judged on its aesthetics alone, but on whether a commuter can read it from where they’re standing, mid-transfer or on the go.