Taxi Top Digital Signs – How They Work

Using technology to make a profit has never been easier, since the start of time, man has always been looking for a solution, using the latest technology to achieve a result is essential in this current time of an economic down turn. We will try to explain how taxi top digital signs work.

Well firstly you need is a weather proof taxi cab enclosure, this will house all the electronics including the two televisions, a wireless media player with all the necessary cables to control and feed the screens with content. These are then mounted to the roof of the cab on anti vibration mounts.


Once the content has been loaded onto the media player and the screens are wired, all you need now is power, the power leads exit the taxi cab topper and then enter the cab, the power is brought to the screens by each taxi cab having an onboard power inverter that fits into the cigarette lighter in the front of the taxi.

Now most of the time the cab is in traffic, it will be driving slowly, so here is an opportunity for the digital signage to work at it’s best, by grabbing the attention of pedestrians as they wait to cross the road. It works even better at airports whilst you are waiting in line for a taxi, you will for sure be watching the screens on the taxi roof.

Now here comes the clever part, when a taxi is called to a job they are contacted from dispatch who send them to the correct address, now you can be part of a wireless network that covers a city or you could even use 3G or GPS connectivity to update the content, by streaming fresh content to the media player using a wireless technology is one of the many ways in which content can be updated effortlessly.

In the future we will see many taxi cabs sporting a taxi cab digital signage enclosure on their roof, but remember where you heard it first.

Taxi Cab Digital Signage To Be The Next Big Thing

Digital signage or advertising, call it what you will, this has changed the way people shop, now using technology taxi cabs will be able to use digital signage inside as well as outside the cab whilst empty or carrying fares.

The main reason for this development is that like all new technology, once a system is proved to work it is pushed out to almost everyone, whilst it is in development people are watching the initial project with anticipation to see if it will be a success as they do not wish to invest in an industry that could lose money.

You may have seen the digital screens in the back of the cabs promoting local attractions from hotels to restaurants, well now with the use of a taxi cab enclosure, digital signage can now be placed on top of the taxi roof and create an income stream for the taxi company as well as ad agencies.

This type of taxi cab digital signage enclosure, is designed and manufactured to protect the internal electronics from the weather and potential theft, as the enclosure provides a secure micro environment for the hardware to work in a controlled environment.

This taxi cab topper could be the next best thing in the digital signage industry, as we have seen a huge increase in manufacturers offering outdoor TV cabinets, these are used as large outdoor billboards and can be tiled together to form a massive video wall on sides of buildings.

Like the Apple iPad this could be the next biggest thing for 2010, let us watch the development and see.

Taxi Cab Digital Signage – How It Works

With the success of digital signage, it is now creeping every where from airports, train stations and gas stations. Now let us discuss the options for digital signage for taxi cabs.

There are several options for taxi cab digital signage, they stem from screens built into the drivers and front passenger headrests, these run from internal memory cards that hold the content, these can be used to display local hotels, restaurants and even things to do during your stay. If the screens are interactive and linked to a form of GPS (Global Positioning Satellite), the passenger could theoretically enter their destination and see what restaurants or cinemas are near by, to get the most out of their stay.

Another solution is to install an internal larger display around 17”, that is mounted to the roof, this again is run from a memory card and easy to update the content. Now the price is rather cost effective for the above two options.

However there is another group of people who have realised that if you were to put an LCD screen on the roof of a taxi, this will certainly capture people’s attention, especially in the rush hour when the roads are gridlocked and more eye balls will see the content and the content has to deliver the “wow” factor, if it does the perfect solution has been created. One problem though – the weather!

Now one company has developed an outdoor enclosure that accommodates two displays back to back with a media player mounted in between them and can be mounted to either the roof rails or directly to the roof of the cab. The taxi cab enclosure offers protection from the rain, snow and direct sunlight. Once the signage hardware has been installed into the taxi cab digital signage enclosure, the side access doors are secured and the cab is ready to go about its business whilst raising a second revenue stream from advertisers.

The unit is cooled with a unique cooling plenum ensuring the digital signage hardware is kept at the perfect temperature, no matter what the external weather is. The taxi cab topper also offers protection from accidents, such as impact with birds, or worse still children through snow balls.