Bus and train schedules (Fintraffic)

Introduction

Fintraffic (the Finnish state traffic operator) and the regional transit authorities publish free, real-time schedule displays that anyone may show on an info screen. InfoBox has two slide types for them: Bus schedules for stop departures and Train schedules for station departures. In both cases you build the display on the authority's own site, copy the link it gives you, and paste it into InfoBox. The display then updates itself on the screen.

What you need

Before you start:

• A Pro screen (the slides are web content, like the Website slide type).
• A regular web browser for building the display. No account or login is needed on any of the services.
• Two minutes.

Bus schedules, step by step

Stop displays are built in the regional "Pysäkkinäyttö" (stop display) builder:

• Open a screen or playlist editor, click Add new slide, open the Web category and pick Bus schedules.
• Type your city in the search box and pick it from the list. InfoBox chooses the right builder for your region (see the list below).
• Click Open display builder. The builder opens in a new tab. Add one or more stops, name the display, pick the lines and layout you want, and click Save (Tallenna) or Preview.
• Copy the display link from the builder. It looks like `https://…/view?cont=…`.
• Back in InfoBox, paste the link into the field. A preview appears when the link is valid. Click Add schedule, then publish the screen as usual.

Which builder is used for which city

Each transit authority runs its own builder. InfoBox picks it from the city you chose:

• HSL: Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Kauniainen, Kerava, Kirkkonummi, Sipoo, Siuntio, Tuusula.
• Nysse: Tampere, Kangasala, Lempäälä, Nokia, Orivesi, Pirkkala, Vesilahti, Ylöjärvi.
• Linkki: Jyväskylä, Laukaa, Muurame.
• OSL: Oulu, Ii, Kempele, Liminka, Lumijoki, Muhos, Tyrnävä.
• Lifti: Vaasa, Mustasaari.
• Matka.fi (national, Fintraffic): every other municipality in Finland, including Turku, Lahti, Kuopio, Joensuu and Lappeenranta.

Train schedules, step by step

Train departures come from Fintraffic's Junalähdöt service, which covers every passenger station in Finland:

• Click Add new slide, open the Web category and pick Train schedules.
• Click Open Junalähdöt. Search for your station and open its timetable.
• Choose departures or arrivals and the language you want the screen to show.
• Click the full-screen button (Avaa koko näytölle) above the timetable. A new window opens with the clean, screen-friendly view.
• Copy the address of that window. It contains `command=fs`. Paste it into InfoBox and click Add schedule.

Good to know

A few details:

• Updates: both displays refresh themselves. The slide's refresh interval (6 hours by default) is only a safety net that reloads the page.
• Language: choose the display language in the builder or on Junalähdöt before copying the link.
• Portrait screens: the stop display builder offers layouts for vertical screens.
• Changing the display later: click Change on the slide to paste a new link. Edits you make in the HSL builder while logged in update the existing link automatically; elsewhere, build a new display and paste its link.
• Data: schedules are open data from Fintraffic and Digitransit (CC BY 4.0). Fintraffic's own guidance allows the displays to be shown freely in public spaces.

Summary

Pick Bus schedules or Train schedules, build the display on the authority's site, paste the link, add. Real-time departures on your screen with no account and no cost.