Enhancing A Transit Hub: Fullerton, California Partners with Soofa for Smarter City Communication
The City of Fullerton, California, is a unique community that values their rich history, transit connectivity, and sustainable efforts. They’re home to the second largest serving train station in Orange County, with a national Amtrak rail connecting Los Angeles and Chicago. Since transit services are at the forefront of their community, Fullerton wanted to celebrate and enhance their historic stations with digital signage.
Fullerton recently chose and introduced two Soofa Signs to the city, aiming to enhance communication with residents and visitors alike. Overall, the partnership emphasizes the city’s commitment to increasing public engagement and improving access to information.
We spoke to Taylor Samuelson, Senior Administrative Analyst from the City of Fullerton, and to learn why they chose Soofa Signs and how they’re utilizing them so far.
Bringing Modern Solutions to a Vibrant Community
Samuelson expressed enthusiasm about Fullerton’s partnership with Soofa, highlighting Soofa Sign benefits that made them move forward with the project. “The city did a competitive bid process and solicited quotes from different providers for digital signs. We picked Soofa because of the unique location options of the signs, ease of installation, lack of requiring electrical trenching, and the overall simplicity of use.”
The two signs are strategically placed at the city’s train stations, providing real-time updates, social media feeds, and more, which are already helping Fullerton residents stay informed and connected. “This station is a nationally registered historic site and a cornerstone of Fullerton’s founding. Investing in this station with Soofa Signs honors our heritage while modernizing it for today’s needs,” Samuelson said.
So far, Fullerton is using Soofa widgets like local updates, weather, air quality, and transit schedules, with plans to incorporate more features. “We linked the Soofa Signs to our Fullerton Fire and Police PIO Twitter/X system and other local emergency agencies. People can check updates about current public safety alerts while waiting at the train station, which is really helpful,” Samuelson said.
Enhancing Engagement and Accessibility
Before installing Soofa Signs, Samuelson mentioned that, “We’ve used traditional methods like social media, postcards, coffee chats, and town hall meetings to connect with the public. However, we lacked a real-time community display with dynamic information accessible to everyone in the community. Soofa Signs also help with accessibility because they can reach more demographics like our senior residents and others who may not use smartphones daily.”
Another Step Toward Sustainability
Fullerton’s sustainable efforts are important to the city and California as a state. Samuelson mentioned that, “The solar-powered signs fit well with our sustainability goals. They didn’t require additional electrical power or infrastructure, aligning with sustainable economy efforts.”
While looking at future use of Soofa Signs, Samuelson said that, “Fullerton is the first city in the region to apply this technology at a transit center. With the Olympics coming to California in 2028, the signs will help us communicate important updates in multiple languages and reach more people quickly.”
Sunayana Thomas, Community & Economic Development Director from Fullerton commented that, “As part of the Fullerton Transportation Enhancement efforts, and with support from a Caltrans grant, we’re investing in smart infrastructure to better connect our community. Soofa’s digital signage at our historic train station offers a new way to share real-time updates, transit information, and local news with residents and visitors. While this technology is new to Fullerton, we’re hopeful it will improve accessibility, keep people informed, and enhance how we communicate in public spaces.”
Curious what Soofa Signs can accomplish in your community? Email hi@soofadigital.com to learn more.