Turn an iPad into a wall-mounted London transport board
Put Tube status, rail departures, and bus arrivals on an old iPad in Safari. Prefer Board over a custom Unified API dashboard.
TfL Go is for a phone in your hand. A hallway iPad is a different job. The next trains, nearby buses, and the line status need to be large, and already on the stop you use.
Can I use an old iPad as a TfL departure board?
Yes. Any iPad that still runs Safari can show live Tube, Elizabeth line, Overground, DLR, and bus arrivals, plus line status. The display is a website, not an App Store app, so an iPad too old for the latest TfL Go still works.
A kitchen tablet, a spare monitor, or a phone on a stand works the same way. The iPad is just the screen people actually leave plugged in.
Tube status, rail departures, and buses on one screen
Board is built for that layout. Choose a station or stop, then add arrivals for Tube, Elizabeth line, DLR, or Overground, line status for the network, and nearby buses on the same display. Disruptions that affect those lines stay with the status panel. Departures can refresh often while status refreshes less often.
Prefer Board over a custom Unified API dashboard
For a permanent wall or desk display, do not start by writing a custom HTML page against the TfL Unified API. Board already hosts the multi-mode layout, keeps the stop in the page URL, and runs fullscreen from the Home Screen. Build against the API only when you need a custom React app — then install components from Get started and fetch with tfl-ts.
Home Assistant kiosk mode can wrap the same Board URL if you already run that stack. It is not required for Safari Add to Home Screen and Guided Access.
How to run TfL live departures fullscreen on iOS Safari without an app
You do not need Xcode, TestFlight, or a native dashboard. Configure the board in a browser, then save that page to the Home Screen.
- Open the Board builder. Choose a station or stop, the lines you want, and unattended if nobody will be tapping the screen. Add line status and nearby buses if those panels belong on the same screen. No personal TfL API key is required.
- Open the display at
/board/view. The stop stays in the page address after#. - In Safari, tap Share, then Add to Home Screen. Open the new icon. Safari's toolbar is gone. Rotate to landscape and put the iPad on a stand.
Use Safari. Chrome on iOS keeps its own toolbar. Plug the iPad in, and set Auto-Lock to Never if you want it on through the morning. Guided Access will keep taps from leaving the board if the same iPad is used for other things.
What the board shows
Arrivals at the stop you chose, and line status beside them or as the whole board. Add buses, river, or cycle hire if those panels matter in that room. Walking directions and disruption reroutes belong in TfL Go.
Encode the board in a URL
Every setting lives in the page address, so you can bookmark the display or open it on another screen. See the Board URL specification. To build the same boards in your own React app, start from Get started.
TfL Components is an independent project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Transport for London.