LED Signage for Treetops' Converted School Bus in Grays

Strive AV fitted a 1.9mm pixel pitch Unilumin LED display and BenQ X-Sign cloud signage to Treetops' converted double-decker school bus in Grays.

Education

Completed September 2026

Project leadDerek Pyle, Operations Director

Quick reference: Treetops Learning Community's converted double-decker, Grays: 2 x Unilumin Umate LM 1.9 LED cabinets (500 x 1000mm each), NovaStar MCTRL700 sending card, BenQ media PC with a 5-year X-Sign cloud licence, fitted at the coachbuilder's Faversham workshop and completed in September 2026.

A double-decker turned into a learning space

Treetops Learning Community, the trust that runs Treetops School and Treetops Free School, two special schools in Grays, Essex, is converting a double-decker bus into a creative learning space for its students, a project it announced in April 2025 and branded The Bus Hub. Strive AV supplied and fitted the bus's digital signage: an LED display built from two Unilumin Umate LM 1.9 cabinets, a NovaStar sending card to drive it, and a BenQ media PC running BenQ X-Sign so the school can manage content from the cloud. Our engineers fitted the system in September 2026 at SEC Works in Faversham, Kent, the coachbuilder carrying out the conversion.

Strive AV engineer fitting display hardware into the front of The Bus Hub, Treetops' converted double-decker bus, inside a coachbuilding workshop

Fitting signage into a bus mid-conversion

The bus was still being converted when we arrived. The work took place in SEC Works' Faversham workshop alongside the coachbuilders, with window apertures open and the vehicle's structure exposed, so our installation had to be planned around their programme rather than a finished room. The school also needed a way to change what the display shows without a member of staff connecting a laptop on board each time.

Key Requirements

•Digital signage fitted to a double-decker bus being converted into a learning space
•Install carried out at the coachbuilder's workshop during the conversion
•Display sharp enough to read at close range
•Content that school staff can update remotely

Fine-pitch LED driven by cloud signage

The display uses two Unilumin Umate LM 1.9 cabinets, each 500 x 1000mm with a 1.9mm pixel pitch, a fine pitch that keeps text and images sharp at short viewing distances. A NovaStar MCTRL700 sending card takes the HDMI output of a BenQ media PC and maps it across the LED cabinets. The PC runs BenQ X-Sign, licensed for 5 years, so content can be scheduled and updated from a web browser. Short Cat6 and HDMI leads link the player, controller and cabinets inside the bus.

Featured Solution

Fine-pitch LED

Two Unilumin Umate LM 1.9 cabinets, 500 x 1000mm each, with a 1.9mm pixel pitch for close viewing.

LED control

A NovaStar MCTRL700 sending card maps the player's HDMI output across the LED cabinets.

Cloud signage

A BenQ media PC with a 5-year BenQ X-Sign licence lets staff schedule and change content from a browser.

Products used

Unilumin Umate LM 1.9 (500 x 1000mm)
NovaStar MCTRL700
BenQ X-Sign (5-year licence)

Where the project stands

The LED display and cloud signage system were fitted and the project completed in September 2026, giving Treetops a bus display that staff can update remotely.

LED signage on vehicles: common questions

What pixel pitch should LED signage on a bus use?

Pixel pitch is the distance between the centres of neighbouring LEDs. The smaller the number, the closer someone can stand before the image breaks into dots. Inside a vehicle, where people are often within a few metres of the screen, a fine pitch of around 1.9mm keeps text readable. Larger pitches suit displays viewed from further away. See our video walls page for more on LED versus LCD.

How is content updated on a mobile LED display?

Most mobile installs pair the LED controller with a small media player running cloud signage software, such as BenQ X-Sign. Staff build playlists and schedules in a web browser and the player downloads them when it has a connection, so nobody has to plug a laptop into the display. Our digital signage page covers the main CMS options.

Can AV be installed while a bus is still being converted?

Yes, and it is often the easiest time. With panels and windows still open, cable routes, mounting points and power can be agreed with the coachbuilder before the interior is closed up, which avoids taking finished trim apart later. It does mean working to the coachbuilder's programme, so the AV schedule needs to be fixed early.