Intelligent Transportation Systems
Transit Agencies throughout the US and worldwide are facing enormous challenges in providing reliable transit service to its customers due to increasing traffic congestion. Public Transit buses share the streets with other vehicles and automobiles. Traffic and unexpected incidents along the transit bus route result in unreliable arrival times, which impose long and unpredictable wait times on transit customers.
The need to improve customer experience in public transit, improve operational efficiencies, reduce operating costs and compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has led Agencies to implement various ITS solutions such as Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD), Automatic Vehicle Locator (AVL), Automatic Passenger Counter (APC), Automatic Voice Announcement Systems (AVAS) Automatic Vehicle Monitoring (AVM) and Real Time Bus Information systems.
The CAD/AVL system helps the Agency improve service on its bus routes by vehicle tracking, schedule adherence, route on-time performance and fleet management. Also, the CAD/AVL system improves the Para-transit operation by facilitating reservations, scheduling, dispatching and routing.
The use of APC in transit is widespread in the US. The APC is a cost effective means for the Agencies to collect passenger count information. The APC/AVL data is extremely useful for the Agencies in route planning and scheduling, thereby improving service and reducing operating costs.
The AVAS provides value-added service by automatically announcing upcoming stops in compliance with the ADA requirements without bus driver intervention allowing the bus driver to focus on driving the bus without distractions.
The AVM benefits the Agencies by optimizing the use of its service fleet. In addition, the AVM offers significant cost savings to the Agencies by monitoring and reporting on the key systems and components of the buses for maintenance.
Keeping up with the advancements in technology and mobile devices, the Real Time Bus Information systems offers the ultimate customer convenience by providing accurate bus arrival times, service interruptions and alerts, and emergencies via a mobile device.
How Lumenor Can Help?
Lumenor will assist and work with you in every step of the way including defining your business and technology needs and requirements, procuring, implementing and maintaining the system, and data analysis.
Lumenor can serve to supplement your existing staff, by providing a core program team comprised of project management, business process, technology architecture, business analysis, and enterprise architecture skills. We take a very hands-on and proactive approach to your program, operating from the belief that proper planning and understanding can reduce costly rework and minimize negative impacts.
Implementing an ITS system is only part of the challenge, the Agency is still left with enormous amount of data from the ITS system that needs be analyzed effectively to further benefit the Agency. Lumenor can assist you in proactively integrating the data into your decision making processes. For example, Lumenor can assist you in analyzing the APC data to show ridership patterns at particular stops and specific times to improve bus routes/times.
The Lumenor team will not only help you in implementing the system but will assist in data analysis for decision making and service improvements post-implementation as well. Key services include:
- Identifying key business goals and requirements
- Identifying the ITS modules and scope of the program
- Evaluating the current business processes and transition planning to future state, including business plan preparation
- Enterprise architecture evaluation and definition including requirements, functional and technical design
- Defining data requirements
- Integration with other bus on-board systems
- Vendor management and coordination
- Reporting to executive level management to support timely decision making
- Supporting internal business users by providing subject matter expertise
- Definition of marketing programs, and customer messaging and education
- Extensive data analysis to improve service, planning and scheduling, and build “what if” scenarios
- Defining Key Performance Indicators to measure service improvements
- Integrating data into decision making process
- Training internal staff on the use of the data to support operations
