ITS Technologies that Improve Human Services Transportation
Transportation service providers employ ITS to provide traveler information, lower costs, decrease travel times, and provide more convenient routes and schedules. Such technologies include location software and equipment (automatic vehicle location [AVL] and geographic information systems [GIS]), computer-aided dispatch (CAD), mobile data terminals (MDTs) or mobile data computers (MDCs), and coordination and integration software. Integration software may be used to coordinate fare payment and billing operations, passenger counting, vehicle location, or other functional and operational requirements.
Example costs for several of the ITS technologies described in this report are available. For more information on system costs, please see the Intelligent Transportation Systems Benefits, Costs and Lessons Learned: 2005 Update2 and the ITS Benefits and Costs website http://www.benefitcost.its.dot.gov.
Technologies that are of greatest benefit to transportationdisadvantaged populations and have proven track records for improving efficiency are shown in Table 1. The table is categorized by technologies that are used directly by the individual and those that are used directly by organizations that operate the transportation system. Organizationrelated technologies, although less directly visible to the transit user, impact the user through improved transportation operations, convenience, safety, and security.
While certain transit designs (e.g., kneeling buses or buses with innovative scooter securements) are important for transportation-disadvantaged populations or the transit agency, they are not part of the ITS technology family and will be mentioned only briefly in this report.
Transportation Operations and Coordination
One of the most visible benefits of improved transportation operations and coordination is increased flexibility for the transit rider in scheduling and taking trips. Flexibility provides riders options for scheduling appointments, such as medical, personal, and reverse commutes. With the right data, agencies can determine which routes need vehicles with specific design characteristics, such as wheelchair loading and restraint systems, and can provide flexibility in the schedules for these routes. For low-income travelers, flexibility is needed also for accessing crucial stops such as childcare locations and shopping centers. Near 24-hour-a-day service may be critical for reverse commutes, as well as convenient multimodal connections without lengthy waits.
Table 1. ITS Technologies That Benefit Transportation-Disadvantaged Populations
D
Another key benefit to improved operations and coordination is reliability. Reliable transportation benefits older clients and clients with disabilities who do not want to wait for long periods of time, nor do they want to miss medical appointments. Reliability also is important for low-income populations to meet job commitments.
Coordination of functions and services among agencies and within a single agency is critical to ensure flexibility. Coordination of services might involve fixed-route transit, paratransit providers, and non-transit options. This coordination could include one-stop shopping for multimodal options. The benefit to users is that they only need to understand one system and make arrangements (e.g., reservations, payment) with a single agency.
Traveler Information
Among transit agencies, traveler information systems are one of the most commonly deployed ITS technologies that directly benefit passengers. These technologies provide trip and general services information to travelers. Information may be static or real-time and may be tailored to suit a particular traveler's needs. Depending on the application, information can be provided using the Internet, telephone, fax machine, and electronic signs or audio enunciators at kiosks, at transit stops, or in vehicles. Information provided over the Internet can be accessed by personal computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), Web-enabled cell phones, and electronic kiosks. Information provided over the telephone can be automated using interactive voice response (IVR) or voice recognition systems. Information may also be disseminated using telecommunications Device for the Deaf/Teletype (TDD/TTY) equipment.
Accessible and easily understood traveler information can include operating hours, service area and routes, schedules, fares, location of the nearest transit stop, transfer options, accessibility information and availability of transportation-assistive devices such as wheelchair lifts, and the estimated arrival time of the next transit vehicle. Automated annunciation systems on transit vehicles visually display and audibly announce the vehicle route and destination and the location of the next stop.
Other technologies include automated trip planners and trip reservation, cancellation, and confirmation systems. Trip planners produce trip itineraries based on travelers' inputs and needs, such as accessible stops, stations, and vehicles. Trip reservation, cancellation, and confirmation systems allow customers to book, confirm, or cancel trips with a transportation provider using an IVR telephone system and/or the Internet. When integrated with an AVL system, the reservation, cancellation, and confirmation system can notify customers automatically, by phone or e-mail for example, when to expect the arrival of a vehicle.
Fare Payment and Billing
Technology can help lower the cost of fares and can make fare payment simpler. Electronic fare cards reduce operating costs by centralizing and automating records. In addition, the passenger does not need to have exact change or even know the fare. In this way, electronic fare cards can help to reduce bus boarding times.
There are two basic types of electronic fare cards — magnetic stripe cards and smart cards. Magnetic stripe cards have a magnetic stripe that contains read-write data, such as the value on the card. Magnetic stripe cards, which typically cost less than smart cards, have been in use for over 25 years. There are two types of magnetic stripe card systems — those in which one swipes the card through the reader and those in which one inserts the card into and then removes it from the reader. The read-write units of the card insertion/removal type of magnetic stripe card system experience failure more often than the swipe type of system.
Smart cards are plastic cards with an integrated circuit that contains information readable by specific devices. There are basically three types of smart cards:
- Contact cards, the older smart card technology, require the card to come in contact with the card reader.
- Proximity or contactless cards, a newer and more common smart card system, require the card to only pass near the reader. Proximity cards use radio frequency (RF) signals to communicate information between the chip in the card and the reader unit. Use of a proximity card is more effective in reducing boarding time and typically has lower read-write maintenance requirements.3
- Hybrid cards, also called "combi-cards," are a combination of contact and proximity cards. The card contains both contact and contactless interfaces.
Technology can also help to coordinate billing and invoicing between human services agencies and transit providers. Paratransit is often funded by multiple agencies with unique billing, invoicing, and reporting requirements, which can be a considerable burden for all concerned. Automating these functions through the use of hardware and software systems can lead to significant gains in operational efficiency.
Safety and Security
Safety and security are addressed through a variety of technologies ranging from security cameras and personal handheld devices to vehicle tracking systems and silent alarms. Because fixed-route transit is not limited to a small community of users and drivers, security is typically more of a concern. Thus, for fixed-route transit to be a viable option for the transportation disadvantaged, it is crucial that safety and security be addressed in conjunction with accessibility.
Security cameras on-board vehicles, as well as at bus stops and rail stations, are perhaps the most obvious security technology employed. Though, not necessarily more effective at capturing or monitoring activities, easily visible cameras are effective at making surveillance known to the passengers. Live camera feeds from vehicles can be very helpful in emergency situations but require a wireless network connection with enough bandwidth to handle streaming video. Currently, most onboard cameras record to a tape or hard drive which is collected for review after an incident has occurred. At transit stops with traditional hardwire communications networks, it is more common to find cameras providing live video feeds.
Silent alarms, also referred to as "panic buttons," which can be operated by a vehicle operator, alert appropriate authorities to problems on-board the vehicle. Panic buttons are often integrated into the MDCs; however, many transit agencies prefer a more covert location for the panic button so the vehicle operator can activate it without being noticed. The emergency button needs to be easily accessible but not liable to false alarms through inadvertent activations. Typically, panic buttons are installed with an AVL system so that the exact vehicle location can be known the moment the alarm is activated. Another common feature of panic buttons is that, when activated, a covert microphone is turned on so that the dispatch office or authorities can hear what is happening on-board the vehicle.
Vehicle tracking systems can improve safety and security in a variety of ways. When a vehicle breaks down or when an incident occurs, the exact vehicle location assists authorities in arriving at the scene as quickly as possible.
2U.S. DOT (2005). Intelligent Transportation Systems Benefits, Costs, and Lessons Learned: 2005 Update. http://www.itsdocs.fhwa.dot.gov/jpodocs/repts_te/14073.htm, EDL# 14073.
3Cutchin, Carli and Phyllis Orrick (2005). ITS Decision: A Gateway to Understanding and Applying Intelligent Transportation Systems — Fare Payment Technologies. http://www.calccit.org/itsdecision/serv_and_tech/Fare_Payment_Technologies/fare _payment_report.htm.