The Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority, otherwise known as LYNX, operates 290 fixed-route buses in Florida’s busy tourist cities. With their existing dispatching processes, LYNX had no way of knowing the exact location of their buses or if buses were running on schedule. This impeded their ability to improve on-time service rates.
To meet this challenge LYNX implemented a Transit ITS solution. Since the implementation, LYNX can now provide quick and accurate answers to “Where’s my bus?” questions. In addition, David Burnett, Deputy Chief of Operations at LYNX, says that: “This technology helps us deal with the rising price of gas by reducing idle time for drivers. For example, if there is an accident on the expressway, dispatchers can instantly see which buses are going to be affected by viewing the AVL map and can re-route those drivers so they aren’t stuck idling.”
Does choosing the right wireless data plan leave you mystified and even more confused? Not to worry, Mobile Enterprise magazine has eight steps to help you figure out how to get the right data plan for your enterprise. Keeping these tips in mind will help ensure you don’t overspend when it comes to your wireless broadband costs. Click here to start deciphering wireless data prices today.
We’re pleased to announce that our webinar ‘7 Steps to a Successful Paratransit ITS Implementation’ is now available on-demand. This webinar gives you an overview of the steps involved in a successful ITS implementation process as well as tips and suggestions to help make the process run smoothly. You’ll also learn best practices on change management and how to prepare your staff for the new technology in order to secure acceptance.
The HOP, operated by the Hill Country Transit District, delivers both fixed-route transit and paratransit services throughout Central Texas. Serving both rural and urban areas, and coordinating trips between paratransit vehicles and the fixed-route service, meant The HOP needed an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) to keep up with demand. Luis Pino, Technology Manager at The HOP, speaks about the need for ITS and the challenges faced along the path of implementation.
Why did The HOP decide it was time to implement an ITS solution?
Before our ITS solution, we were manually entering data into Excel spreadsheets. Drivers used clipboards to track things like passenger counts and miles travelled, and they communicated with dispatchers via radios.
These tools were time consuming and error prone. We decided that an automated system for scheduling, route planning and driver/dispatcher communication was necessary so that we could make better use our resources—from staff to vehicles—and improve the quality of our service.
What did you look for in vendors in order to realize these objectives?
It came down to cost, how easy the technology was to use, and the relationship between vendors. The fact that our two key vendors are long-time partners and have worked together before helped in the decision. Also, the fact that one system was already compatible with the other, and that the companies seem to be in synch meant a lot.
What does your ITS solution include?
On the fixed-route side, the ITS solution delivers Computer-Aided Dispatch and Automatic Vehicle Location (CAD/AVL) capabilities with schedule and route adherence monitoring and reporting applications. Our paratransit vehicles are now equipped with in-vehicle computers that integrate with back-office software to facilitate same-day scheduling, electronic job manifests, and real-time messaging.
What challenges did you face during implementation?
Initially our paratransit drivers disliked the system as they adjusted to a new way of doing things. But now they are accustomed to logging in and having their inbound/outbound trips squared away for the day. I don’t think they could go back to the way we did things before; they’ve become dependent on it.
Riders also noticed bumps early on. A lot of our paratransit riders have been with us for years, and when this technology was first installed and our schedulers, dispatchers and drivers were still learning, there was an increase in rider complaints. Now that we know how to use the technology, I haven’t heard many complaints.
In what areas have you seen the greatest benefit from this ITS system?
We’ve seen the greatest benefit in terms of scheduling. One scheduler used to work until 6pm everyday scheduling buses for the next day. Now he’s finished by 2pm. We’ve also been able to increase the roles and responsibilities of our schedulers with this technology. Now they take care of billing and cleaning up data.
Route planning for our fixed-route service is now much faster. We don’t have to physically drive the route and manually count passengers to determine which bus stops need to be added or eliminated. All that information is instantly available to us. We have more data and more data accuracy, which gives us the ability to operate more efficient routes and runs. This software has allowed us to add runs, without increasing the number of drivers. We’ve improved the run/driver ratio so that we’re more efficient.
If you could go back and do the implementation over again, what would you do differently?
Well, we don’t have the luxury of time when it comes to these types of projects, but if we did I’d like to slow down the pace of the implementation. Extra time would better allow for the kinks to be worked out and let us better prepare our staff for the technology.
Here is a BUSRide Web Exclusive article that brings the issue of driver error in motorcoach collisions to the forefront. The article claims that driver error is actually the biggest factor in motorcoach crashes, and addresses the growing need for safety and enforcement organizations to be active in helping to prevent serious bus accidents. There are some links to videos of incidents caused by driver error or bad habits, complete with discussion on how the accident could be avoided. For safety’s sake, check it out.
Here’s a short demo that provides a first-hand look at in-vehicle navigation, how it works and looks, and the advantages it can bring to a fleet-based business. This is paratransit-specific but applies to any operation where drivers have multiple pickups or job sites to go to during the work day. In-vehicle navigation helps drivers take the most direct and efficient routes to their destinations. By eliminating paper maps and frantic calls to dispatch for directions, drivers save fuel and arrive at jobs on-time.
We’re very pleased to present an educational webinar next Thursday, November 12 at 1:00pm (MST). ‘7 Steps to a Successful Transit ITS Implementation’ will give you an overview of the implementation process as well as tips and suggestions to help make the process run smoothly. Even if your implementation is far in the future, this is a great way to learn what to expect. You’ll also learn best practices on change management and how to prepare your staff for the new technology in order to secure acceptance.
The webinar will be presented by Gregory Osmond. Gregory has over six years of project management experience, overseeing technology implementations for more than ten fleet-based organizations. He has special expertise in technology integration—ensuring all hardware, software and on-board devices work together seamlessly.
As I discussed in my previous post ‘Wireless Communication: Freedom at a Cost’, sending data over wireless networks can be expensive. Cellular networks are the most commonly used public data networks for fleet applications because of their broad coverage areas, but are costly because they charge per byte sent. With a private network like WiFi (802.11), transmitting data is free after the initial hardware investment, but the coverage area is limited by how many access points are installed and their location in respect to the vehicles. Access points can only be installed at private properties owned by the fleet, such as dispatch centers and storage yards, so the coverage area will never be large enough to include the fleet’s entire operating area.
However, a WiFi network will be able to reach vehicles at the beginning of the day as they leave the yard and at the end of the day when they return. Although this accounts for a relatively small amount of time, it may end up including a large amount of the data sent to a vehicle each day. For example, many dispatch applications send a manifest to each vehicle at the start of the day. The manifest is usually large, often 10 or 20 times bigger than the real-time location/status messages sent periodically throughout the day. If the manifest is sent while the vehicle is in WiFi coverage, the organization won’t have to pay for any of that data on their monthly plans. Once you factor in end of day uploads (such as high resolution GPS logs) and software updates, a fleet could end up transmitting more than half its monthly data over WiFi.
So while it’s not practical to use WiFi as the only means of sending data to vehicles, it will save an organization a significant amount of money if used as a supplemental network. When evaluating a mobile data system you should make sure both the mobile devices and the server software are capable of supporting simultaneous cellular and WiFi network connections. They should also be able to give the WiFi connection higher priority and automatically switch to it as soon as a vehicle moves into coverage. Lastly, ensure that mobile software updates can be scheduled to occur overnight and only transmit over the WiFi network.
A blog for those of us who live and work in fleet management. Topics include engine diagnostics, driver safety, mobile workforce management, CAD/AVL, vehicle maintenance, truck distribution, global computing, work order management, and field services.
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With driver distraction being a leading cause of vehicle accidents, selecting an in-vehicle computer for your fleet that lets you control when drivers/device interaction is crucial to your fleet’s safety, as well as your bottom line.
