Is excessive radio traffic affecting efficiency and productivity levels in your paratransit agency? A paratransit ITS solution allows dispatchers to communicate instantly with drivers using text messaging. Dispatchers can also keep tabs on all vehicles and unplanned situations, updating drivers’ in-vehicle manifests immediately to ensure customers are picked up on time. Hank and Jan are back to show you how paratransit ITS technology can make driver/dispatch communication more efficient, and managing unplanned events a breeze. Click here to watch Hank and Jan in action
Using fuel cost-effectively can be a challenge for fleet-based organizations. Fuel is responsible for one of the highest operating costs of transportation businesses, and managing this expense is even more important when prices are fluctuating. BUS Ride has a useful article on fuel management systems. Read it here.
If you manage a paratransit fleet, you know how difficult it is keeping up with ever-changing customer requirements, streamlining driver responsibilities, and conquering the chaos in the dispatch office. Time-consuming manual data entry adds to these challenges. Fortunately, there is technology out there to make your job much easier. A paratransit ITS solution automates repetitive processes, eliminates manual data entry so you can make better use of staff resources, and helps improve on-time performance. Hank and Jan, of Number 1 Transit, demonstrate how paratransit ITS technology makes everyday tasks and challenges a lot simpler to manage, and with fewer headaches. Click here to watch this short, entertaining demo.
Understanding the basics of the technology used is important for any person working in fleet management. Simply put, much of the technology used in fleet management can be described as “machine-to-machine,” or “M2M” for short. Essentially what this means is that two or more machines communicate to one another. If you plug an iPod into a USB slot on your stereo to control the iPod via the stereo and listen to music through different speakers, you are employing M2M technology.
In the world of fleet management, M2M technology connects machines of various different types together, and most often by a wireless connection. For example, a vehicle can have a sensor embedded into its engine to monitor gas usage, speeds, idling, and excessive braking. As the information is collected, the sensor transmits it over a wireless data network. The information is received in a separate office where it is stored and analyzed.
Collecting this information is highly beneficial to a company because it saves both time and money: if, for example, a vehicle has engine trouble the company will be automatically informed and can repair the vehicle before it falls into disrepair. There is also no need to service a vehicle when it does not need work done, saving time (vehicle downtime), money (the cost of servicing) and fuel (bringing a vehicle in from the field).
Getting the Most Out of an M2M System
There are various ways of wirelessly connecting two machines, and they all have pros and cons. A reputable vendor will assist you in setting up, running, and trouble-shooting problems. Knowing which system will best provide the functionality you need, at an affordable price will take research, but is worth the time invested. M2M solutions can bestow multiple benefits on a user, including improved customer service, more efficient processes, reduced operating costs and a sharpened competitive edge.
M + 2 + M = Success
Industries of all kinds are filled with success stories from implementing M2M technology. To learn how real-world businesses have applied M2M technology, click here to read the full article from Integrated Solutions: For Wireless, Mobility and RFID. Also included is a useful glossary of terms common to the M2M industry.
With the advent of technologies such as Google™ Maps, web-enabled cell phones and vehicle tracking, it is now possible to provide passengers with up-to-date schedules as well as real-time bus departure information from virtually anywhere. However, in order to provide these services, agencies need to take their schedule and departure data and make it accessible to the public.
This is where difficulty and controversy arise. Most agencies do not have the resources and/or capability to create these applications themselves. To circumvent this problem, some agencies have chosen to release their data to the general public. Releasing schedule and departure time data means this information is freely available and accessible for use by anyone. The raw data can then be used by interested developers in maps, mobile applications, and more.[1]
As more agencies release their data, a heated debate has started amongst public transit officials, the public, and the developer community. The core argument for releasing transit data is that because it is collected by public, taxpayer-funded agencies, it should be open to all citizens. The counter to this is that struggling agencies may be able to earn welcome revenue from developers willing to pay for access to this data. Public transit supporters and developers oppose this with the belief that open data enables developers to create applications that make transit systems more user-friendly, encouraging more people to ride transit.
What is the data used for?
Releasing transit data can give passengers access to advanced trip planning technologies such as:
This public transportation planning tool combines schedule data and Google’s mapping technology. Passengers can visit http://www.google.com/intl/en/landing/transit/#mdy and enter their starting point and final destination. Passengers are provided with step-by-step directions to their destination using public transit. Getting data on Google™ Transit is easy and free of charge. To see how to participate, visit: http://maps.google.com/help/maps/transit/partners/
Independent Developer Applications: Developers use schedule and real-time departure data to create mobile applications which passengers can access on the web or their cell phone. The applications can provide useful information such as the closest stops to a user’s location, the quickest route to a destination, and when the next bus or train will depart. Rider experience is improved without agencies spending the time and funds needed to develop these applications.
In-store Departure Screens: By using an agency’s open-source departure data, stores, restaurants, and other public areas can have monitors which update the real-time departure information for area transit options. This encourages more people to use transit and can also spur economic growth as people can shop or grab a coffee while waiting for the bus without the fear of missing their bus or train.
Is Releasing Data Beneficial?
Releasing schedule data can provide an agency with many benefits, including:
Free development of mobile applications: Open access to transit data allows developers to create useful mobile applications for riders without the agency needing to contribute time or money towards development. Chris Dempsey, assistant transportation secretary for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, says: “With transportation budgets stretched thin across the country, we see opening transportation data as a tremendous opportunity for cost savings. Enabling software developers to build apps with our data is a huge win for our riders—all at essentially no cost to the agency. [2]”
Increased Ridership: Mobile applications, such as trip routing amongst multiple agencies, make transit easier to use for new riders which encourages more people to use public transit. “One of the things we’re excited about is the potential for increasing ridership on the bus lines, and getting people excited about riding buses,” said Dempsey. “These applications will give people more confidence that buses are reliable.”[3]
Improved Customer Service: Riders have schedule information at their fingertips which allows them to use transit as efficiently as possible. Also, when passengers can access real-time bus arrival information, they won’t waste time waiting for a late bus. This creates happier customers and fewer customer service calls for dispatch to answer.
Time Saved for Agencies: Time currently spent filling multiple requests for data can be saved as everyone can access the data from one central web service. As Tim McHugh, Chief Technology Officer at TriMet says: “One of the pressures that we have as an IT department in a transit agency is that we’re small and we can’t provide every customized solution people ask for. It’s difficult to keep pace with the changes in technology. So making the data available is something that we’re very familiar with, and we can spend our energies on making it well-formed for the public to consume, and then turn it around so that they can develop the tools themselves. It’s like having an army of developers available to us.”[4]
More Accurate Applications: Developers are going to create applications for an agency whether data is released or not; however, the accuracy of these applications relies on the availability of data. Scraping transit websites for data is an onerous task, which means developers are unlikely to update their data regularly. This leads to inaccurate applications that can actually impede customer service and reflect negatively on the agency. Open access to data means developers always have updated, accurate schedules and departure times to ensure applications are correct and helpful.
Positive Image for Agency: Agencies that work with developers to provide more services to customers are seen as trying to make their riders’ transit experience more enjoyable. This reflects positively in the public eye and encourages more people to use transit.
The only negative some agencies see in providing their data to the public is the elimination of potential revenue from selling the data to developers. However, because the data is generated by taxpayer-funded agencies, the general consensus is that agencies should not profit from this data. Agencies that kept their data closed in hopes of selling it, such as New York City’s MTA—who recently released their data—have experienced extensive backlash from both the developer community and transit passengers.
Who Has Released Their Data?
Currently, 102 out of the 767 transit agencies in the United States have released their data to the public.[5] Widely seen as the leader of this movement, TriMet, in Portland, Oregon has offered their transit data to Google and the public since 2005. Beginning with an inquiry to Mapquest, Yahoo! and Google, TriMet was pivotal in the creation of the Google Transit Trip Planner in conjunction with Google developer Chris Harrelson.[6]
Since then, developers have created over 25 applications using TriMet’s data to make riding public transit easier for passengers. The applications provide a multitude of information including public transit directions, arrival information, and even alerts for napping passengers as they near their destinations.[7]
According to Tim McHugh, TriMet’s Chief Technology Officer, there were a variety of reasons TriMet decided to release their data: “We want to provide all the information that we know to be useful and put it out there for other people to figure out the right uses…We were getting requests from customers for data in specific formats or on specific devices and what we really wanted to do was flip it around to the public, to say, ‘Okay, well, there’s a lot of good programmers out there. Here are the tools you need to do it.’ And they are coming up with a lot of creative ways to use the data and make it more useful for riders that TriMet would have never had the resources to come up with.”[8]
In the past twelve months, as the data debate has intensified, a handful of other large transit agencies have made their data public including MBTA in Massachusetts, the CTA in Chicago, SEPTA in Philadelphia, SFMTA in San Francisco, and New York City’s MTA.[9]
How to Release Data
Giving the public open access to data can be simple for any organization. Follow these short steps to be on the path to improving customer service and increasing ridership.
Export data to the General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS): Visit http://maps.google.com/help/maps/transit/partners/participate.html and follow the process to publish data to the GTFS. GTFS is the widely accepted format for transit data. Other formats, such as Transit Communications Interface Profiles (TCIP), TransXChange, and ATCO-CIF, also exist but aren’t used extensively in North America.[10] Publishing data to the GTFS will allow for inclusion in Google™ Transit. Currently, due to the significant volume of requests from agencies, it is advised that agencies sign up to be included on the Google Transit Partner waiting list[11].
Provide a URL where a feed can be downloaded: Create either a developer page on an agency site, such as http://developer.trimet.org/, or provide a URL from a third party that is authorized to host the feed, like the GTFS Data Exchange (http://www.gtfs-data-exchange.com/).
Create a License Agreement or Terms of Use: A license agreement, or terms of use, will outline how the data can be used by developers. An example can be seen here: http://developer.trimet.org/terms_of_use.shtml.
Keep Developers Aware of Schedule Changes: A simple RSS feed can alert developers when changes have been made to an agency’s schedule data so they can update their applications and ensure they are accurate.
Conclusion
Agencies that release their data to the developer community will improve customer service, save time and money, increase ridership, and generate a positive image. With open access to data, developers can create mobile applications that make riding transit easier for customers without agencies needing to invest time and money into development. Open, transparent data is the future of the transit industry. Agencies that willingly provide this data can give customers convenient applications to make their transit experiences more satisfying and encourage more people to use public transit.
[8] vii. “Open source and open data make for transit innovation.” 11Sept 2008. http://www.trilliumtransit.com/blog/2008/09/11/trimet-innovations-in-transit-data-publishing/. Accessed: 7 Jan 2010.
As an increasing number of fleet-based operations employ mobile computers to manage their mobile workers, managing the mobile computers themselves becomes an increasingly high priority. This is known as an MDM (Mobile Device Management) solution. Many enterprise or government mobility solutions consider a mobile device management solution to be critical, with “minimizing device downtime” being the primary concern to achieve a return on their investment. In addition, “the scope of device management solutions continues to expand. Key capabilities include not only remote maintenance and troubleshooting…but [also] software provisioning and increasingly security management.”
VDC Research Group, a technology market research and strategy consulting firm, conducted a study to examine the cost of running mobile computers. They estimate that the cost of a fully-burdened staff to support a mobile device without mobile device management works out to $39.40 per hour. Furthermore, the use of a mobile device management solution saves an organization over $230 per device, per year, in support costs. While this might seem insignificant, the numbers quickly spiral upward when time and multiple units are factored into the equation. VDC’s research found that a company with 1,000 units will save in excess of $1.1 million over a five year period with an MDM solution.
While including a mobile device management solution along with the implementation of mobile computers may seem an unnecessary additional expense, including an MDM solution will both easily pay for itself and save a company even more money in the long run.
[1] Krebs, David. “Total Cost of Ownership Models,” Track 1, Volume 3: Mobile Device Management Software – An Executive Brief. VDC Research Group, Inc., 2010. p. 3.
Here’s an informative Q & A session between Rod Mackenzie, ITS America’s Chief Technology Officer and Vice President of Programs and Quixote Transportation Technologies. Rod Mackenzie discusses ITS technologies being used today and what types of ITS technologies we can expect to see in the future that will enhance our transportation systems. Click here to start listening.
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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