Fixed-route transit ITS solutions were created to help transit agencies deal with the unexpected, including everything from sick employees to traffic jams. A thorough solution should keep your agency running smoothly and efficiently, no matter the reason.
To that end, we’ve created a demo that shows how the various functionalities of an ITS solution can keep an agency on track in one of the most outrageous situations we could imagine: an attack by a group of giant lizards. They’ve invaded the town of Quietville and are making life rather challenging for the local transit agency and its passengers.
While this is obviously a touch on the fanciful side, if a mob of oversized reptiles bent on chaos can’t disrupt the Quietville transit agency, what can? Check out the demo and see who wins.
If your company is looking to develop a best-in-class scheduling plan, check out this article from the Aberdeen Group. Their report provides important steps to take when developing new scheduling processes or reorganizing existing ones. Also, you will find some interesting comparative statistics between Best-in-Class and Laggard organizations. Here is a brief summary of the key points:
1. Map the entire service delivery process
Mapping out the overall process and required resources at every stage will help identify which areas of the process need the most attention and investment.
2. Include the right stakeholders
Involving all the impacted stakeholders in the development of an optimal service delivery process is an essential step. Appointing a service executive to provide valuable oversight and accountability adds a comprehensive view of the desired result.
3. Increase visibility
Raising your company’s visibility can be considered a strategic action in addressing resource management and customer satisfaction pressures.
4. Centralize the scheduling process
This is an important step to take in order to allocate resources appropriately and ensure improved performance.
5. Eliminate paper-based and manual scheduling
This reduces the margin for error and supplements organizational shift.
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.
Fixed-Route scheduling can be a time-consuming and frustrating task. This week, I presented a webinar about scheduling software that can save you time and money while ensuring your schedules are optimized and efficient. The webinar also addresses a topic on everyone’s mind lately – how to easily integrate with Google Maps for online trip planning. To learn more about how easy and affordable it can be to improve your scheduling processes, click to watch the on-demand webinar.
We’re very excited at The Fleet Beat about a new webinar we’ve put together. Hosted by Chris Pettigrew, our resident transit specialist, the webinar will present an affordable scheduling option for small/medium sized transit agencies. Most transit agencies are interested in taking advantage of Trip Planning with Google Maps™ Transit . However, smaller agencies are quickly running into a number of issues when attempting to implement this— the prohibitive cost of most scheduling software and a lack of money/staff to name a couple. This webinar will address these issues as well as give you a glimpse of how much easier scheduling software can make your life. Please click here to register to join us on October 28, at 1:30 pm MDT
York Region Transit (YRT) serves the transit needs of residents in the nine municipalities of the Regional Municipality of York, Ontario. YRT offers Mobility Plus paratransit service for riders unable to access conventional or bus rapid transit due to limited mobility or disability. Mobility Plus connects riders with dedicated transit services in the City of Toronto, and surrounding areas. Rajeev Roy, Manager of Transit Management Services at YRT gives us some insight into the way ITS technology influenced how his paratransit operation runs and has improved the experience for Mobility Plus riders.
1. What changes has your organization seen as a result of using this technology?
With this system there is the flexibility for dispatchers to add an ad-hoc call to a route since they can see where all the buses are. Passenger safety has also improved with the addition of security cameras and vehicle tracking.
2. What improvements has your staff seen with this system?
We did a survey of the staff who all agreed that service has improved. The vehicle tracking is definitely one of the most beneficial features and, from a management perspective, we also like that we can monitor driver’s speeds.
Since implementing the system, YRT staff have experienced benefits ranging from faster response times, to improved vehicle productivity. The staff have seen at least a 35% time savings improvement in scheduling same-day trips, and supplying riders with travel information has been made at least 50% faster.
3. How do your customers benefit from this system?
When customers call to ask, ‘Why isn’t my ride here?’ dispatchers can instantly give them an accurate ETA, as they can see where their ride is. Before, the dispatcher would have to conduct a series of calls to get this information to the customer.
4. Have you seen a Return on Investment? If so, how much and how quickly?
The implementation was completed in the spring of 2008, and since then there have been improvements in incident response times, safety, trip scheduling and vehicle productivity.
There has been a 24% increase in revenue trips per hour and dispatching functions have been streamlined by at least 50%. A reduction in “deadhead” kilometers traveled by YRT’s vehicles resulted in a reduction of approximately 57kg of CO2 emissions in one month of operation.
Imagine if you could reduce your operational costs by 20% based largely on existing resources and communications infrastructure. The American Public Transportation Association has indicated that poor data quality can potentially add between 10 and 20 percent to your operational budget. They have put together a self-assessment questionnaire that underscores best practices and helps organizations to identify areas of inefficiency. It is designed to generate discussion and help stimulate action. Click here to take the questionnaire
King County Metro Transit could save $16 million to $23 million a year just by scheduling its buses more efficiently, according to a new audit report. Check out the article here.
There’s more to a Transit ITS implementation than just installing the technology. What should you expect during this critical stage? The better prepared you are, the smoother your experience will be. Here is a free white paper that breaks down the implementation process and describes ways you can prepare for ITS technology changes.
There is a need to constantly improve efficiency and quality of service in the paratransit and fixed-route transit industries. One of the best ways to revolutionize your agency is by choosing an ITS solution. The proof is in the ROI. Take a look:
The Denver, Colorado Regional Transportation District (RTD) implemented its AVL system to improve bus service, and succeeded in decreasing passenger late arrivals by 21%. Weatherford, et al. Assessment of the Denver Regional Transportation District Automatic Vehicle Location System. - Prepared for the USDOT (DOT-VNTSC=FTA=00=04), August 2000.
Transit agencies have reported reductions in fleet requirements ranging from 2% to 5% as a result of efficiencies in fleet utilization. - http://itsweb.mitretek.org/aptsmatrix
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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