DOT-VNTSC-FTA-92-3
`
`U.S. Department
`of Transportation
`Federal Transit
`Administration
`
`Advanced Public
`Transportation Systems:
`The State of the Art
`Update ’92
`
`Component of Departmental IVHS Initiative
`
`EXHIBIT 1011
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`

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`NOTICE
`
`This document is disseminated under the sponsorship
`of the Department of Transportation in the interest
`of information exchange. The United States Government
`assumes no liability for its contents or use thereof.
`
`NOTICE
`
`The United States Government does not endorse
`products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’
`names appear herein solely because they are considered
`essential to the object of this report.
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`EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
`
`This report examines the implementation status of advances in technology in the public
`transportation industry. The ready availability of low-cost, reliable microelectronics has opened
`up many new opportunities for enhanced information, communications, and control strategies
`for transit and ridesharing modes.
`Many public transportation agencies have been applying recent technological
`advancements to improve services. To help develop, evaluate, and publicize these opportunities,
`the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has established the Advanced Public Transportation
`Systems (APTS) Program. FTA’s objective is to increase the industry’s knowledge of successful
`applications of advanced technologies with the expectation that this will lead to their widespread
`adoption.
`This report documents a limited investigation of the extent of adoption of advanced
`It is an update
`technology in the provision of public transportation service in North America.
`to a similar report published in May 1991. It was not an exhaustive search of every city or
`transit authority which has tested, planned, or implemented an advanced technology concept,
`Rather, it focused on some of the most innovative or comprehensive implementations,
`categorized broadly under four different types of operational tests: Market Development,
`Customer Interface, Vehicle Operations and Communications, and High Occupancy Vehicle
`Facility Operations.
`
`MARKET DEVELOPMENT
`The goal of market development projects is to increase the utilization of high occupancy
`vehicle modes. By providing travelers, especially regular commuters, with traffic and
`transportation service information prior to embarking on their trips, travelers can make the most
`informed choices of modes and routings.
`
`Pre-Trip Passenger Information
`Pre-trip traveler information systems reach trip makers in their home or office and
`provide timely information on transit routes, schedules, transfers, and fares. When linked to
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`automatic vehicle location systems, pre-trip traveler information systems can provide ‘real-time
`updates on system status and expected arrival times.
`Several North American transit systems have enhanced pre-trip information systems in
`operation or are actively investigating such systems. The most basic of these are computerized
`databases that provide agents with route, schedule, and fare information to use in reply to
`telephone inquiries. Some provide trip planning information as well.
`The more advanced systems allow callers to use touch-tone telephones to request
`schedules and fares and to enter origin and destination’ if trip planning is available. Many of
`these employ a computer-generated voice which lists options available and gives the final
`information. Among those who have implemented systems of this type are transit agencies in
`Miami, Florida; Ottawa/Carleton, Toronto, and Kitchener, Ontario; Long Island Railroad, New
`York; Baltimore, Maryland; Winnipeg, Manitoba; Los Angeles, California; Denver, Colorado;
`Columbus, Ohio; and Victoria, British Columbia.
`Several North American transit systems have incorporated data generated by their
`automatic vehicle location systems to enhance the information available to transit users. Among
`those who have implemented systems that provide specific real-time bus location information to
`transit users via telephone are transit systems in Halifax/Dartmouth, Nova Scotia; Hull, Quebec;
`and San Antonio, Texas. A few transit agencies also are planning to use real-time vehicle data
`to improve the level of service provided to paratransit users.
`Several transit agencies, including those in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and
`Champaign/Urbana, Illinois experimented with the use of public access cable TV as a medium
`to provide information on current bus location, direction, and estimated arrival time at key stops.
`A similar method is employed in teletext information systems that are, common in Western
`Europe, but not the U.S. (updated traffic information is being ‘reported in this way in Los
`Angeles). They operate by invisibly encoding alphanumeric data onto conventional television
`signals, which are then read by a decoder attached to the TV set.
`
`Real-time Rideshare Matching
`Real-time rideshare matching features an automated system for requesting and responding
`immediately to a request from a traveler for a trip in a carpool or vanpool.
`In recent years,
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`ridematching has become a highly automated process in which people wishing to join or form
`a carp001 or vanpool can do so by a telephone call (or sometimes via personal computer) to a
`matching service. This match, however, is usually for a trip that is regularly taken (e.g., home-
`work-home trip, 5 days a week).
`Real-time matches could serve commuter trips, but more importantly, could be made for
`travelers wishing a ride for a one-way or round-trip on a one-time, short-notice basis. This type
`of real-time ride matching is not currently available through automated means in North America,
`but is being developed in several locations, including:
`l Houston, Texas - The initial instant rideshare matching demonstration will focus on the I-10
`corridor. Four general technologies - telephone, television, radio, and videotex - were
`examined for application in the project. The system requires an interactive user interface.
`Therefore, it was recommended that a telephone-based system be used for the initial
`implementation, which could be expanded to a combined touch-tone telephone/videotex
`system in the future.
`l Sacramento, California - Sacramento will be the site of a real-time rideshare demonstration,
`which should be operational by December 1992. Existing rideshare software packages are
`currently being evaluated for potential use.
`l Bellevue, Washington - The Transportation Management Association is testing a combination
`including cellular
`of various advanced technologies to improve ridesharing,
`telecommunications, voice mail, and computerized real-time information processing.
`
`Integrated Fare Media
`Integrated fare media are tickets that can be used for all modes, such as a magnetic stripe
`card that could be used for both bus and subway fares. There are several North American
`transit systems that are utilizing integrated fare media that can be used on different modes
`operated by one or more transit operators. Examples that are described in this report include:
`
`l TransLink, an adaptation of the Bay Area Rapid Transit farecard, which can be used on bus
`and rail.
`It is being operationally tested in March and April 1992 on one bus route, and will
`be fully operational by Fall 1992.
`l The Los Angeles County Transportation Commission project, which is very similar to the
`TransLink program. This project involves 300 buses operated by several transit companies.
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`l Foothill Transit in the San Gabriel Valley of California plans to have recorders installed on
`eighteen of its buses soon.
`l Salem, Oregon is about to install a system on its Salem Area Transit.
`l A voice annunciator is being tested in Dallas, Texas; Long Beach, California; New York
`City, New York; Washington, D.C.; and Wilmington, Delaware. It is activated when the
`bus door opens and a message announcing the route number and destination of the bus is
`broadcast to passengers waiting at the stop. Messages also can be bilingual.
`
`On-board communication with the drivers has not advanced as rapidly. Automatic
`vehicle location systems often include a panel which indicates to the driver that the bus is early,
`late, or on time. However, no other information is regularly shared with the drivers. Map
`navigational devices, which are being tested in automobiles through Intelligent Vehicle-Highway
`Systems (IVHS) studies in Los Angeles, California and Orlando, Florida, have not yet been
`tested on transit vehicles. The Ann Arbor Transit Authority tested an on-board navigation
`system on its paratransit vehicles but is now in the process of updating its whole AVL system.
`Other paratransit operations have not yet begun tests of on-board navigation systems.
`
`Electronic Ticketing and Automated Trip Payment
`Electronic ticketing is the automated generation of tickets and automated fare collection,
`which allows the collection of detailed information on revenue, passengers, and origins and
`destinations. Automated trip payments are those payments made without a manual exchange of
`cash. Often, electronic ticketing provides automated trip payment through the use of either
`magnetically-encoded farecards or Smart Cards.
`Electronic ticketing and automated trip payment are technologies that are beginning to
`be utilized in several North American transit agencies. Examples that are provided in this report
`include:
`l Chicago, Illinois Regional Transportation Authority’s acceptance testing of Smart Cards and
`associated equipment as part of the development of their Payment and Control Information
`System,
`l City of Phoenix, Arizona Transit System’s Bus Card Plus Program, involving the use of a
`transit credit card,
`l The potential development of a Smart Card system for the Washington Metropolitan Area
`Transit Authority,
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`The Mass Transit Administration in Baltimore has recently completed a test of a LORAN-C
`system on 50 of their 900 buses. Computer aided dispatch was included to aid in necessary
`adjustments to operations. The test results have prompted the agency to issue an RFP for
`their whole system, which will probably be global positioning system (GPS)-based. The full
`implementation is one of four to be evaluated by FTA and the Research and Special
`Programs Administration/Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (RSPA/Volpe
`Center) as part of the APTS Program.
`The Toronto Transit Commission has completed a phased implementation of a signpost
`system on all of their 2,300 buses and streetcars. Their operation also includes automatic
`passenger counters on 10 percent of their buses.
`The Regional Transportation District in Denver is installing a GPS-based system on 800
`buses. The system will be used for planning information, operational improvements, and
`passenger information systems. The system is one of the four to be evaluated by FTA and
`the RSPA/Volpe Center as part of the APTS Program.
`The transit agencies in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Dallas also are installing GPS-based
`systems, which will be evaluated by FTA and the RSPA/Volpe Center as part of the APTS
`Program.
`
`There are more than a dozen other systems in North America, and many in the rest of
`the world, either in operation or planned. The principal location technology for older systems
`is signposts and odometers, and for newer implementations, GPS. There are also a few
`examples of dead reckoning and LORAN-C, but these are somewhat less common.
`
`Transit Operations Software
`Transit operations software performs and integrates network and operations planning,
`vehicle and crew scheduling, computer-aided dispatching (CAD), marketing, and management
`and administration. Currently, there are no examples of fully-automated real-time operations
`software being used in North America. However, there are examples of partially automated
`operations control systems in Boston, Massachusetts and Toronto.
`
`Automated Demand-Responsive Dispatching Systems
`Automated demand-responsive dispatching systems schedule trips, dispatch shared-ride
`vehicles, and perform accounting and billing functions through the use of computers and
`advanced communications. More and more paratransit systems are using systems that contain
`such advanced technologies as geographic information systems, two-way mobile data
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`communications, smart cards, and automatic vehicle location systems. CAD is an integral part
`of many of these systems.
`There are several automated demand-responsive dispatching systems that have been
`implemented in North America described in this report.
`
`HOV FACILITY OPERATIONS
`High occupancy vehicle facility operations include those technologies designed to improve
`the flow of high occupancy vehicles (HOVs) by giving preference to these vehicles on existing
`facilities or by constructing special guideways to control their movement.
`
`Traffic Signal Preferential Treatment
`In the context of APTS, traffic signal preferential treatment for buses has the potential
`to increase intersection people throughput, by facilitating the movement of these high occupancy
`vehicles. Preferential signal treatment has not been widely implemented in the U. S . Opponents
`argue that it disrupts traffic flow. However, if a bus is given preferential treatment only when
`it is behind schedule, disruption of other traffic would be minimal. Further, improvements in
`bus schedule adherence may entice travelers to switch to this higher occupancy vehicle mode.
`There are only a few planned or operational tests in the U.S. The CTA in Chicago plans
`to test preferential treatment for buses running behind schedule on a major arterial.
`
`High Occupancy Vehicle Lane Access Control
`HOV lanes often are used by vehicles not carrying the required number of passengers.
`These violators diminish the utility of these lanes to rightful users. The lanes usually are
`monitored by police who count the number of people in each vehicle manually - an effective,
`but expensive means of enforcement.
`APTS has the capability to reduce the number of violators through two separate
`strategies. The first is to restrict access to the lanes by means of a barrier which would open
`to allow only rightful users to pass. Rightful users would have their cars fitted with
`transponders to identify themselves. Applications of access control in the U.S. thus far have
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`been limited to low-speed applications, primarily at airport parking lots such as Washington
`National Airport.
`The other automatic enforcement strategy would be to place cameras at a strategic
`location to view the interior of the vehicle. The images would then be processed by artificial
`intelligence software, capable of “counting” the passengers. Violators would be recorded and
`prosecuted. To date, this system has not been implemented, nor is it planned. The software
`is not yet available, and tests in the Seattle, Washington and Los Angeles areas have shown that
`it is difficult to get an accurate picture of the vehicle’s interior.
`
`Automatically Guided Transit Buses
`Automatic guidance for transit buses has been proven to increase the speed, volume, and
`boarding capability in urban settings. Automatic guidance permits operation in a narrower right-
`of-way than is needed for manually-steered buses. There are two types of guidance systems for
`buses - track guidance and electronic guidance. Track guidance consists of mechanical direction
`of the bus by physical contact with guiderails at the edges or in the center of the track.
`Electronic guidance consists of a cable buried in the road, which emits a signal that is collected
`by a transducer on the bus and actuates the steering system.
`There are currently no automatically guided transit bus systems in North America.
`However, the concept of automatic guidance is being studied at the University of California as
`part of the Partners for Advanced Transit and Highways (PATH) program. PATH researchers
`are investigating the development of longitudinal and lateral control for all types of vehicles,
`including high occupancy vehicles.
`There are several examples of automatically guided bus systems in Australia, England
`and Germany that are presented in this report:
`
`- Furth, Germany - demonstration of electronic guidance,
`- Rochefort, Belgium - controlled track guidance system,
`l Essen, Germany - mechanical track guidance,
`- Adelaide, Australia - mechanical track guidance, and
`- Birmingham, U.K. - test of mechanical track guidance.
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`THE “SMART VEHICLE”
`The “Smart Vehicle” is another of the concepts included in the APTS program.
`It
`incorporates the vehicle-based APTS technologies and innovations for more effective vehicle and
`fleet planning, scheduling, and operations. The technologies and innovations involved in this
`concept include automatic vehicle location, automated demand-responsive dispatching systems,
`HOV verification, and automatic guidance equipment. Each Smart Vehicle does not have to be
`equipped with all of these features. Some sub-set of these will be present, depending on the
`environment in which the specific application is employed and the needs of the users and service
`providers.
`There are Smart Vehicle projects being funded by FTA in Ann Arbor, Chicago; Portland,
`Oregon; Denver; and Baltimore.
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`1. INTRODUCTION
`
`Purpose of Report
`The ready availability of low-cost, reliable microelectronics continues to open up many
`new opportunities for enhanced information, communications, and control strategies for transit
`and ridesharing modes. This report updates the implementation status of advances in new
`technologies in the public transportation industry during the past year.
`
`Background
`The 1980s saw rapid advancements in the development of information and communication
`technologies. During this period, many public transportation agencies have been employing
`certain of these technologies to improve the services they offer. Automated vehicle location and
`monitoring, automated guideway operations, and computerized dispatching were some of the
`earliest applications of advanced technologies. However, the greatest opportunities for public
`transportation enhancement through advanced technologies are just unfolding as the private sector
`development of these technologies accelerates.
`In an effort to assist the development and evaluation of these opportunities, the Federal
`Transit Administration (PTA) has established the Advanced Public Transportation Systems
`(APTS) Program. Through in-service operational tests, evaluations, and publication of results,
`FTA’s objective is to increase the industry’s knowledge of successful applications of advanced
`technologies with the expectation that this will lead to their widespread adoption. The improved
`public transportation services that will result should attract more riders to transit and ridesharing
`modes, thus producing the added public benefits of reductions in traffic congestion, air pollution,
`and energy consumption. This state of the art update is just one of the initiatives of the APTS
`program.
`
`Scope
`
`This effort was a short-term investigation of the past year’s developments and
`advancements in the adoption of new technology in public transportation services in North
`America.
`It was not an exhaustive search of every city or transit authority which has tested,
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`2.1.1 Pre-Trip Passenger Information
`Pre-trip traveler information systems reach trip makers in their home or office and
`provide timely information on transit routes, schedules, transfers, and fares. In some cities,
`carp001 options are offered as well. Passenger information can be provided through a variety
`of conventional and high technology methods including telephones, direct computer links, and
`cable television, When linked to automatic vehicle location (AVL) systems which track transit
`vehicles, advanced traveler information systems are able to provide real-time updates on
`expected transit vehicle arrival times and warn transit users of delays.
`
`State-of-the-Art Summary
`A number of North American transit agencies have enhanced pre-trip information systems
`in operation, and others are actively pursuing such systems. Most widely deployed are
`automated telephone services that provide route, schedule, and fare information. These systems
`enable transit systems to process far more calls more efficiently with more consistently accurate
`information. The earliest automated telephone systems provided primarily schedule information,
`while more complex systems now provide trip planning information as well. Generally, they
`employ a computer-generated voice which lists options available. Callers use touch-tone
`telephones to request schedules and fares, and to enter origin and destination if trip planning is
`available.
`A few transit systems also are exploring direct computer links and cable television
`information systems which can share scheduling and routing information. With the increase in
`installation of AVL bus tracking systems, it will be possible to relay real-time schedule
`If real-time transit data is presented in relation to
`information to prospective transit users.
`parallel information on traffic congestion, it is expected that increasing numbers of travelers will
`consider traveling on reliable public transit.
`Success in diverting travelers from single occupancy vehicles depends on the quality and
`effectiveness of pre-trip information. The recent increase in operations which provide trip
`planning information is most encouraging. The scope and range of informational projects also
`is indicative of the rising interest in this area. Since many projects are just beginning, it will
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`be necessary to monitor these pre-trip information services and assess their relative effectiveness
`both in technical operation and in traveler response.
`
`Applications
`
`Dade County, Florida
`Most systems still retain operators to respond to calls on rotary telephones. Metro Dade
`County Transit in Miami, Florida, however, has instituted a voice-activated information request
`system. This system recognizes a voice request for information regardless of accent, digitizes
`the request, and then responds by relaying back appropriate route information to the consumer
`using a voice synthesizer.’
`Dade County, as well as all of the more complex trip planning programs, still employs
`clerks to relay the digitized request of the caller to the computer which stores schedules and
`geographic information systems (GIS) route maps. A much smaller staff, however, can handle
`a far greater volume of calls. Once the computer generates the response on the schedule or best
`route, that information is relayed back to the caller by using a synthesized voice.
`
`Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
`One of the earliest and best established systems was the “560” telephone system provided
`by the Ottawa-Carleton Regional Transit Commission (OC Transpo). Intended as a scheduling
`update, the fully automated system provides the caller with the number of minutes until the next
`two buses are due at a particular stop. Each bus stop has a particular code number that the
`caller enters when requesting the schedule information from the computer. The reply also
`provides bulletin status reports on delays caused by accidents or storms. First initiated in
`Blackburn Hamlet in 1980, the 560 telephone system is now available for stops all over the
`Ottawa region. 2
`
`[1]
`[2]
`
`Louis Revas, Metropolitan Dade County Transportation Authority, Miami, Florida.
`Joel Kaufman, Ottawa-Carleton Regional Transit Commission. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
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`Long Island Railroad, New York
`A new sophisticated travel information system, “Teletrip” , was designed for the Long
`Island Railroad by Next Generation, Inc. in February 1990. It is capable of handing seventy-two
`incoming calls simultaneously as compared to the sixteen that the railroad’s old system could
`handle at one time. In total, the system handled thirty-two percent more calls in 1990 than in
`1989 with the same staffing level. The system features a computer generated voice that provides
`fare and schedule information to callers with a touch-tone telephone. Plans call for adding a
`second language to the interactive voice system.3
`
`Baltimore, Maryland
`The Mass Transit Administration of Maryland has found that their new system, also
`designed by Next Generation, Inc, is saving money and alleviating the problem of call blockage.
`Now ninety-two percent of calls are getting through, compared to only fifty percent in 1989
`before the new system was installed. More specific information on schedule times will be added
`in the second phase of the program, which is to go into effect in Spring 1992, in hopes of
`attracting more callers to the automated system. Currently, only thirty percent choose the
`automated option.4
`
`San Antonio, Texas
`Concern about a computer taking the place of an agent is widely held in San Antonio,
`Texas, where the new automated telephone scheduling service became operational in October
`1991. There the new system is marketed as “augmenting the customer service operations, ” to
`alleviate these
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`TeleRide Sage
`Several vendors are active in the broader range computerized trip planning area including
`TeleRide Sage, Megadine Information Systems, Commuter Transportation Services, Inc., Oracle
`Communications, and Tidewater Consultants, Inc. TeleRide Sage of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
`offers a modular series of software packages (TeleTrans) which assist with transit vehicle
`management, vehicle maintenance, computer dispatch, and radio communications. It also offers
`software to handle automated telephone information. To date, more than seventy transit systems
`use some of this software. TeleRide Sage public information telephone answering packages are
`functioning in Toronto and Kitchener, Ontario, and Winnipeg, Manitoba.6,7
`
`Megadine Information Systems
`Megadine Information Systems provides a customer information system, using a touch-
`tone telephone interface to an operator. The system (PARIS) is operational in four locations:
`
`l Southern California Rapid Transit District (SCRTD), Los Angeles, California;
`
`- Metro Dade County Transportation Authority (MDTA), Miami;
`
`l Regional Transportation District (RTD), Denver, Colorado; and
`
`l Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA), Columbus, Ohio.
`
`The largest application, SCRTD, supports sixty agents and ten thousand inquiries/day. The
`system runs on mainframe computers or minicomputers, depending on the system size, and costs
`$400,000-$550,000 per installation, exclusive of hardware. The system incorporates voice
`synthesis for part of the operator/customer interface. The route-finding algorithm can distinguish
`physical barriers and integrate complex routings among multiple transit agencies. Real-time
`links to AVL are in the development plans.’
`
`[6]
`[7]
`[8]
`
`“Products Available in Transit,” Passenger Transport, Nov 25, 1991.
`
`Doug Baxter, TeleRide Sage.
`
`Robert Chapman, Megadine Information Systems.
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`Commuter Transportation Services, Inc.
`TransStar is an automated transit trip planning system available from Commuter
`Transportation Services, Inc./CTS Pathways. The program can provide the customer with
`information on carrier, route, destination, boarding location, fare, scheduled time for departure,
`and return trip information. A customer service representative enters the preferred origin and
`In a few seconds, up to three routes, including
`destination points identified by a caller.
`transfers, are displayed complete with name of carrier, boarding location, scheduled departure
`time, exact trip end, fare, and return route information. Optional information such as wheelchair
`If desired, a
`accessibility and shortest walking distance or lowest fare also can be provided.
`printed copy of the itinerary may be mailed to the caller for a permanent record. Riverside
`Transit in California is currently testing this system and has reported a thirty to fifty percent
`increase in the number of calls about transit trip making. They are able to handle this increase
`with the same number of clerks because of the quicker turnaround time per call.9,10
`
`Oracle Communications
`BusLine, an Oracle Communications product, offers twenty-four hour telephone
`answering and provides human quality voice information on next available bus and fares. It runs
`on any 286/386 microcomputer, uses commercially available phone handling equipment, and
`provides user friendly menus which minimize training time. A wide variety of options are
`available including trip planning. Responses can be made available in languages other than
`English to non English-speaking residents. BC Transit in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
`currently is using BusLine to provide’ general information, schedules, fares, and next bus
`information. The trip planning menus are in final development and testing and will be
`operational by the end of the year. Whistler, British Columbia, a resort community with a small
`six bus transit system, plans to start a similar system in April 1992.11,12
`
`[9]
`
`[10]
`
`[11]
`[12]
`
`“TranStar, Automated Transit Trip Planning System,’ Informational Brochure, Commuter Transportation
`Services, Inc.
`“Use of Computerized Transit Trip Planning Grows in California,” The Urban Transportation Monitor,
`Feb, 7, 1992.
`
`“BusLine, ” Informational Brochure, Oracle Communications.
`
`Ron Drolet, British Columbia Transit, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
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`Tidewater Consultants
`‘The Automated Travel Information System from Tidewater Consultants is a
`microcomputer-based system intended primarily to assist the agent with responses to telephone
`calls for trip planning.
`It requires the agent to enter the parameters identified by the caller -
`such as preferred times of departure and arrival, lowest fare, accessibility - as well as points of
`origin and destination. The computer then responds with “the best route available” given the
`It also can
`requirements of the caller.
`It even can indicate a combination of bus and train.
`provide responses in one or more specified languages. From their first installation developed
`for the Peninsula Transportation District Commission in Virginia, Tidewater has developed far
`more complex systems--“Easy Rider”, for the Washington (D.C.) Metropolitan Area Transit
`Authority, “On-Line Travel Information System” for the New York City (New York) Transit
`Authority, and is now developing the “Automated Travel Information System” for San Diego
`(California) Transit Corporation. The San Diego system will be combined with a bilingual
`interactive voice system.
`In developing the Easy Rider system in Washington, Tidewater
`replaced an outdated automated transit information system which used large minicomputers with
`a modular LAN-based design the allows for very fast response times and will permit future
`expansion without any negative affect on system speed. The new system increased call capture
`from eighty-two to ninety-three percent and decreased response time from one minute to 2%
`seconds. The New York City Transit Authority’s new OTIS ‘encompasses buses, trains, and
`ferries over the five boroughs of New York City with a data base of all streets, intersections,
`and landmarks in the area. In addition to route and schedule requests, agents can use OTIS to
`display a map of the area around the caller’s origin or destination, mail or fax itineraries, display
`a description of the bus stop or train station, and report service delays. 13,14
`
`[13]
`[14]
`
`“Automated Travel Information System, ” Informational Brochure, Tidewater Consultants, Inc.
`Andi Overton, Tidewater Consultants, Inc.
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`Cable TV; Personal Computers
`To date, few North American transit systems have experimented with providing pre-trip
`transit information through computers or cable TV. These services are widely used in Europe.
`The technology exists in North America as well, but thus far has only been tested in relation to
`highway traffic. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is experimenting with
`several ways of distributing pre-trip information in the Los Angeles area. Commuters can use
`a commercially available decoder and tune in to Channel 46 from 6 A.M. to 7 P.M. and receive
`a teletex broadcast giving highway conditions in real time. The Minneapolis, Minnesota
`Guidestar program also provides pre-trip cable TV broadcasts indicating location of traffic
`congestion and overall speed of travel. Neither of these systems currently include reports on
`transit alternatives.
`The Twin Cities in Minnesota plans to institute TravLink, an interrelated automatic
`vehicle location and traveler information system. This program will provide relevant transit
`service and traffic data to transit users and ridesharers at home or work, enabling them to do
`pre-trip planning. TravLink als