Public Transport Systems

Public transport management applications use advanced communications and information systems to collect data to improve the:

• operation of the vehicles and facilities
• planning and scheduling of services
• management of personnel

Real-time data collected from vehicle tracking and location systems can be used to ensure schedule adherence – and to implement corrective actions when a particular vehicle is running behind schedule. Real-time information applications can also help facilitate passengers’ transfers at connecting stations. Off-line, the data collected can be analysed and used to revise schedules, to better plan routes, to satisfy contract reporting requirements, and to improve customer information systems. (See Operations & Fleet Management)

En-route information applications are intended to provide public transport travellers with information after their trips have started. Among the key pieces of information which are typically provided are:

• information on expected arrival times of transit vehicles
• transfers and connections
• ride-share opportunities

Various information dissemination devices could be used including signs and kiosks at bus stops, internet websites that can be accessed via smart phones and mobile devices, and various types of smart phone apps. (See Information Dissemination)

Personalised Public Transport (PPT) is based on the idea of using flexibly-routed vehicles to offer more convenient services to travellers – in some cases door-to-door. There are two main types of PPT:

• flexibly-routed operations – in which fixed-route buses are allowed to deviate from their main route to pick-up or drop-off passengers
• random route operations – which operate with variable-routing based upon the pattern of service requests received

Ideally, this type of application will offer journey reservations – and vehicle assignment and scheduling to be developed in real-time. (See Dynamic Routing / Scheduling)

Video: Good News tests: Kutsuplus service – personalised public transport

Public transport security ITS applications are aimed at improving the security of public transport users, operators and support staff. This can be achieved by integrating vehicle location technologies and monitoring systems to provide a warning and response system to deal with security-related incidents. For example, transport stations and terminals, parking lots, bus stops and the inside of transport vehicles can be monitored with CCTV with image processing for surveillance – so that an alarm is triggered, either manually or automatically, by an “at-risk” event. Critical infrastructure, such as bridges, tunnels, rail track, can also monitored in this way as part of a public transport security strategy. (See Network Security)