CALIFORNIA CENTER FOR INNOVATIVE TRANSPORTATION
INSTITUTE OF TRANSPORTATION STUDIES
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY
Efficient Deployment of Advanced
Public Transit Systems ( EDAPTS)
Manju Kumar, Senior Development Engineer
Xiaohong Pan, Assistant Development Engineer
Tia McDonald, Public Policy Analyst
Nina Harvey, Graduate Researcher
Josh Cohn, Graduate Researcher
JD Margulici, Associate Director
CCIT Research Report
UCB- ITS- CWP- 2010- 2
ISSN: 1557- 2269
The California Center for Innovative Transportation works with
researchers, practitioners, and industry to implement transportation
research and innovation, including products and services that improve
the efficiency, safety, and security of the transportation system.
CALIFORNIA CENTER FOR INNOVATIVE TRANSPORTATION
INSTITUTE OF TRANSPORTATION STUDIES
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY
Efficient Deployment of Advanced Public
Transit Systems ( EDAPTS)
Manju Kumar, Senior Development Engineer
Krute Singa, Senior Transportation Planner
CCIT Research Report
UCB- ITS- CWP- 2010- 2
This work was performed by the California Center for Innovative Transportation,
a research group at the University of California, Berkeley, in cooperation with the
State of California Business, Transportation, and Housing Agency’s Department
of Transportation, and the United States Department of Transportation’s Federal
Highway Administration.
The contents of this report reflect the views of the authors, who are responsible
for the facts and the accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not
necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the State of California. This
report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation.
May 2010
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!
THE ! EDAPTS ! APPROACH !
!
FINAL ! REPORT
SEPTEMBER ! 2009 !
Prepared ! for: !
CALTRANS ! DIVISION ! OF ! RESEARCH ! AND ! INNOVATION !
CALTRANS ! DIVISION ! OF ! MASS ! TRANSPORTATION !
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CALIFORNIA ! CENTER ! FOR ! INNOVATIVE ! TRANSPORTATION !
UNIVERSITY ! OF ! CALIFORNIA ! BERKELEY ! " ! 2105 ! BANCROFT ! WAY, ! SUITE ! 300 ! " ! BERKELEY, ! CA ! ! 94720 #
3830 !
PHONE: ! ( 510) ! 642 # 4522 ! " ! FAX: ! ( 510) ! 642 # 0910 ! " ! HTTP:// WWW. CALCCIT. ORG !
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TABLE ! OF ! CONTENTS !
Executive ! Summary ! ......................................................................................................................... ! 3 !
The ! EDAPTS ! Vision ! ........................................................................................................................... ! 4 !
Summary ! of ! EDAPTS ! PHASE ! I ! Deliverables ! ...................................................................................... ! 5 !
The ! EDAPTS ! approach: ! an ! overview ! ............................................................................................ ! 5 !
The ! EDATPS ! approach: ! defining ! project ! needs ! ........................................................................... ! 6 !
The ! EDAPTS ! approach: ! funding ! mechanism ! ............................................................................... ! 6 !
The ! EDAPTS ! approach: ! assessing ! costs ! and ! benefits ! .................................................................. ! 6 !
The ! EDAPTS ! approach: ! technology ! sourcing ! ............................................................................... ! 6 !
The ! EDAPTS ! approach: ! market ! assessment ! ................................................................................ ! 7 !
The ! EDAPTS ! approach: ! technology ! transfer ! ................................................................................ ! 7 !
EDAPTS ! specifications ! generator ! ( Cal ! Poly ! San ! Luis ! Obispo) ! ...................................................... ! 7 !
Additional ! Tools ! Recommended ! for ! Development ! ......................................................................... ! 8 !
The ! EDAPTS ! approach: ! project ! implementation ! ......................................................................... ! 8 !
EDAPTS ! website ! ........................................................................................................................... ! 8 !
Conclusion ! ............................................................................................................................... ....... ! 9 !
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EXECUTIVE ! SUMMARY
In ! May ! of ! 2007, ! CCIT ! started ! Phase ! 1 ! of ! a ! 3 # Phase ! program ! aimed ! at ! turning ! the ! outcomes ! of !
“ Efficient ! Deployment ! of ! Advanced ! Public ! Transit ! Systems” ! ( EDAPTS) ! research ! and ! development !
into ! a ! readily # available ! set ! of ! resources ! to ! help ! public ! transit ! agencies ! across ! California !
implement ! Advanced ! Public ! Transportation ! Systems ! ( APTS). ! Consistent ! with ! Caltrans’ ! Division ! of !
Research ! and ! Innovation’s ! ( DRI) ! terminology ! for ! research ! conduct, ! the ! program ! was ! nicknamed !
“ EDAPTS ! Stage ! 5 ! deployment.” ! It ! includes, ! in ! phase ! 3, ! the ! commercial ! deployment ! of ! EDAPTS ! on !
a ! public ! transit ! property ! to ! be ! determined. !
As ! Phase ! 1 ! of ! the ! EDAPTS ! Stage ! 5 ! deployment ! comes ! to ! an ! end, ! the ! CCIT ! team ! submitted ! a ! draft !
proposal ! for ! the ! next ! phase. ! Caltrans ! Division ! of ! Research ! and ! Innovation ! ( DRI) ! has ! decided ! not !
to ! proceed ! with ! the ! next ! phase. ! So, ! this ! final ! report ! highlights ! our ! key ! activities ! and ! deliverables !
to ! date. ! !
The ! original ! proposal ! identifies ! the ! goals ! of ! the ! three ! work ! phases ! as ! follows: !
“ The ! first ! phase ! of ! the ! project ! will ! focus ! on ! formulating ! and ! enhancing ! existing ! knowledge ! and ! expertise !
of ! EDAPTS ! in ! a ! manner ! that ! can ! be ! optimally ! comprehended ! by ! the ! industry. ! The ! subsequent ! Phase ! 2 !
will ! seek ! to ! definitely ! establish ! procurement ! sources ! for ! EDAPTS ! and ! cover ! the ! definition ! and !
preparation ! of ! the ! FOT1. ! It ! therefore ! involves ! identifying ! a ! transit ! partner ! willing ! to ! participate !
and ! equip ! its ! fleet ! with ! EDAPTS, ! as ! well ! as ! the ! funding ! sources ! to ! finance ! the ! deployment ! and !
O& M. ! The ! final ! Phase ! 3 ! of ! the ! EDAPTS ! Stage ! 5 ! deployment ! will ! consist ! of ! the ! implementation, !
operations ! and ! evaluation ! of ! the ! EDAPTS ! FOT.” !
As ! stated ! in ! the ! original ! proposal, ! CCIT’s ! efforts ! in ! Phase ! 1 ! have ! been ! focused ! on ! creating ! a !
complete ! body ! of ! knowledge ! on ! EDAPTS ! available ! from ! a ! decade ! of ! research ! and ! development !
work. ! This ! also ! required ! that ! we ! clearly ! define ! what ! EDAPTS ! was ! to ! become ! as ! a ! ‘ deployed !
product.’ !
The ! first ! section ! of ! this ! document ! presents ! the ! vision ! for ! EDAPTS. ! In ! the ! second ! section, ! the !
tools ! and ! other ! deliverables ! developed ! in ! Phase ! I ! of ! EDAPTS ! are ! described. ! !
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
1 ! Final ! Operational ! Test, ! referring ! to ! a ! commercial ! deployment ! in ! Phase ! 3. !
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THE ! EDAPTS ! VISION !
EDAPTS ! has ! been ! defined ! as ! an ! APPROACH ! available ! to ! transit ! agencies ! to ! implement ! APTS. !
This ! approach ! offers ! A ! SET ! OF ! TOOLS ! aimed ! at ! easing ! and ! accelerating ! implementation ! of ! APTS !
systems ! that ! meet ! certain ! TECHNICAL ! AND ! ECONOMIC ! STANDARDS. ! !
Formally, ! EDAPTS ! is ! a ! set ! of ! hands " on ! and ! analytic ! tools, ! recommended ! procurement !
methodology, ! and ! information ! that ! facilitates ! implementation ! of ! APTS ! for ! small ! urban ! and ! rural !
transit ! providers. ! EDAPTS ! outlines ! procurement ! options, ! provides ! useful ! information ! on ! funding !
sources, ! and ! advocates ! open ! source ! designs ! and ! open ! interface ! protocols. ! !
The ! GOALS ! OF ! EDAPTS ! consist ! of ! the ! following: !
! Assist ! small ! urban ! and ! rural ! agencies ! in ! the ! identification ! of ! ITS ! solutions ! ( i. e., ! APTS !
systems) ! that ! meet ! their ! specific ! needs; !
! Promote ! the ! use ! and ! incorporation ! of ! non # proprietary ! subsystem ! interfaces ! that !
facilitate ! future ! expansion; !
! Advocate ! system ! performance ! trade # offs ! that ! significantly ! reduce ! life # cycle ! costs ! but ! do !
not ! adversely ! impact ! the ! intended ! usefulness ! of ! the ! deployed ! system ! to ! the ! procuring !
agency. !
As ! part ! of ! CCIT’s ! efforts ! in ! Phase ! I, ! we ! conducted ! an ! analysis ! of ! the ! barriers ! faced ! by ! small ! and !
rural ! public ! transit ! operators ! in ! the ! implementation ! of ! APTS, ! we ! have ! identified ! three ! key ! topics !
for ! which ! tools ! have ! been ! developed ! or ! foundation ! for ! the ! development ! of ! tools ! have ! been !
completed: !
1. PROJECT ! FUNDING ! – ! We ! aim ! to ! help ! transit ! agencies ! identify ! and ! obtain ! funding ! that !
they ! can ! apply ! to ! APTS ! implementation ! and ! operations. ! This ! may ! be ! done ! by ! providing !
information ! on ! existing ! programs, ! or ! by ! creating ! new ! channels. !
2. TECHNICAL ! ASSISTANCE ! – ! More ! often ! than ! not, ! small ! urban ! and ! rural ! transit ! agencies !
need ! outside ! resources ! and ! technical ! help ! in ! order ! to ! plan, ! specify, ! procure, ! integrate, !
operate ! and ! maintain ! information ! technology ! projects. ! The ! tools ! developed ! through !
EDAPTS ! Stage ! 5 ! activities ! will ! assist ! the ! transit ! agencies ! in ! the ! pre # procurement ! and !
implementation ! phases ! of ! EDAPTS. ! !
3. TECHNOLOGY ! SOURCING ! – ! EDAPTS ! makes ! some ! definite ! assumptions ! about ! the !
typical ! needs ! and ! means ! of ! small ! and ! rural ! transit ! agencies, ! and ! therefore ! aims ! to ! point !
to ! the ! most ! adequate ! solutions ! and ! products ! that ! meet ! certain ! technical ! and ! economic !
standards. ! Stage ! 5 ! activities ! will ! result ! in ! a ! short ! list ! of ! EDAPTS ! partners ! and ! suppliers ! of !
APTS. !
The ! tools ! offered ! as ! part ! of ! EDAPTS ! should ! include ! guiding ! documents, ! case ! studies ! and ! best !
practices, ! technical ! specifications, ! software, ! and ! possibly, ! dedicated ! state # funded ! consulting ! and !
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engineering ! services ! and/ or ! designated ! project ! funds. ! Some ! of ! these ! tools ! have ! been ! developed !
as ! original ! products ! of ! Caltrans # funded ! research ! and ! deployment ! efforts ! including ! relevant !
resources ! available ! from ! federal ! and ! other ! sources. !
CCIT’s ! Phase ! I ! recommendations ! include ! that, ! beyond ! the ! timeline ! of ! Stage ! 5 ! activities, ! Caltrans’ !
Division ! of ! Mass ! Transportation ! ( DMT) ! should ! coordinate ! the ! assistance ! offered ! to ! transit !
agencies ! as ! part ! of ! EDAPTS ! through ! their ! regular ! annual ! process ! of ! selecting ! transit ! agency !
proposals ! for ! funding. ! The ! next ! section ! describes ! the ! tools ! and ! other ! deliverables ! that ! have !
been ! developed, ! and ! the ! potential ! mechanisms ! for ! their ! delivery ! to ! transit ! agencies. !
SUMMARY ! OF ! EDAPTS ! PHASE ! I ! DELIVERABLES !
The ! success ! of ! the ! EDAPTS ! approach, ! which ! will ! be ! measured ! by ! the ! number ! of ! agencies ! that !
adopt ! it, ! hinges ! in ! part ! on ! our ! ability ! to ! effectively ! communicate ! its ! benefits ! to ! both ! transit !
operators ! and ! technology ! providers, ! and ! to ! disseminate ! the ! tools ! it ! makes ! available. ! To ! this !
end, ! we ! have ! determined ! that ! a ! key ! channel ! for ! both ! the ! promotion ! and ! the ! delivery ! of ! the !
EDAPTS ! tools ! will ! be ! a ! website. ! !
The ! website ! should ! be ! a ! portal ! for ! prospective ! EDAPTS ! adopters ! ( i. e., ! transit ! agencies) ! and !
technology ! suppliers. ! It ! should ! highlight ! the ! merits ! of ! EDAPTS ! approach ! and ! provide ! instructions !
on ! how ! to ! get ! started. ! It ! should ! also ! serve ! as ! a ! one " stop ! shop ! for ! all ! of ! the ! associated ! resources !
such ! as ! downloadable ! documents ! and ! software, ! external ! links ! and ! relevant ! contact ! information. !
In ! our ! assessment, ! the ! development ! of ! the ! website ! should ! be ! an ! important ! next ! step ! in ! the !
deployment ! of ! the ! EDAPTS ! approach. !
As ! part ! of ! the ! Phase ! I, ! we ! have ! concentrated ! on ! designing ! an ! initial ! set ! of ! EDAPTS ! tools ! that !
complement ! those ! already ! developed ! by ! Cal ! Poly ! San ! Luis ! Obispo ! and ! Cal ! Poly ! Pomona. ! Those !
tools ! are ! intended ! as ! dynamic ! and ! should ! be ! updated ! on ! a ! continued ! basis. ! The ! EDAPTS ! tools !
should ! gradually ! incorporate ! new ! knowledge ! and ! insights ! drawn ! from ! our ! institutional ! progress !
in ! establishing ! the ! EDAPTS ! approach ! as ! a ! mainstream ! initiative. ! !
The ! following ! sections ! describe ! the ! EDAPTS ! tools ! and ! documents ! at ! the ! end ! of ! CCIT’s ! activities !
in ! Phase ! I. ! !
THE ! EDAPTS ! APPROACH: ! AN ! OVERVIEW !
This ! document ! is ! intended ! as ! a ! first ! read ! for ! prospective ! EDAPTS ! adopters ! or ! suppliers. ! It !
addresses ! a ! wide ! audience ! of ! practitioners ! at ! various ! organizational ! levels, ! and ! seeks ! to ! be !
concise ! and ! simple. ! Its ! goal ! is ! to ! describe ! EDAPTS ! and ! how ! transit ! agencies ! can ! benefit ! from ! it. !
PHASE ! 1 ! STATUS: ! final ! document ! completed ! in ! March ! 2009 ! ( Appendix ! A). !
RECOMMENDED ! SUBSEQUENT ! ACTIVITIES: ! limited ! updating ! as ! modifications ! are ! identified. !
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THE ! EDATPS ! APPROACH: ! DEFINING ! PROJECT ! NEEDS !
This ! document ! guides ! a ! transit ! agency ! through ! the ! process ! of ! collecting ! the ! needs ! and !
expectations ! of ! stakeholders ! before ! implementing ! an ! APTS ! project. ! It ! provides ! common !
operational ! scenarios ! to ! help ! agencies ! formulate ! the ! outcome ! of ! EDAPTS ! for ! their ! community, !
and ! a ! framework ! for ! developing ! their ! own ! scenarios. !
PHASE ! 1 ! STATUS: ! Document ! finalized ! in ! March ! 2009 ! ( Appendix ! B). !
RECOMMENDED ! SUBSEQUENT ! ACTIVITIES: ! ! The ! document’s ! content ! should ! be ! updated ! as !
further ! deployments ! occur, ! reflecting ! lessons ! learned ! as ! EDAPTS ! is ! refined. !
THE ! EDAPTS ! APPROACH: ! FUNDING ! MECHANISM !
This ! document ! highlights ! funding ! sources ! at ! the ! federal, ! state ! and ! local ! level ! for ! APTS !
implementation. ! While ! most ! agencies ! are ! well ! aware ! of ! the ! funding ! streams ! available ! to ! them, !
This ! document ! helps ! transit ! agencies ! shape ! their ! thinking ! to ! recognize ! the ! opportunities ! they !
have ! to ! purchase ! technology ! with ! their ! federal, ! state ! and ! local ! dollars. ! Eventually, ! we !
recommend ! that ! EDAPTS ! be ! tied ! to ! specific ! funding ! mechanisms ! under ! state ! purview. !
PHASE ! 1 ! STATUS: ! finalized ! document ! in ! March ! 2009 ! ( Appendix ! C). !
RECOMMENDED ! SUBSEQUENT ! ACTIVITIES: ! The ! document’s ! content ! should ! be ! updated ! to !
reflect ! future ! changes ! in ! transportation ! funding ! and ! lessons ! learned ! from ! the ! Final ! Operational !
Test ! ( FOT) ! of ! EDAPTS. !
THE ! EDAPTS ! APPROACH: ! ASSESSING ! COSTS ! AND ! BENEFITS !
A ! benefit ! assessment ! tool ! and ! a ! cost ! assessment ! tool ! have ! been ! developed ! using ! spreadsheets. !
This ! effort ! is ! a ! generalization ! of ! the ! cost # benefit ! analysis ! of ! the ! EDAPTS ! implementation ! for ! SLO !
Transit ! conducted ! by ! Cal ! Poly ! Pomona. ! It ! offers ! useful ! information ! for ! other ! agencies ! to !
estimate ! the ! cost ! and ! benefits ! of ! APTS ! technology ! that ! they ! are ! considering. ! These ! tools ! will !
help ! the ! agencies ! that ! want ! to ! be ! able ! to ! roughly ! estimate ! the ! likely ! costs ! and ! benefits ! before !
investing ! substantial ! efforts ! into ! the ! EDAPTS ! approach ! during ! the ! pre # implementation ! phase. ! !
PHASE ! 1 ! STATUS: ! Tools ! finalized ! in ! March ! 2009 ! ( Appendix ! D). !
RECOMMENDED ! SUBSEQUENT ! ACTIVITIES: ! Continued ! research ! on ! costs ! and ! benefits ! of !
APTS ! technologies ! are ! needed ! to ! keep ! these ! tools ! updated. ! We ! also ! recommend ! development !
of ! a ! dynamic ! online ! decision # support ! tool. ! !
THE ! EDAPTS ! APPROACH: ! TECHNOLOGY ! SOURCING !
A ! list ! of ! potential ! EDAPTS ! vendors ! has ! been ! developed. ! This ! list ! of ! suppliers ! takes ! a !
comprehensive ! view ! of ! the ! APTS ! technology ! offering ! in ! the ! current ! market ! place ! for ! small ! urban !
and ! rural ! transit ! agencies. ! It ! lists ! vendors ! and ! highlights ! their ! product ! range ! and ! the ! services !
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they ! provide. ! Ultimately, ! we ! recommend ! that ! this ! list ! be ! tied ! with ! the ! technical ! and ! economic !
standards ! to ! be ! defined ! for ! EDAPTS ! approach ! so ! that ! it ! becomes ! a ! buying ! guide ! for ! transit !
agencies. ! Further ! activities ! to ! improve ! EDAPTS ! approach ! could ! include ! pre # qualifying ! vendors !
for ! EDAPTS ! procurement. !
PHASE ! 1 ! STATUS: ! Document ! finalized ! in ! March ! 2009( Appendix ! E). ! !
RECOMMENDED ! SUBSEQUENT ! ACTIVITIES: ! Continued ! collaboration ! with ! DMT ! to ! develop ! a !
pre # qualified ! suppliers ! list ! is ! warranted. ! ! !
THE ! EDAPTS ! APPROACH: ! MARKET ! ASSESSMENT !
This ! effort ! identified ! the ! characteristics ! of ! the ! target ! transit ! agencies ! in ! California, ! identified ! the !
need ! for ! APTS ! in ! smaller ! transit ! agencies ! of ! varying ! sizes, ! gathered ! knowledge ! on ! transit !
agencies’ ! perceptions ! of ! innovative ! technology ! applications ! on ! their ! environment, ! and !
identified ! the ! barriers ! to ! the ! implementation ! of ! APTS. ! These ! were ! achieved ! by ! conducting ! face #
to # face ! interviews, ! on # line ! surveys, ! and ! a ! focus ! group ! discussion. ! Additionally, ! a ! list ! of ! qualified !
potential ! adopters ! of ! EDAPTS ! in ! California ! has ! been ! established, ! which ! may ! be ! used ! as ! an !
EDAPTS ! marketing ! pool ! or ! used ! by ! potential ! APTS ! suppliers ! to ! estimate ! the ! size ! of ! their ! market. !
PHASE ! 1 ! STATUS: ! Finalized ! document ! in ! March ! 2009 ! ( Appendix ! F). !
RECOMMENDED ! SUBSEQUENT ! ACTIVITIES: ! ! The ! list ! of ! potential ! EDAPTS ! adaptors ! ( transit !
agencies) ! needs ! limited ! updating ! as ! APTS ! implementations ! occur ! over ! the ! years ! ahead ! at ! these !
agencies. ! !
THE ! EDAPTS ! APPROACH: ! TECHNOLOGY ! TRANSFER !
This ! effort ! identified ! the ! potential ! technology ! transfer ! modalities ! based ! on ! the ! open ! source !
software ! and ! hardware ! developed ! by ! Cal ! Poly ! SLO ! during ! the ! research ! and ! development ! stages !
of ! EDAPTS. ! Cal ! Poly ! SLO ! developed ! a ! memorandum ! with ! the ! results ! of ! this ! assessment ! under ! a !
sub # contract ! with ! CCIT ! to ! explore ! and ! formalize ! the ! transfer ! of ! EDAPTS ! resources. !
PHASE ! 1 ! STATUS: ! a ! final ! draft ! memo ! submitted ! in ! January ! 2010 ! ( Appendix ! G). !
RECOMMENDED ! SUBSEQUENT ! ACTIVITIES: ! ! None. ! !
EDAPTS ! SPECIFICATIONS ! GENERATOR ! ( CAL ! POLY ! SAN ! LUIS ! OBISPO) !
This ! is ! both ! a ! complete ! matrix ! and ! a ! companion ! software ! program ! that ! can ! automatically !
produce ! generic ! specifications ! from ! a ! list ! of ! user ! needs. ! As ! such, ! this ! tool ! directly ! follows ! the !
project ! needs ! document ! in ! the ! sequence ! of ! implementation ! of ! EDAPTS. ! It ! enables ! agencies ! to !
rapidly ! put ! together ! an ! extremely ! solid ! bidding ! document ! for ! procuring ! APTS ! products ! and !
services. ! This ! tool ! has ! been ! available ! for ! fixed ! route ! systems ! and ! was ! modified ! to ! include !
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specifications ! for ! demand ! response ! systems ! in ! Phase ! I. ! A ! modified ! draft ! final ! version ! of ! the !
specifications ! generator ! was ! made ! available ! in ! January ! 2010. !
PHASE ! I ! STATUS: ! Tool ! to ! be ! finalized ! in ! March ! 2010 ! ( Appendix ! H). !
RECOMMENDED ! SUBSEQUENT ! ACTIVITIES: ! ! limited ! updating ! of ! the ! specifications ! as ! new !
standards ! and ! APTS ! systems ! are ! adopted. !
The ! following ! section ! details ! additional ! recommendations ! for ! EDAPTS ! approach. ! CCIT ! expects !
the ! development ! of ! these ! recommended ! additional ! tools ! will ! help ! mainstreaming ! of ! EDAPTS !
approach. !
ADDITIONAL ! TOOLS ! RECOMMENDED ! FOR ! DEVELOPMENT !
The ! following ! two ! tools ! are ! identified ! as ! important ! resources ! for ! the ! successful ! mainstreaming !
of ! EDAPTS. !
THE ! EDAPTS ! APPROACH: ! PROJECT ! IMPLEMENTATION !
This ! document’s ! goal ! should ! be ! to ! serve ! as ! a ! guide ! to ! EDAPTS ! implementation ! project !
managers. ! It ! will ! describe ! the ! sequence ! of ! implementation ! of ! EDAPTS ! and ! hit ! on ! best ! practices !
in ! major ! project ! areas ! such ! as ! project ! planning, ! vendor ! selection, ! systems ! interoperability, ! user !
and ! community ! outreach, ! training ! and ! organizational ! change. ! Best ! practices ! will ! be ! drawn ! from !
lessons ! learned ! with ! the ! San ! Luis ! Obispo ! and ! Cal ! Poly ! Pomona ! implementations, ! as ! well ! as ! other !
existing ! sources ! at ! the ! state ! and ! national ! level. !
EDAPTS ! WEBSITE !
As ! indicated ! earlier, ! the ! EDAPTS ! website ! should ! be ! the ! primary ! mechanism ! to ! deliver ! updated !
information ! on ! the ! EDAPTS ! approach ! to ! potential ! adopters. ! The ! EDAPTS ! website ! should ! be !
designed ! for ! small ! urban ! and ! rural ! transit ! agencies ! to ! easily ! utilize ! the ! following ! tools ! to !
effectively ! implement ! EDAPTS: ! !
! An ! introductory ! slideshow ! of ! EDAPTS ! approach ! and ! a ! roadmap ! for ! EDAPTS !
implementation; !
! Online ! interactive ! worksheets ! to ! identify ! stakeholders, ! define ! the ! project ! needs ! and !
match ! their ! needs ! to ! pre # defined ! customizable ! operational ! scenarios; !
! Online ! portal ! for ! transit ! funding ! sources ! for ! APTS ! deployments ! and ! highlighted !
funding ! sources ! specific ! to ! EDAPTS; !
! A ! dynamic ! online ! tool ! that ! estimates ! cost ! and ! benefits ! based ! on ! transit ! agency !
characteristics; !
! Online ! list ! of ! pre # qualified ! suppliers ! with ! links ! to ! their ! product ! descriptions; !
! Online ! repository ! of ! open # source ! EDAPTS ! resources; !
! An ! online ! specifications ! generator ! tool ! to ! streamline ! EDAPTS ! procurement. !
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CONCLUSION !
In ! this ! final ! report, ! we ! have ! outlined ! the ! tools ! that ! have ! been ! developed ! and ! recommendations !
that ! we ! deem ! are ! required ! to ! turn ! the ! EDAPTS ! vision ! into ! a ! tangible ! possibility ! for ! small ! and !
rural ! transit ! agencies ! statewide. ! However, ! none ! of ! this ! can ! realistically ! be ! accomplished ! without !
dedicated ! resources. ! Small ! transit ! agencies ! may ! not ! be ! the ! most ! sophisticated ! institutions, ! but !
their ! managers ! are ! very ! knowledgeable ! and ! resourceful: ! if ! all ! they ! needed ! today ! in ! order ! to !
implement ! technology ! that ! enables ! better ! on # time ! performance ! and ! informing ! passengers ! was !
hard # to # come # by ! information, ! they ! would ! easily ! get ! past ! that ! hurdle. ! In ! fact, ! a ! number ! of !
government ! and ! professional ! organizations ! are ! already ! providing ! plenty ! of ! information, ! and ! we !
can ! count ! on ! APTS ! vendors ! to ! explain ! the ! benefits ! of ! their ! technology ! to ! prospective ! buyers. !
EDAPTS ! represents ! an ! opportunity ! to ! invest ! efficiently ! into ! technology ! that ! will ! make ! public !
transit ! more ! attractive ! and ! better ! serve ! passengers. ! It ! is ! ultimately ! up ! to ! Caltrans ! and ! the ! State !
of ! California ! to ! seize ! that ! opportunity ! by ! embracing ! it ! as ! an ! initiative ! and ! devoting ! adequate !
resources ! to ! it. ! Until ! this ! happens, ! EDAPTS ! approach ! development ! can ! continue, ! but ! we ! can !
hardly ! reach ! out ! to ! transit ! agencies ! and ! concretely ! propose ! the ! EDAPTS ! approach. ! Our ! efforts ! to !
date ! have ! taught ! us ! that ! we ! may ! get ! some ! initial ! interest, ! but ! we ! are ! necessarily ! limited ! by ! the !
resources ! including ! funding ! we ! can ! offer. ! We ! therefore ! see ! it ! as ! a ! crucial ! task ! to ! work ! with !
EDAPTS ! stakeholders, ! primarily ! Caltrans ! Division ! of ! Mass ! Transportation ! and ! Federal ! Transit !
Administration ! and ! get ! institutional ! buy # in. !
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APPENDIX ! A
!
The ! EDAPTS ! Approach: !
An ! Overview
EDAPTS: ! ! Efficient ! Deployment ! of ! Advanced ! Public ! Transportation ! Systems
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Smart Solutions for Small and Rural Transit Operators
Do these problems sound familiar?
• A platoon of buses operating on the same route arrives unintentionally
at the same stop at the same time— reducing the efficiency of your bus
service and irritating passengers.
• A bus fails and the driver lets dispatch know that his bus has gone out
of service. But dispatch has no way to alert passengers waiting for this
twice- a- day service on a rural road.
• As you’ve added a new route and additional buses, manually compiling
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You know there are tools out there to help solve
some of these problems, but you don’t know which
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If so, help is on the
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there’s no reason you
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new technologies.
Tools to keep your
system running on
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3
Use the EDAPTS Approach…
The EDAPTS Approach is a
set of analytic tools, a
recommended procurement
methodology, and information
that facilitates implementation of
Advanced Public Transportation
Systems ( APTS) for small urban and
rural transit providers.
EDAPTS is an on- going joint effort
between California Department of
Transportation, UC Berkeley’s
California Center for Innovative
Transportation ( CCIT), California
Polytechnic State University San
Luis Obispo, and California State
Polytechnic University Pomona.
4
The EDAPTS Approach:
• provides useful information on locating and identifying funding
sources.
• helps you identify the needs of those people most affected by
a change in your transportation service— whether they are
passengers, dispatchers, drivers, or transit organizations—
and locate technology to meet those needs.
• allows you to distinguish between those systems you want
and those you actually need.
• advocates open source designs and open interface protocols,
so you can expand your technology later if needed.
• guides you through the procurement process with software
that generates engineering specifications and a list of APTS
suppliers.
• helps you make system performance trade- offs to reduce life-cycle
costs that do not adversely affect the intended
usefulness of the deployed system.
The EDAPTS Approach helps you deploy APTS more efficiently and at a lower life- cycle cost.
… to implement APTS
The EDAPTS Approach can help you find APTS technologies
to:
• Improve schedule adherence
• Respond better to changes in service needs if paratransit services are provided
• Make public transit a viable alternative to driving
• Reduce emergency response times
• Provide streamlined and more efficient scheduling
• Automate data collection and reporting to reduce time spent manually entering passenger
information.
• Generate reports easily.
• Improve the transit experience through real- time monitoring of routes, incidents, driver
and passenger needs
5
Transportation
Real- time
vehicle tracking
Route ! 4 ! Here In ! 9 ! MIN
Traveler
information
The EDAPTS motto is: Buy only the APTS you can afford and really need now,
but buy adaptable solutions that can grow as you and your needs change.
Getting APTS to work for you
• Every stakeholder, from passenger to transit operator,
will benefit from APTS implementation using the
EDAPTS approach.
• APTS technology will provide better schedule
adherence. Vehicle operators will know when to depart
from each vehicle stop. Real- time information will allow
passengers to gauge arrival times and transit agencies
to continuously be aware of drivers’ needs.
• To implement APTS for your transit system, EDAPTS
provides resources and guidance throughout the
process of technology procurement.
• The following diagram outlines the EDAPTS process.
Keep in mind that there are resources and tools to
help you through each stage.
6
Use the step- by- step processes of EDAPTS Approach
7
The following scenarios show a “ day in the life” of a transit system with APTS
and illustrate some of the ways APTS can benefit you and your community.
Define your needs
Estimate costs and benefits
Find funding
Procure a system
Implement the system
Training and outreach
Operations and Maintenance
Evaluation
Project Management
8
When the bus reaches
5mph the MDT display
shows only the current
time to avoid distracting
Mira from her driving.
When Mira arrives at the
first stop, the MDT
displays her location and
counts down to departure
time.
EVENT 1
Joe finishes breakfast
and checks his local
transit website to see if
his bus will be on time.
It should arrive at his
stop in 35 minutes.
Joe walks to the bus stop
and looks at the dynamic
message sign.
Location: stop C
Start route: 2: 59 min
EVENT 3
Sean, the transit agency
dispatcher/ manager, has
powered up his
dispatching console and
monitors the system map
and fleet status table.
The system map updates
bus locations every
minute. The fleet status
table updates whenever a
bus operator arrives,
stops or takes a break at
a stop along the route.
EVENT 2
Mira arrives at the bus
depot for her morning
route. She walks out to
the bus, turns it on, and
inspects it. On the Mobile
Data Terminal ( MDT)
screen she logs in by
selecting her name and
entering the current
odometer reading.
At her next stop the MDT
records her location and
the time. She sees Joe at
this stop and picks him up.
Before leaving the lot she
confirms her assigned
route on the MDT. The
MDT uses Global
Positioning System ( GPS)
to log the date, time, and
bus location, and the
information is sent to
Central Dispatch. She
heads in the direction of
her first stop.
Morning start- up
ARRIVALS
Rte 55 04 min
Rte 22L 12 min
ROUTE OPERATOR STATUS LAST STOP NEXT STOP
55 Mira S. On route Rose Garden Collins
22L Luis R. On break Kellogg W. City Hall
07 Fred C. On route Prince St. 4th St.
01 Jeff Z. On route Main St. State St.
Passengers
Drivers
Dispatcher
Joe runs next door for a
cup of coffee and makes
it back in time to board
the bus.
7: 30am 7: 45am 8: 00am 8: 15am
Get the APTS Solution for “ Morning start- up”
• Transit website: The transit website allows passengers to access traveler
information from their homes or offices. A website is one option for distributing
traveler information.
• Dynamic message sign: Dynamic message signs bring schedule changes directly
from the dispatcher to the passenger.
• Mobile Data Terminal ( MDT): An on- board data information system. The MDT
stores route information, logs driver and vehicle information, and displays a
countdown to departure.
• Dispatching Console: Some key features of the dispatching console include:
– Fleet status table- easy to read table that displays the status of each bus
– System map- displays the location of each vehicle in the fleet on a map
– Physical equipment ( computer( s))- houses and displays the dispatching
software.
9
10
Sean receives the break
request on his
dispatching console and
accepts the request.
EVENT 2
Mira needs a restroom
break but her next
scheduled break is in 1
hour. She radios in a
request to take a break at
the Sunny St. bus stop,
which she will approach
in 15 minutes.
Sean sees Mira’s “ On
Break” message. The
message signs at other
stops on the route are
updated to reflect this
slight delay.
Sean answers the radio
communication, sees the
current location of the
bus on his monitor, and
looks up a list of
available substitute
drivers.
Sean tells Roy, an available
substitute, to meet the bus
at the Grand Ave. stop in
10 minutes.
Daily Operations
She walks to the stop,
catches the bus, and is
on time for class.
On break
EVENT 1
Sarah, a student at the
local community college,
is walking and late for
class. She calls the transit
hotline and learns that a
bus will arrive at a stop
close to her current
location in 10 minutes.
Mira uses the MDT to
update the status of her
bus to “ On Break,” then
gets off the bus to use
the restroom.
Eight minutes later she
resumes her route.
EVENT 3
Fred, driving Route 7,
gets a cell phone call.
His wife is going to the
hospital to deliver their
first baby! He uses his
two- way radio to contact
dispatch and request a
substitute driver.
Roy receives Sean’s call
and heads to the stop.
The dynamic message
sign at the stop indicates
that the bus will arrive in
2 minutes. Fred logs out
and Roy logs in. The MDT
shows the next stop and
when to start.
Passengers
Drivers
Dispatcher
10
9: 30am 9: 40am 9: 50am 10: 00am
Get the APTS Solution for “ Daily Operations”
• Transit hotline: This is just one way to communicate with your passengers.
• Dispatching software: “ On Break” display allows seamless communication between
drivers and dispatchers.
• Dynamic message signs: For relative low per- unit cost, dynamic message signs
bring schedule changes directly from the dispatcher to the passenger.
11
12
Jerry, one of two
demand- response drivers
is finishing up another
trip when he gets a radio
call from Sean about
Linda’s trip. He says he
should be able to make it
in time and agrees to
take on the trip.
Sean sees Linda’s
request come through
the automated phone
system on his
dispatching console and
assigns a driver and a
wheelchair accessible
van to her trip.
Linda, an elderly resident,
needs to make an
unexpected trip to the
doctor. She calls the
automated demand-response
hotline
and selects “ 1”
to schedule round-trip
service.
She speaks her start and
end address and punches in
the time and date of
pickup. She receives an
automated voice
confirmation the shuttle
will pick her up at 12: 30pm
the same day.
Demand Responsive Transit
Once his last trip is
complete Jerry heads to
Linda’s home. The MDT
logs his previous and
current trip time and
distance.
Passengers
Drivers
Dispatcher
11: 00am 11: 15am 11: 30am 11: 45am
Get the APTS Solution for “ Demand Responsive Transit”
• Automated phone system: Voice- recognition technology, demand- response hotline,
and automated voice confirmation are all functions of the traveler information system.
• Dispatching Console: With real- time information and dispatching console,
scheduling demand responsive transportation is made easier. Some key features of
dispatching software include:
– System map- displays the location of each vehicle in the fleet on a map allowing
you to choose the closest vehicle for the next scheduled pickup.
– Physical equipment ( computer( s))- houses and displays the dispatching
software.
13
14
Sean is alerted to the
emergency via audio- visual
alarms on the dispatch
console. The bus is put into
“ tracking mode” and its
GPS location is reported
every 15 seconds. An on-screen
dialog walks Sean
through the proper response
sequence.
Luis asks the passenger to
exit the bus. When the
passenger does not exit
and the situation
escalates, he presses the
Emergency
button near
his leg.
EVENT 2
Mira, who is almost
finished with her shift,
radios in a mechanical
error. She waits at the
Pleasant St. stop
because she is nervous
about continuing to
drive.
A substitute driver takes
out another bus to
Mira’s location. He
selects the bus stop
from the MDT and is
directed on where to go.
Mira logs out of the
other bus and gets a ride
back to the office with
the tow truck.
Luis receives a radio call
from Sean and answers a
coded question to confirm
the situation. Based on his
response, the appropriate
emergency response
person arrives quickly and
takes care of the situation.
Sean confirms that there is
an actual emergency. He
notifies the police and
continues to track the bus
location closely until the
situation has been
resolved.
After chatting with Mira
on the radio Sean
decides to take the bus
out of service. He
checks the fleet status
table on the dispatching
console, chooses an
available bus to replace
the bad one, and calls a
tow truck for Mira’s bus.
Sean then has an available
driver in the office bring
out the new bus to Mira.
He generates an
automated incident
report once the
substitute driver has
replaced the driver and
the bus.
EVENT 1
One particular
passenger is
harassing the driver
and other
passengers, making it
uncomfortable for
those on board.
Passengers on Mira’s bus
are kept informed of the
situation. Most wait for the
replacement bus to arrive,
since it will be only a few
minutes. Dynamic
message signs at other
stops are updated with the
delay
Unplanned Events
1: 00pm 1: 15pm
Passengers
Drivers
Dispatcher
1: 30pm 1: 45pm
14
Get the APTS Solution for “ Unplanned Events”
• Emergency notification system: Swift communication and response is critical in
any emergency.
• Fleet status table: Information at a glance. Just one of the many benefits of having
information centralized.
• Automated incident report: because the system has recorded every message and
action associated with the incident, it can run the relevant reports if this optional
element is deployed.
15
16
Sean decides to run
reports from the
dispatching console for
information on the
shopping center routes.
He clicks on Ride Report
and chooses daily,
monthly and yearly
passenger loading and
delay reports.
EVENT 1
A new shopping center has
opened but the buses serving
the area only arrive once an
hour. Passengers form long
queues waiting for the bus,
especially in the afternoons
and on weekends. One
passenger calls to request more
frequent service.
EVENT 2
Throughout the day, Jeff
enjoys having the new
MDT on his bus
coordinate departure
times - He no longer
worries about
maintaining proper
spacing with other buses
on the same route.
He presses a passenger
counter button on the
MDT each time a rider
boards. This helps with
reporting and route
maintenance. He used to
record this information
manually with pencil and
paper.
He also checks for
service requests posted
on the local website and
through phone calls. The
route to the shopping
center is consistently
over- capacity, and there
is high demand for more
frequent service.
He selects the revised
schedule and prints it for
review at the next Board
meeting. He will propose
these changes to the
routes, which, when
ready, will be easily
updated using the
dispatching console.
Sean navigates to
Schedule Maintenance
and selects the “ ADJUST”
button. The system
provides a recommended
new bus schedule based
on the patterns of delay
and passenger load of
buses on that route.
Schedule & Route Maintenance
Passengers
Drivers
Dispatcher
3: 00pm 3: 10pm 3: 20pm
16
Get the APTS Solution for “ Schedule and Maintenance”
• Ride Report: Capacity information is aggregated with passenger requests from the
Web and phone to create accurate information so agencies can respond
appropriately and quickly.
• Mobile Data Terminal ( MDT): Another key feature of this system is that can
automatically suggest departure times to keep buses well spaced and records
passenger loading information.
• Passenger Counter Button: The button is linked to the MDT, so manual data entry
is no longer needed.
• Schedule Maintenance: The system allows you to update the bus schedule as
ridership demand changes.
17
18
Luis, after finishing his
route, reports to
dispatch that the
magnetic card reader
was having some
small problems during
the day.
Sean calls the qualified
dispatching vendor of
the card reader, who has
a contract to assist with
maintenance. The vendor
is able to walk Sean
through the mechanics of
fixing the reader.
Passengers boarding Luis’
bus are having problems
using their smart transit
cards. They have to swipe
their cards several times
before it is registered.
Vendor Support
Passengers
Drivers
Dispatcher
4: 00pm 4: 15pm 4: 30pm 4: 45pm
Get the APTS Solution for “ Vendor Support”
• Electronic payment systems: End your system’s reliance on cash transactions.
• Qualified EDAPTS vendors: When you make a big investment decision, you want to
lower your risk any way you can. EDAPTS will have a pre- qualified list of vendors
according to a specific set of technical and customer service criteria when the Final
Operational Test is successfully completed.
19
20
The web application
determines the product
package that best fits his
agency’s needs, possible
funding sources, and a list
of certified vendors with
contact information that
can sell him the products
and help implement the
solution.
EVENT 3
In a neighboring city, a
transit manager has seen
how well EDAPTS works and
is interested in purchasing
certain components of the
system. He navigates to the
EDAPTS website and fills
out information about his
agency.
While refueling, Jeff
selects the “ Fueling”
function on the MDT and
enters in the number of
gallons filled and the
bus’ odometer reading.
This information is
logged and kept for
monthly reports.
EVENT 2
At the last stop of his 8-
hour shift, Jeff drives
the bus to the fueling
station at the lot. The
MDT determines that the
shift is over using its
standard clock and GPS,
and records the
deadhead miles.
At the bus lot, before
leaving for the day, he
selects “ End Shift” from
the MDT and is logged
out of the system.
End of day tasks… & a bright EDAPTS future!
EVENT 1
Sarah is getting ready to
leave the office for the day
and gets a text message on
her cell phone indicating
the arrival of the next bus
home. Instead of waiting in
the rain, she leaves the
office to catch the bus right
when it arrives!
Passengers It is raining…
Drivers
Dispatcher
5: 10pm 5: 30pm 5: 45pm 6: 00pm
Get the APTS Solution for “ End of day tasks”
• Mobile Data Terminal ( MDT): Clock, GPS, fuel information, a logging system, and
more, means drivers spend more time driving and less time on administrative tasks.
• EDAPTS website: A one- stop source for product information, certified vendors,
funding sources, and smart solutions designed specifically for small and rural transit
operators.
21
For more information please visit
http:// www. calccit. org/ projects/ EDAPTS. html
! !
APPENDIX ! B
!
!
i !
TABLE ! OF ! CONTENTS !
Table ! of ! Contents ! ............................................................................................................................... ................ ii !
Abbreviations ! ............................................................................................................................... .................... ! 1 !
Overview ! ............................................................................................................................... ........................... ! 2 !
The ! EDAPTS ! Approach ! ............................................................................................................................... ........ ! 3 !
Background ! ............................................................................................................................... .......................... ! 3 !
Description ! of ! the ! EDAPTS ! approach ! ................................................................................................................... ! 3 !
The ! EDAPTS ! Process ! ............................................................................................................................... ............. ! 4 !
Getting ! Started ! ............................................................................................................................... .................. ! 6 !
An ! Introduction ! to ! Advanced ! Public ! Transporation ! systems ! ( APTS)..................................................................... ! 7 !
Overview ! of ! the ! Benefits ! of ! APTS ! ........................................................................................................................ ! 7 !
Identifying ! Stakeholders ! ............................................................................................................................... .... ! 9 !
Assessing ! Needs ! ............................................................................................................................... ................ ! 13 !
Developing ! Operational ! Scenarios ! ..................................................................................................................... ! 17 !
Conclusion ! ............................................................................................................................... ........................ ! 22 !
Appendix ! I: ! ! Recommended ! APTS ! Systems ! ........................................................................................................ ! 23 !
Vehicle ! On # Board ! System ! ............................................................................................................................... ... ! 23 !
Roadside ! System ! ............................................................................................................................... ................ ! 23 !
Central ! Systems ! ............................................................................................................................... .................. ! 24 !
Traveler ! Information ! System ! ............................................................................................................................. ! 24 !
!
ii !
!
iii !
Data ! Communications ! ............................................................................................................................... ........ ! 24 !
Appendix ! II: ! Stakeholder ! Assessment ! Worksheet ! .............................................................................................. ! 26 !
Appendix ! IiI: ! Needs ! Assessment ! Worksheet " ! Passengers ! ................................................................................... ! 28 !
Appendix ! IV: ! Needs ! Assessment ! Worksheet " ! Transit ! Personel ! ........................................................................... ! 31 !
Appendix ! V: ! ! Operational ! Scenarios ! through ! Pictures ! and ! Graphics ! ................................................................... ! 33 !
!
!
1 !
ABBREVIATIONS !
APC ! ! ! Automated ! Passenger ! Counter !
APTS ! ! ! Advanced ! Public ! Transportation ! Systems !
ATMS ! ! ! Advanced ! Transit ! Management ! System !
AVL ! ! ! Automatic ! Vehicle ! Location ! System !
CAD ! ! ! Computer ! Aided ! Dispatch !
Cal ! Poly ! Pomona ! ! California ! State ! Polytechnic ! University ! Pomona !
Cal ! Poly ! SLO ! ! California ! Polytechnic ! State ! University ! San ! Luis ! Obispo !
Caltrans ! ! ! California ! Department ! of ! Transportation !
CCIT ! ! ! California ! Center ! for ! Innovative ! Transportation !
EMS ! ! ! Emergency ! Medical ! Services !
EPS ! ! ! Electronic ! Payment ! Systems !
FHWA ! ! ! Federal ! Highway ! Administration !
FTA ! ! ! Federal ! Transit ! Administration !
GPS ! ! ! Global ! Positioning ! System !
MDT ! ! ! Mobile ! Data ! Terminal !
MPO ! ! ! Metropolitan ! Planning ! Organization !
RID ! ! ! Roadside ! Information ! Display !
RTA ! ! ! Regional ! Transportation ! Agency !
SLO ! Transit ! ! City ! of ! San ! Luis ! Obispo ! Transit ! Agency !
!
!
2 !
OVERVIEW !
The ! purpose ! of ! this ! guide ! is ! to ! help ! transit ! agencies ! begin ! to ! envision ! Advanced ! Public ! Transportation ! Systems !
( APTS) ! for ! their ! transit ! systems. ! ! Mostly, ! this ! involves ! defining ! the ! agency’s ! needs ! using ! a ! set ! of ! simple ! well #
defined ! steps ! that ! are ! done ! before ! well ! before ! any ! hardware ! or ! software ! is ! purchased. !
The ! approach ! that ! is ! used ! in ! this ! guide ! is ! called ! EDAPTS ! and ! it ! stands ! for ! Efficient ! Deployment ! of ! Advanced ! Public !
Transportation ! Systems. ! ! It ! was ! developed ! especially ! for ! rural ! and ! small ! urban ! transit ! agencies ! to ! help ! meet ! their !
specific ! needs ! and ! challenges. ! ! These ! challenges ! include ! lack ! of ! funding, ! procurement ! options, ! and ! technical !
assistance. ! ! In ! response ! to ! this, ! EDAPTS ! offers ! a ! procurement ! methodology ! and ! a ! set ! of ! tools ! that ! help ! transit !
agencies ! achieve ! low # cost ! and ! long # term ! APTS ! solutions ! for ! their ! transportation ! needs. ! ! The ! EDAPTS ! approach !
offers ! resources ! and ! tools ! to ! assist ! at ! various ! stages ! in ! the ! procurement ! process. ! ! This ! process ! and ! associated !
resources ! are ! described ! in ! detail ! in ! the ! section ! called ! The ! EDAPTS ! Approach. ! ! !
Also ! included ! is ! a ! guide ! that ! will ! introduce ! APTS ! and ! help ! a ! transit ! agency ! determine ! which, ! if ! any, ! systems ! are !
needed. ! ! This ! ensures ! that ! money ! and ! time ! are ! not ! spent ! on ! unneeded ! changes ! to ! a ! transit ! system. ! ! !
The ! first ! section ! will ! help ! a ! transit ! agency ! become ! familiar ! with ! APTS. ! It ! includes ! a ! list ! of ! the ! benefits ! of ! APTS ! and !
describes ! recommended ! APTS ! components. ! ! These ! components ! are ! focused ! on ! increasing ! efficiency ! and ! improving !
the ! transit ! experience ! for ! passengers. ! ! !
Because ! EDAPTS ! advocates ! lower ! life # cycle ! costs, ! an ! accurate ! needs ! assessment ! is ! critical ! to ! avoid ! spending !
valuable ! resources ! on ! unneeded ! features, ! systems ! and ! equipment. ! ! To ! assist ! with ! this, ! a ! step # by # step ! guide ! is !
included ! to ! help ! assess ! needs. ! ! The ! needs ! assessment ! guide ! has ! three ! steps. ! ! The ! first ! step ! is ! to ! identify ! and !
consult ! stakeholders. ! ! Once ! stakeholders ! are ! engaged, ! focus ! groups ! and ! surveys ! are ! used ! to ! determine ! their !
specific ! transportation ! needs ! and ! expectations ! regarding ! transportation ! improvements. ! ! Resources ! to ! facilitate !
this ! process ! are ! provided ! in ! the ! appendices. ! ! Overall, ! this ! guide ! helps ! transit ! agencies ! identify ! the ! needs ! of ! the !
community, ! the ! APTS ! that ! can ! address ! those ! needs, ! and ! the ! resulting ! benefits. ! ! Finally, ! the ! guide ! helps ! a ! transit !
agency ! communicate ! this ! information ! to ! decision # makers ! through ! the ! development ! of ! operational ! scenarios. ! ! ! !
!
!
3 !
THE ! EDAPTS ! APPROACH !
The ! expanding ! array ! of ! Advanced ! Public ! Transportation ! System ! ( APTS) ! technologies ! is ! constantly ! improving ! the !
performance ! of ! public ! transportation ! systems ! around ! the ! nation. ! As ! the ! cost ! of ! technologies ! decrease, ! these !
solutions ! are ! no ! longer ! limited ! solely ! to ! large ! transit ! systems, ! but ! are ! now ! seriously ! considered ! for ! use ! in ! small !
urban ! and ! rural ! environments. ! ! !
The ! main ! reasons ! for ! the ! limited ! use ! of ! APTS ! technology ! in ! small ! urban ! and ! rural ! areas ! are ! the ! lack ! of ! discretionary !
resources ! for ! deployment, ! accessible ! procurement ! options ! and ! on # going !
technical ! assistance. ! ! These ! three ! problems ! make ! up ! the ! legs ! of ! the ! three "
legged ! stool ! approach ! to ! APTS ! deployment. ! Successful ! deployment !
depends ! on ! each ! of ! these ! three ! elements. ! ! Through ! conversations ! with !
smaller ! transit ! agencies, ! some ! specific ! problems ! were ! discovered. ! ! ! ! For !
instance, ! it ! is ! often ! the ! case ! that ! these ! agencies ! have ! lower ! fare ! box !
collections, ! limited ! access ! to ! funding ! sources ! for ! new ! and ! better !
technology, ! and ! lack ! in # house ! personnel ! with ! the ! necessary ! skills ! for !
technical ! support ! required ! for ! APTS ! deployment. ! !
In ! response ! to ! these ! challenges, ! a ! group ! of ! researchers ! and ! engineers ! has !
developed ! the ! Efficient ! Deployment ! of ! Advanced ! Transportation ! Systems !
( EDAPTS) ! approach ! that ! guides ! small ! urban ! and ! rural ! transit ! agencie
through ! the ! process ! of ! acquiring ! APTS. ! ! !
s ! Three " legged ! stool ! of ! APTS !
deployment !
BACKGROUND !
In ! 1998, ! the ! Federal ! Transit ! Administration ! ( FTA) ! and ! the ! California ! Department ! of ! Transportation ! ( Caltrans) !
teamed ! up ! with ! California ! Polytechnic ! State ! University ! at ! San ! Luis ! Obispo ! ( Cal ! Poly ! SLO) ! and ! the ! City ! of ! San ! Luis !
Obispo ! Transit ! ( SLO ! Transit) ! to ! investigate ! ways ! to ! make ! APTS ! more ! affordable ! for ! the ! small ! transit ! operator ! and !
to ! provide ! lower ! cost ! system ! growth ! and ! enhancements ! over ! time. ! !
In ! 2007 ! Caltrans ! asked ! the ! California ! Center ! for ! Innovative ! Transportation ! ( CCIT), ! along ! with ! Cal ! Poly ! SLO ! and !
California ! State ! Polytechnic ! University ! at ! Pomona ! ( Cal ! Poly ! Pomona) ! to ! compile ! a ! comprehensive ! body ! of !
knowledge ! that ! could ! be ! utilized ! by ! any ! small ! urban ! or ! rural ! transit ! agency ! to ! deploy ! APTS ! more ! efficiently ! and ! at !
a ! lower ! life # cycle ! cost. ! The ! result ! of ! this ! research ! is ! the ! EDAPTS ! approach. !
DESCRIPTION ! OF ! THE ! EDAPTS ! APPROACH !
EDAPTS ! is ! a ! set ! of ! analytic ! tools, ! a ! recommended ! procurement ! methodology, ! and ! information ! that ! facilitates !
implementation ! of ! APTS ! for ! small ! urban ! and ! rural ! transit ! providers. ! EDAPTS ! outlines ! procurement ! options, !
provides ! useful ! information ! on ! funding ! sources, ! and ! advocates ! open ! source ! designs ! and ! open ! interface ! protocols. ! ! !
Implementing ! APTS ! in ! a ! transit ! system ! is ! an ! exciting, ! yet ! challenging, ! process. ! ! By ! using ! the ! EDAPTS ! methodology !
and ! the ! tools ! provided, ! a ! transit ! agency ! can ! implement ! the ! technologies ! it ! needs ! at ! a ! lower ! life # cycle ! cost. ! ! Overall, !
the ! EDAPTS ! motto ! is: ! ! Buy ! only ! what ! you ! can ! afford ! and ! really ! need ! now, ! but ! buy ! adaptable ! solutions ! that ! can !
grow ! as ! you ! and ! your ! needs ! change. !
!
!
4 !
More ! specifically, ! lower ! life # cycle ! costs ! are ! achieved ! by ! adhering ! to ! these ! principles: !
1. ! ! ! Build ! APTS ! systems ! that ! meet ! specific ! transit ! needs. ! This ! means ! distinguishing ! between ! those ! systems !
that ! are ! desired ! and ! those ! that ! are ! required. !
2. ! ! ! Promote ! the ! use ! and ! incorporation ! of ! non # proprietary ! subsystem ! interfaces ! that ! facilitate ! future !
expansion. !
3. ! ! Make ! system ! performance ! trade # offs ! that ! significantly ! reduce ! life # cycle ! costs ! but ! do ! not ! adversely !
impact ! the ! intended ! usefulness ! of ! the ! deployed ! system. !
THE ! EDAPTS ! PROCESS !
EDAPTS ! outlines ! a ! process ! of ! obtaining ! APTS ! technology, ! as ! shown ! in ! the ! diagram ! on ! the ! next ! page. ! ! This ! is ! a !
comprehensive ! process, ! guiding ! a ! transit ! agency ! from ! pre # implementation ! through ! implementation ! to ! general !
operations ! and ! maintenance ! of ! the ! system. ! ! ! These ! steps ! are: !
! DEFINE ! YOUR ! NEEDS: ! ! This ! step ! guides ! a ! transit ! agency ! through ! identifying ! stakeholders ! and ! collecting !
the ! needs ! and ! expectations ! of ! stakeholders ! before ! implementing ! an ! APTS ! project. ! This ! process ! also !
involves ! developing ! common ! operational ! scenarios ! to ! help ! formulate ! the ! benefits ! of ! APTS ! for ! a !
community. !
! ESTIMATE ! THE ! COSTS ! AND ! BENEFITS: ! ! This ! process ! helps ! to ! estimate ! the ! costs ! and ! benefits ! of ! APTS ! that !
is ! needed ! during ! the ! pre # implementation ! phase. ! A ! tool ! that ! estimates ! cost ! and ! benefits ! based ! on ! transit !
agency ! characteristics ! is ! available. !
! FIND ! FUNDING: ! ! This ! process ! involves ! identifying ! one ! or ! more ! potential ! grant ! programs ! or ! funding !
sources ! at ! the ! federal, ! state ! and ! local ! level ! for ! APTS ! implementation. ! A ! list ! of ! potential ! funding ! sources !
and ! possibly ! even ! a ! specific ! funding ! mechanism ! under ! State ! purview ! will ! be ! made ! available. ! !
! PROCURE ! THE ! TECHNOLOGY: ! This ! process ! helps ! a ! transit ! agency ! procure ! APTS ! that ! is ! currently ! needed !
while ! making ! sure ! it ! can ! be ! expanded ! incrementally ! at ! a ! low ! life # cycle ! cost. ! ! A ! dynamic ! tool ! to ! develop !
the ! technical ! specifications ! and ! a ! data ! format ! standard ! along ! with ! a ! list ! of ! pre # qualified ! suppliers ! will ! be !
made ! available. !
! IMPLEMENT ! THE ! SYSTEM: ! ! This ! is ! the ! actual ! implementation ! of ! the ! procured ! APTS ! through ! the !
processes ! described ! above. ! The ! supplier ! of ! the ! APTS ! is ! typically ! responsible ! for ! this ! process ! in ! close !
coordination ! with ! the ! transit ! agency. !
! TRAIN ! EMPLOYEES ! AND ! TRANSIT ! USERS: ! ! Employees ! who ! use ! the ! APTS ! need ! to ! be ! trained ! to ! effectively !
utilize ! the ! enhanced ! system ! capabilities ! and ! transit ! riders ! need ! to ! be ! made ! aware ! of ! the ! system !
enhancements. ! This ! process ! helps ! you ! through ! the ! initial ! time ! period ! after ! implementation. !
! OPERATE ! AND ! MAINTAIN: ! ! APTS ! solutions ! need ! continued ! up # keep ! and ! maintenance ! for ! reliable !
performance. ! An ! agency ! needs ! to ! identify ! a ! funding ! stream ! to ! meet ! this ! need. ! An ! APTS ! supplier ! can ! be !
hired ! for ! this ! service ! or ! the ! agency ! may ! choose ! to ! do ! this ! themselves. !
!
! EVALUATE: ! ! Evaluating ! deployed ! APTS ! solutions ! is ! critical ! to ! justify ! investment ! to ! stakeholders ! and !
funding ! entities. ! This ! helps ! facilitate ! trust ! and ! acceptance ! of ! the ! system ! and ! enable ! future ! expansion ! of !
APTS. !
The ! EDAPTS ! Process !
!
5 !
! !
!
Define your needs
Estimate costs and benefits
Find funding
Procure a system
Implement the system
Training and outreach
Operations and Maintenance
Evaluation
Project Management
FOR ! MORE ! INFORMATION ! ON ! THE ! EDAPTS ! APPROACH !
Go ! to ! the ! EDAPTS ! website ! located ! at !
http:// www. calccit. org/ projects/ EDAPTS. html !
Or ! contact ! a ! member ! of ! the ! project ! team ! listed ! below. !
Bruce ! Chapman, ! Caltrans ! DRI, ! ( 916) ! 654.9454, ! bruce_ chapman@ dot. ca. gov !
Manju ! Kumar, ! CCIT, ! ( 510) ! 642 " 8751, ! mkumar@ calccit. org ! !
Jeff ! Gerfen, ! Cal ! Poly ! San ! Luis ! Obispo, ! ( 805) ! 756 " 2990, ! jgerfen@ calpoly. edu ! !
Xudong ! Jia, ! Cal ! Poly ! Pomona, ! 909 " 869 " 4312, ! xjia@ csupomona. edu ! !
!
!
6 !
GETTING ! STARTED !
The ! overall ! purpose ! of ! the ! guide ! is ! to ! assess ! a ! transit ! agency’s ! need, ! if ! any, ! for ! APTS. ! ! The ! critical ! first ! step ! in ! doing !
this ! is ! to ! become ! familiar ! with ! APTS ! technology. ! ! This ! helps ! answer ! the ! question, ! “ Why ! consider ! APTS?” ! ! In !
response ! to ! this ! question, ! the ! first ! section ! details ! the ! benefits ! of ! APTS ! including ! some ! unique ! benefits ! to ! rural ! and !
small ! urban ! transit ! agencies. ! One ! goal ! of ! the ! guide ! is ! to ! help ! a ! transit ! manager ! or ! operator ! start ! to ! envision ! the !
ways ! that ! APTS ! can ! improve ! his/ her ! transit ! system. ! ! !
The ! next ! section ! of ! the ! guide ! begins ! a ! process ! of ! assessing ! a ! transit ! agency’s ! needs ! through ! stakeholder !
identification ! and ! needs ! analysis. ! ! To ! begin, ! it ! is ! crucial ! to ! correctly ! identify ! stakeholders, ! or ! groups ! of ! people ! that !
use, ! work, ! and/ or ! interact ! with ! the ! transit ! system. ! ! Lessons ! learned ! from ! previous ! deployments ! have ! shown ! that !
this ! is ! an ! important ! step. ! ! By ! correctly ! identifying ! stakeholders, ! a ! shared ! understanding ! of ! the ! goals ! of ! the ! transit !
improvements ! is ! achieved. ! ! The ! second ! step ! is ! to ! communicate ! with ! stakeholders ! and ! find ! out ! what ! they ! need !
from ! their ! transit ! system. ! ! There ! are ! resources ! and ! suggestions ! to ! help ! facilitate ! this ! step. ! ! The ! third ! step ! is ! to !
connect ! the ! needs ! of ! stakeholders ! to ! available ! APTS ! components ! and ! describe ! system ! benefits ! through !
operational ! scenarios. ! ! This ! process ! is ! important ! for ! reducing ! the ! risk ! of ! schedule ! and ! cost ! excesses ! and ! increasing !
the ! likelihood ! that ! the ! implementation ! meets ! users’ ! needs. ! !
!
!
!
7 !
AN ! INTRODUCTION ! TO ! ADVANCED ! PUBLIC ! TRANSPORATION ! SYSTEMS ! ( APTS) !
Providing ! public ! transit ! service ! to ! small ! urban ! and ! rural ! communities ! involves ! a ! unique ! set ! of ! needs. ! For ! instance, !
users ! are ! often ! faced ! with ! uncertainty ! when ! trying ! to ! catch ! a ! bus ! that ! may ! only ! come ! once ! every ! hour ! to ! a ! rural !
bus ! stop. ! At ! the ! same ! time, ! the ! small ! transit ! system ! operator ! typically ! struggles ! to ! maintain ! schedules ! and ! has ! to !
deal ! with ! elevated ! safety ! concerns ! for ! drivers ! and ! passengers ! when ! buses ! are ! on ! long ! headway ! sections ! of ! a ! route, !
especially ! in ! remote ! areas. ! Advanced ! Public ! Transportation ! Systems ! ( APTS) ! have ! been ! developed ! and ! deployed ! in !
large # scale ! transit ! properties ! as ! a ! means ! of ! increasing ! the ! efficiency ! and ! safety ! of ! transit ! services, ! as ! well ! as !
offering ! users ! easy ! access ! to ! real # time ! travel ! information. ! !
OVERVIEW ! OF ! THE ! BENEFITS ! OF ! APTS !
Every ! stakeholder, ! from ! passenger ! to ! transit ! operator, ! will ! benefit ! from ! APTS ! implementation ! using ! the ! EDAPTS !
approach. ! ! APTS ! technology ! provides ! more ! on # time ! arrivals ! and ! better ! time ! keeping ! so ! vehicle ! operators ! know !
when ! to ! depart ! from ! each ! vehicle ! stop. ! ! Real # time ! monitoring ! allows ! passengers ! to ! gauge ! arrival ! times ! and ! transit !
agencies ! to ! be ! continuously ! aware ! of ! drivers’ ! and ! passengers’ ! needs. ! ! !
A ! list ! of ! benefits ! is ! provided ! below ! for ! easy ! reference. ! !
! Due ! to ! real # time ! bus ! arrival ! times ! passengers ! no ! longer ! have ! to ! wait ! for ! the ! bus.
! On # line ! trip ! planning ! gives ! passengers ! the ! ability ! to ! use ! public ! transportation ! more ! effectively. ! !
! Improved ! schedule ! adherence.
! Better ! response ! to ! changes ! in ! service ! needs ! if ! paratransit ! services ! are ! provided.
! Improved ! impression ! of ! public ! transit ! as ! a ! viable ! alternative ! to ! driving. !
! Improved ! emergency ! response ! times.
! Streamlined ! and ! more ! efficient ! scheduling.
! Automated ! data ! collection ! and ! reporting ! which ! reduces ! time ! spent ! manually ! entering ! passenger !
information ! into ! a ! database. ! ! Also, ! transit ! managers ! can ! generate ! reports ! easily.
! Real # time ! monitoring ! of ! routes, ! incidents, ! driver ! and ! passenger ! needs.
Major ! components ! of ! the ! recommended ! APTS ! systems ! generally ! include ! the ! Vehicle ! On # Board ! Systems, ! Dynamic !
Roadside ! Information ! Displays, ! Central ! Transit ! Management ! Systems, ! Roadside ! Data ! Communications ! Systems, !
and ! Traveler ! Information ! Systems ! ( see ! the ! following ! diagram ! for ! examples). ! ! As ! a ! quick ! reference, ! components ! of !
these ! systems ! are ! described ! in ! detail ! in ! Appendix ! I ! of ! this ! document. ! !
!
!
APTS ! COMPONENTS !
Dispatching software
Roadside sign display
Traveler information using solar power
services
!
8 !
Central site
software
AVL System with GPS
MDT
Emergency actuator
Wireless ( radio) data
communication
!
!
9 !
These ! systems ! were ! investigated ! as ! part ! of ! the ! EDAPTS ! research ! effort. ! ! Appendix ! I ! also ! briefly ! looks ! at ! other ! APTS !
applications ! that ! may ! have ! the ! potential ! to ! improve ! the ! operations ! of ! small ! urban ! and ! rural ! public ! transportation !
systems. ! Small ! urban ! or ! rural ! transit ! agencies ! can ! customize ! APTS ! deployment ! by ! using ! one ! or ! more ! of ! the !
components ! described. ! In ! some ! cases, ! it ! may ! be ! necessary ! to ! look ! at ! a ! broader ! list ! of ! APTS ! technologies ! to ! address !
new ! or ! unique ! problems ! and ! needs. ! ! ! !
Now ! that ! there ! is ! an ! understanding ! of ! what ! is ! possible ! with ! regard ! to ! APTS, ! the ! following ! section ! begins ! the ! needs !
assessment ! process ! with ! stakeholder ! identification. !
!
!
10 !
IDENTIFYING ! STAKEHOLDERS !
The ! first ! step ! is ! to ! identify ! all ! people ! and ! entities ! that ! have ! a ! stake ! in ! the ! operation ! of ! your ! transit ! properties. ! !
These ! stakeholders ! includes ! passengers, ! drivers, ! dispatchers, ! and ! managers, ! at ! a ! minimum. ! ! Table ! 1 ! provides ! a !
summary ! of ! the ! process ! of ! identifying ! these ! stakeholders. ! ! Appendix ! II ! is ! a ! sample ! worksheet ! that ! can ! also ! be ! used !
to ! help ! identify ! stakeholders. !
Table ! 1 ! Identifying ! Stakeholders !
Objectives !
!
! Identify ! high # level ! end # users, ! implementers ! and ! regulators ! whose ! needs ! should ! be !
understood ! and ! addressed ! by ! your ! project. !
! Improve ! continuity ! between ! planning ! and ! implementation ! by ! understanding ! who ! needs ! to !
be ! involved ! in ! each ! phase ! of ! the ! project. !
Sources ! of !
information !
! Affected ! transit ! agencies, ! partners, ! and ! associated ! local ! government ! organizational ! charts. !
! Typical ! transit ! system ! users ! based ! on ! agency ! records, ! surveys ! and ! other ! sources. !
Key ! activities ! ! Identify ! individual ! stakeholders ! and ! groups ! that ! are ! affected by ! changes ! in ! the ! transit !
system !
! Generate ! a ! list ! of ! representatives ! for ! each ! entity. ! !
! Briefly ! describe ! and ! document ! roles ! and ! responsibilities ! of ! each ! stakeholder. ! ! !
Results ! ! A ! comprehensive ! list ! of ! stakeholders ! and ! documented ! agreements ! on ! their ! roles ! and !
responsibilities ! for ! the ! project. !
! Consolidation ! of ! stakeholders ! into ! groups ! linked ! by ! common ! interests ! and ! attributes, ! such !
as ! the ! traveling ! public, ! public ! agencies ! and ! private ! organizations. !
!
The ! remainder ! of ! this ! section ! outlines ! a ! sample ! set ! of ! typical ! stakeholders ! for ! a ! typical ! APTS ! deployment. ! ! This !
section ! can ! be ! useful ! in ! identifying ! the ! stakeholders ! that ! should ! be ! contacted ! and ! considered ! as ! participants ! in !
selection ! of ! APTS ! components. !
The ! major ! stakeholder ! groups ! are: ! !
1. Public ! transportation ! passengers !
2. Public/ ! government ! agencies ! !
The ! following ! list ! is ! a ! collection ! of ! potential ! groups ! that ! may ! be ! considered. ! Some ! may ! not ! be ! relevant ! to ! specific !
transit ! systems; ! others ! may ! need ! to ! be ! modified ! for ! a ! particular ! transit ! organization’s ! list. ! !
!
!
11 !
EXAMPLE ! STAKEHOLDERS !
PUBLIC ! TRANSPORTATION ! PASSENGERS !
! FIXED ! ROUTE ! PASSENGERS ! # ! Riders ! using ! services ! where ! vehicles ! run ! on ! regular, ! pre # designated, !
pre # scheduled ! routes. ! This ! group ! needs ! representation ! for ! the ! frequent ! riders ! as ! well ! as ! infrequent !
riders ! and ! visitors ! to ! the ! area.
PARATRANSIT ! PASSENGERS ! # ! Riders ! using ! on # demand ! transit ! services ! ( i. e. ! paratransit). ! ! The ! users !
of ! these ! services ! must ! be ! represented ! if ! you ! provide ! this ! type ! of ! service. ! ! If ! voluntary ! representatives !
are ! not ! forthcoming, ! you ! should ! actively ! seek ! involvement ! from ! qualified ! representatives. ! ! This ! is ! an !
important ! stakeholder ! with ! special ! needs, ! many ! of ! them ! covered ! by ! the ! Americans ! with ! Disabilities !
Act. ! For ! more ! information ! on ! accessibility ! requirements ! see !
http:// www. dot. gov/ citizen_ services/ disability/ disability. html.
PUBLIC/ GOVERNMENT ! AGENCIES ! !
! FEDERAL ! ENTITIES: !
! United ! States ! Department ! of ! Transportation ! ( USDOT) !
! Federal ! Highway ! Administration ! ( FHWA) !
! Federal ! Transit ! Administration ! ( FTA) !
STATE ! AND ! REGIONAL ! ENTITIES: !
! California ! Department ! of ! Transportation ! ( Caltrans) !
! Metropolitan ! Planning ! Organization ! ( MPO) !
! Regional ! Transportation ! Agency ! ( RTA) !
o County ! Commissions, ! County ! Councils ! and ! Transportation ! Congestion ! Management !
Agencies !
o Transit ! District ! Board ! of ! Directors !
LOCAL ! ENTITIES:
! Transit ! Authority ! in ! the ! City ! Government !
! Department ! of ! Public ! Works ! !
! City ! / ! County ! Council ! !
! City ! / ! County ! Planning ! Department !
!
!
12 !
OPERATING ! AGENCIES ! AND ! OTHER ! SERVICE ! PROVIDERS: !
! Transit ! Service ! Provider ! ( could ! be ! public ! or ! private): ! The ! agency ! that ! is ! responsible ! for ! the !
day # to # day ! operations ! of ! the ! public ! transportation ! system. ! ! Including: !
o Maintenance ! staff ! who ! are ! responsible ! for ! vehicles ! and ! APTS !
o Management ! staff ! who ! are ! responsible ! for ! meeting ! the ! reporting ! requirements ! and !
administering ! the ! day # to # day ! activities ! of ! the ! agency !
o Operators ! who ! drive ! the ! vehicles !
o Dispatchers ! who ! are ! responsible ! for ! the ! coordination ! of ! vehicles ! and ! compliance ! to !
fleet ! schedules ! !
FIRST ! RESPONDERS: !
! Transit ! Police ! or ! Public ! Law ! Enforcement: ! The ! agency ! responsible ! for ! law ! enforcement ! on !
the ! transit ! vehicles ! or ! at ! transit ! facilities ! ( bus ! stops, ! stations, ! etc.) !
! Emergency ! and ! Medical ! Services ! ( EMS) ! Personnel: ! The ! agencies ! that ! will ! be ! called ! upon ! to !
resolve ! emergency ! and ! medical ! situations !
!
!
!
13 !
ASSESSING ! NEEDS !
The ! next ! step ! in ! the ! EDAPTS ! approach ! is ! to ! assess ! the ! needs ! of ! identified ! stakeholders ! and ! stakeholder ! groups. ! !
The ! needs ! identification ! and ! analysis ! will ! only ! be ! successful ! if ! the ! stakeholders ! are ! engaged ! in ! this ! process. ! ! This !
typically ! involves ! actively ! seeking ! representation ! from ! each ! of ! the ! stakeholder ! groups. ! !
Once ! the ! representatives ! of ! the ! stakeholder ! groups ! are ! identified, ! their ! needs ! can ! be ! determined ! through ! either !
individual ! interactions ! or ! group ! discussions. ! ! Appendix ! III ! and ! IV ! are ! worksheets ! that ! can ! be ! given ! to ! stakeholders !
to ! help ! assess ! their ! needs. ! ! The ! worksheet ! in ! Appendix ! III ! is ! directed ! at ! users/ riders ! and ! Appendix ! IV ! is ! directed ! at !
dispatchers, ! managers ! and ! drivers. ! ! Table ! 2 ! is ! a ! summary ! of ! the ! needs ! assessment ! process. ! ! !
Table ! 2 ! Performing ! Needs ! Assessment !
Objectives !
!
! High # level ! identification ! of ! APTS ! needs ! in ! terms ! that ! all ! stakeholders ! can ! understand !
! Improved ! continuity ! between ! planning ! and ! deployment ! by ! identifying ! the ! most !
important ! needs ! for ! each ! of ! the ! stakeholders !
Sources ! of !
information !
! Stakeholder ! lists !
! Needs ! assessment ! worksheets ! ( see ! Appendices ! III ! and ! IV) !
Key ! activities ! ! Define, ! prioritize ! and ! get ! approval ! on ! the ! needs ! for ! each ! stakeholder ! group. ! Signature !
approval ! by ! responsible ! individuals ! or ! corporate ! management ! is ! preferred. !
Results ! ! A ! comprehensive, ! prioritized ! list ! of ! stakeholder ! issues ! and ! needs !
Some ! examples ! are ! provided ! below ! to ! help ! you ! get ! started. !
EXAMPLE ! NEEDS !
NEEDS ! OF ! THE ! TRAVELING ! PUBLIC !
! PUBLIC ! TRANSPORTATION ! PASSENGERS !
! Improved ! Confidence ! in ! Vehicle ! Arrivals ! and ! Departures ! at ! Stops ! and ! Transfer ! Points !
Schedule ! adherence ! is ! important ! for ! all ! transit ! users. ! However, ! in ! small ! urban ! and ! rural ! areas ! it ! is !
very ! common ! for ! transit ! systems ! to ! have ! headways ! of ! 30 ! minutes ! or ! longer, ! making ! this ! parameter !
even ! more ! important ! to ! those ! users. ! Early ! departures ! or ! late ! arrivals ! clearly ! reduce ! the ! confidence !
among ! users ! in ! the ! viability ! of ! public ! transportation ! and ! discourage ! new ! users ! from ! relying ! on ! it ! as !
their ! primary ! mode ! of ! travel. !
!
!
14 !
! Accurate ! Transit ! Schedules !
The ! transit ! system ! should ! have ! reliable ! and ! readily ! accessible ! published ! timetables. ! Accurate !
timetables ! allow ! passengers ! to ! properly ! time ! their ! arrival ! at ! a ! stop ! and ! closely ! match ! their ! travel !
needs ! to ! the ! arrival ! of ! a ! specific ! transit ! vehicle. ! !
! Accessible ! Real # time ! Vehicle ! Arrival ! Information ! !
Disseminating ! real # time ! vehicle ! arrival ! information ! to ! users ! for ! all ! periods ! of ! the ! day ! when ! service ! is !
available ! provides ! additional ! benefits ! over ! published ! schedules ! and ! give ! a ! heightened ! comfort ! factor !
to ! users. ! Passengers ! may ! make ! informed ! decisions ! regarding ! whether ! to ! wait ! at ! a ! stop, ! use ! the !
available ! time ! for ! other ! tasks, ! seek ! alternate ! transportation, ! or ! walk ! to ! their ! destinations. !
! Online ! Schedule ! Information !
The ! proliferation ! of ! computers, ! cellular ! phones, ! personal ! digital ! assistants ! ( PDAs) ! and ! similar ! wireless !
technologies ! has ! resulted ! in ! an ! increasing ! number ! of ! transit ! users ! that ! have ! anywhere/ anytime !
access ! to ! travel # related ! information. ! Therefore, ! transit ! schedules ! and ! real # time ! arrival ! information !
can ! be ! posted ! online, ! further ! enhancing ! the ! ability ! of ! passengers ! to ! adjust ! their ! travel ! schedules ! and !
reduce ! waiting ! time. !
! Simple ! Online/ Phone ! Systems ! For ! Making ! Demand ! Responsive ! Transit ! Requests !
Demand ! responsive ! transit ! systems ! allows ! passengers ! to ! access ! information ! and ! make ! transportation !
requests ! in ! a ! number ! of ! easy ! ways. ! ! These ! can ! include ! requests ! over ! the ! phone ! or ! using ! Internet #
based ! applications. ! Using ! these ! technologies, ! passengers ! can ! enter ! their ! demand ! responsive ! transit !
requests ! through ! an ! online ! form ! or ! even ! through ! an ! automated ! voice ! menu ! using ! the ! telephone. !
NEEDS ! OF ! PUBLIC/ GOVERMENT ! AGENCIES !
! GOVERNMENT ! ENTITIES !
! Efficient ! Transportation ! System ! through ! Better ! Transit ! Services !
Competitive ! alternate ! modes ! of ! transportation ! make ! the ! entire ! transportation ! system ! ( including !
highways, ! freeways ! and ! street ! networks) ! more ! efficient ! and ! effective. ! All ! government ! entities !
responsible ! for ! transportation ! systems ! in ! the ! nation ! are ! interested ! in ! using ! APTS ! technologies ! to !
make ! transit ! a ! truly ! competitive ! alternate ! mode ! of ! transportation. !
! Improved ! Reporting ! Accuracy !
Automatically ! generated ! reports, ! using ! real # time ! ( or ! near ! real # time) ! information ! on ! performance, !
ridership ! and ! revenues ! improves ! the ! accuracy ! of ! transit ! service ! reports. ! These ! reports ! and ! data ! assist !
regulatory ! agencies ! in ! efficiently ! allocating ! funding, ! and ! facilitate ! the ! mandatory ! reporting ! required !
by ! the ! Federal ! Transit ! Administration ! ( FTA). ! Furthermore, ! information ! derived ! from ! an ! APTS ! solution !
can ! be ! used ! to ! improve ! transit ! services ! and ! positively ! affect ! regional ! planning ! efforts. ! They ! may !
facilitate ! access ! to ! additional ! funds ! for ! transit ! investments. ! Long # term ! data ! provides ! a ! “ target ! rich” !
environment ! when ! assessing ! transit ! system ! performance ! over ! time. !
!
!
15 !
! OPERATING ! AGENCIES !
! Simple ! Mechanism ! to ! Improve ! Schedule ! Adherence !
Providing ! drivers ! with ! ready ! access ! to ! route ! and ! schedule ! performance ! information ! facilitates ! better !
schedule ! adherence. ! Improved ! schedule ! adherence ! greatly ! improves ! the ! transit ! user’s ! confidence !
that ! buses ! will ! arrive ! on ! schedule. !
! Automated ! Logging ! of ! Information ! !
Current ! small ! urban ! and ! rural ! transit ! systems ! often ! rely ! heavily ! on ! drivers ! to ! collect ! various ! system !
and ! operational ! data ! by ! hand. ! This ! frequently ! requires ! additional ! effort ! when ! drivers ! start ! and ! end !
their ! services, ! run ! their ! routes, ! board ! passengers, ! and ! fuel ! their ! vehicles. ! In ! some ! cases, ! it ! may ! even !
require ! additional ! personnel. ! ! Implementing ! automated ! data ! collection ! tools ! relieves ! the ! workload ! of !
drivers, ! improve ! the ! collection ! of ! data ! and ! minimize ! the ! need ! for ! temporary ! staffing ! in ! this ! area. !
! Improved ! Security ! and ! Safety !
Transit ! vehicle ! operators ! and ! passengers ! benefit ! from ! a ! safer ! transportation ! experience ! if ! there ! is ! a !
method ! to ! easily ! and ! discretely ! send ! a ! request ! for ! emergency ! assistance ! when ! there ! is ! a ! serious !
threat ! or ! dangerous ! situation ! on ! board ! the ! transit ! vehicle. !
! Enhanced ! Fleet ! Management ! Capabilities !
By ! knowing ! real # time ! information ! regarding ! the ! current ! location ! of ! all ! fleet ! vehicles ! through !
technologies ! like ! Automatic ! Vehicle ! Location ! System ! ( AVL), ! dispatchers ! and ! operators ! are ! able ! to !
manage ! fleets ! of ! transit ! vehicles ! more ! efficiently. ! This ! information ! helps ! them ! better ! coordinate !
mechanical ! service ! calls, ! substitute ! transit ! vehicles ! in ! the ! event ! of ! malfunctions, ! replace ! drivers, ! and !
respond ! to ! requests ! for ! information. ! Dispatchers ! have ! a ! better ! understanding ! of ! current ! vehicle !
operations ! with ! respect ! to ! travel ! time, ! travel ! speed, ! vehicle ! spacing, ! and ! schedule ! adherence. ! ! AVL !
also ! allows ! dispatchers ! to ! respond ! more ! accurately ! and ! quickly ! to ! emergency ! situations. !
! Ability ! to ! Ensure ! More ! Appropriately ! Spaced ! Bus ! Arrivals ! at ! Stops !
An ! unintentional ! platoon ! of ! closely ! spaced ! transit ! vehicles ! operating ! on ! the ! same ! route ! and ! arriving !
at ! the ! same ! stops ! in ! close ! proximity ! significantly ! reduces ! the ! overall ! efficiency ! of ! bus ! service. ! ! APTS !
can ! help ! transit ! vehicles ! maintain ! assigned ! schedules, ! proper ! spacing ! and ! consistent ! headways ! to !
improve ! route ! efficiency ! and ! reduce ! bottlenecks. ! !
! Easily ! Generated ! Performance ! Reports !
Typically, ! transit ! providers ! must ! produce ! various ! reports ! detailing ! daily, ! weekly, ! monthly, ! quarterly ! or !
annual ! operations. ! ! They ! benefit ! from ! systems ! that ! automate ! this ! tedious ! and ! labor # intensive !
reporting ! task. ! Many ! of ! the ! newer ! APTS ! solutions ! can ! be ! instructed ! to ! automatically ! generate ! these !
reports ! to ! meet ! the ! specific ! reporting ! needs ! of ! the ! agency. !
!
!
16 !
! FIRST ! RESPONDER ! NEEDS !
! Improved ! Response ! to ! “ Mayday” ! Requests !
When ! drivers ! request ! emergency ! assistance, ! a ! system ! enabling ! dispatchers ! to ! alert ! local ! emergency !
providers ! with ! accurate ! vehicle ! location ! information ! is ! a ! crucial ! element ! of ! a ! prompt ! response. ! !
AVL ! applications ! enable ! emergency ! responders ! to ! locate ! affected ! vehicles ! with ! minimal ! delay. !
Wireless ! communication ! technologies ! make ! it ! simpler ! for ! operators ! and ! dispatchers ! to ! coordinate !
safety ! issues ! with ! the ! police ! department, ! fire ! department ! and ! emergency ! responders. !
!
!
!
17 !
DEVELOPING ! OPERATIONAL ! SCENARIOS !
A ! good ! way ! to ! communicate ! benefits ! to ! decision # makers ! is ! to ! create ! operational ! scenarios ! that ! describe ! how !
stakeholders ! will ! use ! APTS ! and ! the ! benefits ! they ! will ! receive. ! ! Operational ! scenarios ! are ! important ! in ! the ! final ! APTS !
design ! by ! showing ! how ! the ! parts ! of ! the ! system ! work ! together ! as ! a ! whole ! to ! improve ! the ! transit ! experience ! for !
various ! stakeholders. ! They ! can ! also ! serve ! as ! the ! basis ! for ! developing ! user ! manuals ! and ! acceptance ! test ! plans ! for !
the ! system. ! Finally, ! the ! scenarios ! are ! useful ! tools ! for ! vendors ! to ! verify ! that ! the ! APTS ! system ! design ! they ! propose !
satisfy ! the ! stakeholder ! needs ! and ! expectations, ! both ! now ! and ! in ! the ! future. ! ! !
Defining ! stakeholders’ ! needs ! and ! developing ! operational ! scenarios ! is ! a ! small, ! but ! important, ! step ! in ! the ! Federal !
Highway ! Administration ! ( FHWA) ! Systems ! Engineering ! process. ! ! This ! process ! is ! important ! for ! reducing ! the ! risk ! of !
schedule ! and ! cost ! excesses ! and ! increasing ! the ! likelihood ! that ! implementation ! meets ! user's ! needs. ! ! ! Adherence ! to !
this ! process ! is ! also ! necessary ! when ! certain ! funding ! sources ! are ! used. ! ! !
For ! more ! information ! about ! the ! Systems ! Engineering ! process ! and ! its ! requirements ! go ! to !
http:// ops. fhwa. dot. gov/ publications/ seitsguide/ index. htm. ! ! ! !
Table ! 3 ! provides ! a ! summary ! of ! the ! process ! of ! developing ! operational ! scenarios. !
Table ! 3. ! Developing ! Operational ! Scenarios !
Objectives !
!
! High # level ! overview ! of ! how ! stakeholders ! interact ! with ! the ! new ! APTS ! system !
! Clear ! understanding ! of ! the ! benefits ! of ! APTS ! through ! improved ! passenger, ! driver, ! and !
transit ! agency ! experiences !
Sources ! of !
information !
! Stakeholder ! list ! !
! Needs ! assessment ! !
! Broad ! stakeholder ! input ! ( through ! surveys, ! direct ! feedback, ! etc.) !
! APTS ! components ! descriptions !
Key ! activities ! ! Using ! sample ! scenario ! tables ! to ! show ! how ! an ! APTS ! system ! improves ! the ! transit ! experience !
for ! your ! agency, ! drivers, ! passengers ! and ! any ! other ! stakeholders. !
! Note ! the ! benefits ! that ! each ! stakeholder ! receive. ! !
! Link ! each ! scenario ! to ! a ! list ! of ! the ! APTS ! components ! needed ! for ! that ! scenario ! ( see ! The !
EDAPTS ! Approach: ! an ! overview, ! for ! an ! example ! of ! how ! to ! present ! these ! scenarios). ! !
Results ! ! A ! set ! of ! clearly ! defined ! scenarios, ! user ! benefits, ! and ! APTS ! components ! needed ! ( see !
following ! example ! scenario ! tables). ! !
!
The ! following ! sample ! scenarios ! show ! how ! an ! APTS ! works ! during ! typical ! daily ! operation. ! ! Using ! a ! sample ! list ! of !
potential ! stakeholders, ! operational ! scenarios ! are ! presented ! to ! describe ! how ! the ! trip ! experiences ! of ! each ! group !
improve ! following ! an ! APTS ! implementation. ! It ! is ! important ! to ! note ! that ! transit ! agencies ! may ! choose ! part ! ( i. e., ! one !
or ! more) ! of ! the ! APTS ! systems ! included ! in ! the ! EDAPTS ! approach ! that ! meet ! their ! unique ! needs. ! ! !
!
!
18 !
SAMPLE ! SCENARIOS !
In ! this ! section, ! a ! template ! for ! the ! creation ! of ! scenarios ! is ! provided, ! followed ! by ! a ! set ! of ! sample ! scenarios ! from ! the !
perspectives ! of ! passengers, ! drivers, ! and ! dispatch ! personnel. ! ! While ! the ! following ! scenarios ! often ! involve ! multiple !
stakeholders, ! they ! are ! organized ! based ! on ! which ! stakeholder ! is ! the ! main ! actor. ! ! !
SCENARIO ! TEMPLATE: ! FOR ! TRANSIT ! AGENCY ! USE !
SCENARIO ! A !
Describe ! the ! experience ! stakeholder( s) ! will ! ! have ! with ! some ! part ! of ! an !
APTS ! system !
Benefit ! Describe ! how ! this ! scenario ! improves ! the ! stakeholder ! experience !
Example: ! Passenger ! and ! driver ! safety !
Stakeholders ! involved ! List ! all ! stakeholders ! involved ! in ! the ! scenario !
Example: ! Passenger ! and ! driver !
EDAPTS ! elements ! needed ! List ! the ! components ! or ! APTS ! technologies ! required ! for ! this ! scenario !
Example: ! Emergency ! actuator ! button, ! MDT, ! AVL, ! Dispatching ! Software, !
Central ! Site ! Software !
!
PASSENGER ! SCENARIOS !
SCENARIO ! 1A !
A ! passenger ! walks ! to ! a ! bus ! stop ! and ! sees ! that ! the ! bus ! will ! not ! arrive ! for !
4 ! minutes. ! He ! or ! she ! has ! time ! for ! a ! quick ! cup ! of ! coffee. !
Benefit ! Provides ! real # time ! information ! to ! waiting ! passengers ! giving ! them !
peace ! of ! mind ! as ! well ! as ! an ! opportunity ! to ! make ! better ! use ! of ! wait !
time. !
Passengers ! are ! more ! satisfied ! with ! the ! quality ! of ! service ! provided. !
Stakeholders ! involved ! Passenger !
Bus ! Driver !
Transit ! Manager !
APTS ! components ! needed ! Dynamic ! Roadside ! Information Sign
Advanced ! Vehicle ! Location ! ( AVL) !
Dispatching ! Software !
Mobile ! Data ! Terminal ! ( MDT) !
Wireless ! Data ! Communication !
!
!
!
19 !
SCENARIO ! 1B !
A ! passenger ! wants ! to ! know ! when ! the ! next ! bus ! is ! expected ! to ! arrive ! at !
his/ her ! regular ! stop. ! The ! passenger ! accesses ! information ! via ! internet !
or ! telephone. ! ! The ! information ! displays ! that ! the ! bus ! will ! arrive ! in ! 20 !
minutes ! allowing ! plenty ! of ! time ! for ! the ! passenger ! to ! walk ! to ! the ! bus !
stop. !
Benefit ! Passenger ! minimizes ! wait ! time
Decreases ! passenger ! stress !
Stakeholders ! involved ! Passenger !
APTS ! components ! needed ! Dispatching ! Software
Advanced ! Vehicle ! Location ! ( AVL) !
Mobile ! Data ! Terminal ! ( MDT) !
Wireless ! Data ! Communication !
Public ! Website ! and/ or ! Automated ! Phone ! Systems !
!
SCENARIO ! 1C !
A ! passenger ! does ! not ! have ! exact ! change ! for ! the ! bus ! fare. ! ! The !
passenger ! is ! able ! to ! purchase ! a ! fare/ pass ! using ! the ! electronic ! payment !
system ! at ! the ! bus ! stop ! before ! the ! bus ! arrives. !
Benefit ! Reduces ! boarding ! time ! because ! money ! is ! not ! exchanged ! while !
boarding ! the ! bus !
Reduces ! labor ! associated ! with ! counting ! and ! collecting ! money !
Improves ! customer ! experience !
Stakeholders ! involved ! Passenger !
Driver !
Dispatcher !
APTS ! components ! needed ! Electronic ! Payment ! System ! ( EPS)
Mobile ! Data ! Terminal ! ( MDT) !
!
!
!
20 !
DRIVER ! SCENARIOS !
SCENARIO ! 2A !
A ! driver ! arrives ! at ! a ! stop. ! ! The ! MDT ! displays ! the ! bus ! stop ! location ! to !
the ! driver ! and ! automatically ! counts ! down ! the ! time ! until ! scheduled !
departure ! from ! the ! stop. !
Benefit ! Improved ! schedule ! adherence
Drivers ! feel ! more ! comfortable ! and ! relaxed ! due ! to ! automatic !
countdown !
Passengers ! benefit ! from ! buses ! that ! are ! on # time !
Stakeholders ! involved ! Driver !
Dispatcher !
Passenger !
APTS ! components ! needed ! Mobile ! Data ! Terminal ! ( MDT)
Dispatching ! Software !
Central ! Site ! Software !
Automatic ! Vehicle ! Location ! ( AVL) !
Wireless ! Data ! Communication ! !
!
SCENARIO ! 2B !
A ! driver ! arrives ! for ! his/ her ! shift. ! ! The ! MDT ! screen ! allows ! the ! driver ! to !
log ! in ! with ! his/ her ! name ! and ! the ! bus’ ! odometer ! reading. ! !
Benefit ! Decreased ! labor ! needed ! to ! input ! driver ! logs ! and ! bus ! mileage ! data !
Eases ! the ! production ! of ! operational ! reports !
These ! reports ! can ! help: !
! Fulfill ! funding ! requirements !
! Assist ! with ! future ! scheduling !
! Improve ! efficiency !
! Justify ! budget ! changes !
Stakeholders ! involved ! Driver !
Dispatcher !
Transit ! Manager !
APTS ! components ! needed ! Mobile ! Data ! Terminal ! ( MDT)
Dispatching ! Software !
Central ! Site ! Software !
!
SCENARIO ! 2C !
A ! driver ! notices ! a ! disruptive ! passenger ! on ! board ! the ! bus ! and ! feels ! as !
though ! the ! situation ! is ! about ! to ! become ! dangerous. ! ! The ! driver !
discretely ! presses ! the ! emergency ! actuator, ! alerting ! central ! dispatch. ! !
The ! dispatcher ! can ! coordinate ! with ! emergency ! responders ! by ! providing !
accurate ! real # time ! location ! information. !
Benefit ! Allows ! discrete ! communication ! when ! radio ! communication ! is ! not !
possible !
Improves ! emergency ! response ! time ! due ! to ! location ! information !
!
!
21 !
Stakeholders ! involved ! Driver !
Passenger !
Dispatcher !
APTS ! components ! needed ! Emergency ! Actuator
Dispatching ! Software !
Central ! Site ! Software !
Automatic ! Vehicle ! Location ! ( AVL) !
Mobile ! Data ! Terminal ! ( MDT) !
!
SCENARIO ! 2D !
A ! driver ! arrives ! at ! a ! stop; ! the ! automatic ! passenger ! counter ! ( APC) !
counts ! passengers ! as ! they ! board ! and ! get ! off ! the ! bus. ! ! ! ! !
Benefit ! Reduces ! drivers’ ! workload ! and ! stress !
Drivers ! can ! focus ! on ! passenger ! needs ! and ! safety !
Decreased ! manpower ! for ! ridership ! counts !
Stakeholders ! involved ! Driver !
APTS ! components ! needed ! Automatic ! Passenger ! Counter ! ( APC)
Mobile ! Data ! Terminal ! ( MDT) !
Wireless ! Data ! Communication !
Central ! Site ! Software !
!
DISPATCH ! PERSONNEL ! AND ! TRANSIT ! MANAGERS !
SCENARIO ! 3A !
Dispatch ! personnel ! and ! transportation ! managers ! use ! mileage ! data, !
arrival ! and ! departure ! times, ! and ! driver ! information ! to ! generate !
reports. ! ! !
Benefit ! These ! reports ! can ! help: !
! Fulfill ! funding ! requirements !
! Assist ! with ! future ! scheduling !
! Improve ! efficiency !
! Justify ! budget ! changes !
Stakeholders ! involved ! Passenger !
Driver !
Dispatcher !
Transit ! Manager !
Regulatory ! body !
APTS ! components ! needed ! Automatic ! Vehicle ! Location ! ( AVL)
Mobile ! Data ! Terminal ! ( MDT) !
Central ! Site ! Software !
Dispatching ! Software !
By ! choosing ! from ! the ! above ! list ! of ! operational ! scenarios ! and ! customizing ! them ! to ! meet ! your ! specific ! needs, ! the !
benefits ! of ! the ! improvements ! you ! envision ! can ! be ! easily ! communicated ! to ! community ! members ! and ! decision #
makers. ! ! These ! operational ! scenarios ! are ! also ! displayed ! in ! picture ! form ! in ! Appendix ! V. ! ! Depending ! on ! what ! format !
is ! most ! comfortable, ! these ! can ! easily ! be ! made ! into ! a ! slideshow ! to ! present ! to ! decision # makers !
!
!
22 !
CONCLUSION !
This ! guide ! helps ! a ! transit ! agency ! navigate ! the ! first ! steps ! toward ! APTS ! procurement. ! ! These ! steps ! include: !
! Getting ! familiar ! with ! APTS: ! ! Find ! out ! ways ! that ! APTS ! can ! work ! for ! you! ! ! Many ! small ! urban ! and ! rural !
transit ! agencies ! have ! not ! considered ! using ! APTS ! technologies ! because ! of ! funding, ! procurement ! and !
technical ! challenges. ! ! These ! technologies, ! though, ! offer ! unique ! benefits ! to ! small ! urban ! and ! rural ! transit !
agencies. ! ! Some ! important ! benefits ! include ! real # time ! arrival ! notification ! for ! buses ! that ! may ! only ! come !
once ! or ! twice ! per ! hour ! and ! an ! emergency ! notification ! system ! that ! helps ! protect ! drivers ! and ! passengers !
on ! routes ! in ! remote ! areas. ! ! !
! Identifying ! Stakeholders: ! ! Get ! people ! involved! ! ! Receiving ! input ! from ! many ! people ! and ! groups ! takes ! a ! lot !
of ! time, ! but ! it ! is ! an ! investment ! in ! the ! future ! success ! of ! the ! APTS ! deployment. ! ! When ! people ! get ! involved !
in ! the ! visioning ! process ! they ! have ! “ buy # in” ! and ! the ! community ! can ! start ! to ! share ! a ! common !
understanding ! of ! the ! goals ! of ! the ! system ! changes. ! ! !
! Assessing ! Needs: ! ! ! What ! is ! needed? ! ! This ! is ! a ! basic, ! yet ! critical, ! question ! to ! ask. ! ! Keeping ! APTS !
deployment ! low ! cost ! is ! essential ! and ! the ! first ! way ! to ! do ! this ! is ! through ! an ! accurate ! needs ! assessment. ! !
This ! will ! ensure ! that ! money ! and ! time ! is ! not ! wasted ! on ! needless ! systems. ! ! Also ! important, ! is ! prioritizing !
these ! needs. ! ! It ! may ! be ! that ! not ! all ! of ! the ! system ! improvements ! can ! be ! accomplished ! at ! once, ! so ! keeping !
a ! list ! of ! priorities ! is ! a ! good ! way ! to ! make ! long # term ! improvements. ! ! !
! Developing ! Operational ! Scenarios: ! ! ! Communicate ! the ! benefits ! of ! APTS! ! ! While ! transit ! managers ! and !
operators ! may ! agree ! on ! what ! systems ! to ! implement, ! it ! is ! often ! the ! case ! that ! an ! external ! body, ! such ! as ! a !
city ! council ! or ! regional ! planning ! board, ! has ! to ! be ! convinced. ! ! One ! way ! to ! do ! this ! is ! with ! operational !
scenarios. ! ! These ! scenarios ! demonstrate ! the ! ways ! in ! which ! APTS ! functions ! and ! the ! benefits ! that ! are !
received ! by ! each ! stakeholder. ! ! They ! should ! be ! easy ! to ! understand, ! making ! it ! a ! good ! way ! to ! present !
system ! improvements ! to ! decision # makers. ! ! ! ! !
There ! are ! many ! tools ! and ! resources ! located ! in ! this ! document ! for ! getting ! started ! with ! APTS ! procurement. ! ! For !
more ! information ! and ! technical ! assistance, ! please ! contact ! the ! California ! Center ! for ! Innovative ! Transportation ! by !
email ! at ! ccitdesk@ calccit. org ! or ! by ! phone ! at ! 510 # 642 # 4522. !
! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
!
!
23 !
APPENDIX ! I: ! ! RECOMMENDED ! APTS ! SYSTEMS !
This ! is ! a ! quick ! reference ! that ! describes ! various ! APTS ! components ! that ! can ! increase ! efficiency ! of ! transit ! operations, !
improve ! passengers’ ! experience, ! and ! improve ! reliability ! and ! safety ! for ! rural ! and ! small ! urban ! transit ! systems. ! ! This !
information ! is ! an ! important ! reference ! when ! deciding ! which, ! if ! any, ! improvements ! to ! implement. ! ! ! ! !
VEHICLE ! ON # BOARD ! SYSTEM ! !
Vehicle ! On # Board ! components ! include ! the ! equipment ! and ! software ! elements ! installed ! in ! a ! transit ! vehicle. ! ! These !
may ! include: !
1. MOBILE ! DATA ! TERMINAL ! ( MDT) ! – ! the ! device ! that ! allows ! the ! driver ! to ! access ! schedule ! adherence ! status, !
collects ! passenger # boarding ! counts, ! records ! time ! of ! day ! and ! route ! being ! driven, ! etc. ! ! The ! MDT ! is ! connected ! to !
other ! elements ! of ! the ! Vehicle ! On # board ! System ! and ! to ! the ! Central ! Transit ! Management ! System ! via ! on # board !
communication ! links. ! !
2. EMERGENCY ! ACTUATOR ! – ! the ! device ! used ! by ! drivers ! to ! send ! an ! emergency ! message ! to ! the !
dispatcher/ manager. ! A ! button ! is ! typically ! installed ! near ! the ! driver’s ! seat ! so ! the ! driver ! can ! press ! it ! without !
alerting ! anyone ! on ! the ! transit ! vehicle. !
3. ON # BOARD ! AUDIO ! ANNUNCIATOR ! – ! the ! device ! that ! automates ! the ! announcement ! of ! stops ! and ! other !
information ! to ! passengers ! while ! onboard ! the ! vehicle. !
4. ELECTRONIC ! PAYMENT ! SYSTEM ! ( PASS/ FARE ! MEDIA ! READER) ! – ! the ! device ! that ! reads ! and ! validates !
passes ! and ! other ! electronic ! fare ! payment ! ( EFP) ! media. ! !
5. ON # BOARD ! ELECTRONIC ! SIGN ! – ! one ! or ! more ! electronic ! signs ! that ! display ! dynamic ! messages ! to !
passengers ! within ! the ! vehicle. !
6. AUTOMATIC ! PASSENGER ! COUNTER ! ( APC) ! – ! the ! device ! that ! automatically ! counts ! passengers ! boarding !
the ! vehicle. ! ! It ! may ! also ! count ! passengers ! getting ! off ! the ! vehicle. ! !
ROADSIDE ! SYSTEM ! !
These ! are ! APTS ! components ! installed ! along ! transit ! routes ! or ! at ! vehicle ! stops. ! The ! roadside ! system ! typically !
includes ! an ! electronic, ! remotely # controlled ! display ! that ! presents ! information ! regarding ! estimated ! time ! of ! arrival ! of !
buses ! to ! passengers ! waiting ! at ! transit ! stops. ! ! ! These ! may ! include: !
1. DYNAMIC ! ROADSIDE ! INFORMATION ! DISPLAY ! ( DRID) ! – ! the ! device ! providing ! real # time !
information ! regarding ! vehicle ! arrival, ! based ! on ! transit ! vehicle ! progress ! along ! route. !
2. SOLAR ! POWER ! SOURCE ! – ! an ! autonomous ! power ! option ! for ! the ! DRID ! to ! allow ! mounting ! at ! remote !
stops ! where ! AC ! line ! voltage ! is ! not ! available. !
!
!
24 !
CENTRAL ! SYSTEMS !
The ! Central ! Transit ! Management ! System ! components ! generally ! include ! Central ! Site ! Software ! that ! allows !
communication ! among ! the ! various ! APTS ! components. ! It ! may ! also ! include ! an ! Advanced ! Transit ! Management !
System ! ( ATMS). ! ATMS ! are ! consoles ! that ! display ! vehicle ! location ! information ! and ! help ! transit ! dispatch ! personnel !
and ! system ! managers ! conduct ! effective ! real # time ! management ! of ! the ! transit ! system. ! ! These ! consoles ! can ! provide !
assistance ! in ! data ! collecting ! and ! storing ! ( e. g., ! boarding ! counts ! and ! ridership ! information), ! driver ! information !
management, ! statistical ! analysis, ! and ! preparation ! of ! various ! operational ! reports. !
1. TRANSIT ! VEHICLE ! TRACKING ! – ! powered ! by ! Automatic ! Vehicle ! Location ! ( AVL) ! systems, ! this ! is ! a ! key !
component ! allowing ! transit ! agencies ! to ! monitor ! the ! location ! of ! vehicles. ! ! The ! location ! data ! may ! be ! used !
to ! determine ! schedule ! adherence ! and ! update ! the ! transit ! system’s ! schedule ! in ! real # time. ! ! Information !
regarding ! bus ! location ! and ! time ! is ! collected ! and ! displayed ! using ! the ! AVL ! and ! Central ! Site ! Software. ! ! !
2. DISPATCHING ! SOFTWARE ! – ! the ! interactive ! software ! that ! provides ! a ! Graphical ! User ! Interface ! ( GUI) !
for ! transit ! dispatchers ! and ! managers. ! ! It ! allows ! dispatchers ! and ! managers ! to ! communicate ! with ! and !
manage ! the ! vehicles ! and ! roadside ! displays. ! The ! capabilities ! provided ! by ! this ! software ! typically ! include !
real # time ! vehicle ! location, ! fleet ! management, ! schedule ! adherence ! displays, ! and ! emergency ! management. ! !
3. CENTRAL ! SITE ! SOFTWARE ! – ! the ! software ! that ! runs ! at ! a ! fixed, ! central ! location ! to ! receive, ! transmit, !
store, ! and ! facilitate ! the ! exchange ! of ! data ! between ! other ! components. ! ! It ! typically ! communicates ! with ! on #
board ! and ! roadside ! components. ! ! It ! also ! collects, ! stores, ! and ! retrieves ! real # time ! system ! data ! for ! the !
analysis ! of ! schedule ! adherence ! and ! provides ! Application ! Programming ! Interfaces ! ( APIs) ! to ! dispatching !
software. ! !
TRAVELER ! INFORMATION ! SYSTEM !
Transit ! operators ! may ! choose ! to ! provide ! real # time ! information ! to ! travelers. ! Information ! can ! come ! in ! many ! forms !
and ! allows ! passengers ! to ! make ! better ! decisions ! regarding ! their ! travel ! plans. ! ! !
1. TRAVELER ! INFORMATION ! SERVICES ! – This ! disseminates ! information ! on ! fixed ! bus ! schedules, ! real #
time ! bus ! arrivals ! at ! specific ! stops, ! and ! passenger ! load ! status ! using ! the ! Internet, ! telephone, ! individual !
personal ! digital ! assistants ! ( PDAs), ! text ! messaging ! service, ! etc. !
DATA ! COMMUNICATIONS ! !
The ! data ! communication ! system ! needs ! wireless ! capability ! to ! allow ! communication ! between ! the ! vehicle’s ! on # board !
system ! and ! central ! dispatch. ! ! In ! some ! limited ! instances, ! wired ! communication ! may ! be ! used. ! ! The ! information !
typically ! transferred ! includes ! bus ! location, ! stop ! arrival ! and ! departure ! times, ! boarding ! information, ! etc. !
1. WIRELESS ! DATA ! COMMUNICATION ! – ! data ! transmission ! via ! radio, ! Wi # Fi, ! cellular, ! or ! other ! means, ! to !
provide ! the ! communication ! links ! among ! different ! components. ! This ! may ! require ! a ! wireless ! data !
communication ! system ! in ! the ! vehicles ! as ! well ! as ! a ! roadside ! wireless ! infrastructure. !
2. WIRED ! COMMUNICATION– ! data ! transmitted ! between ! the ! roadside ! display ! and ! central ! dispatch ! may !
use ! existing ! telecommunications ! infrastructure ! to ! transmit ! data. ! ! ! !
!
!
25 !
The ! components ! listed ! above ! are ! a ! set ! of ! recommended ! APTS ! technology. ! ! While ! there ! are ! many ! systems ! listed, ! it !
is ! not ! an ! exhaustive ! list. ! ! When ! customizing ! a ! unique ! APTS, ! additional ! systems ! may ! be ! needed ! to ! better ! fit ! a ! transit !
agency’s ! specific ! needs. ! Information ! about ! additional ! APTS ! can ! be ! found ! at !
http:// www. itsoverview. its. dot. gov/ TM. asp. ! ! !
!
!
26 !
APPENDIX ! II: ! STAKEHOLDER ! ASSESSMENT ! WORKSHEET !
!
Stakeholder ! Assessment ! Worksheet !
! ! The ! following ! worksheet ! is ! designed ! to ! help ! you ! identify ! the ! stakeholders ! that ! interact ! with ! your !
specific ! transit ! system. !
Traveling ! Public !
1. How ! many ! people ! reside ! in ! your ! service ! area? ! ! _______________ !
!
2. Do ! you ! have ! a ! fixed ! route ! bus ! system? ! ! ! ! Yes_____ ! ! ! ! No_____ ! ! ( if ! no, ! please ! skip ! to ! # 5) !
!
3. How ! many ! fixed ! route ! riders ! do ! you ! have ! in ! an ! average ! month? ! ! ______________ !
!
4. Are ! there ! specific ! groups ! that ! are ! serviced ! by ! the ! fixed ! route ! system ! ( i. e. ! a ! university !
students ! or ! hospital ! patients)? ! ! If ! so ! please ! list ! them ! below. !
!
!
!
!
5. Do ! you ! have ! a ! demand ! response ! system? ! ! Yes_____ ! ! ! No_____ ! ( if ! no, ! please ! skip ! to ! next !
section ! – ! Operating ! Agencies) !
!
6. How ! many ! demand ! response ! riders ! do ! you ! have ! in ! an ! average ! month? ! ! ______________ !
!
7. Are ! there ! specific ! groups ! that ! are ! serviced ! by ! the ! demand ! response ! system? ! ! If ! so ! please ! list !
them ! below. !
!
!
Operating ! Agencies !
!
1. Who ! is ! responsible ! for ! day ! to ! day ! operations ! of ! your ! transit ! system ! ( could ! include ! public !
agencies ! or ! private ! entities ! under ! contract)? ! ! !
!
!
!
!
!
27 !
2. Locally, ! which ! of ! the ! following ! groups ! are ! involved ! in ! your ! transit ! system ! planning, !
operations ! and ! maintenance: !
!
Transit ! authority ! in ! the ! city ! government !
Name ! of ! the ! transit ! authority______________ ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ______ !
!
Department ! of ! Public ! Works !
!
! City ! Council !
!
! County ! Commission/ Council !
!
! City ! Planning ! Department !
!
! County ! Planning ! Department !
Other ! Agencies !
1. Do ! you ! have ! transit ! police ! or ! do ! you ! rely ! solely ! on ! public ! law ! enforcement ! to ! respond ! to !
non # medical ! emergencies? !
!
! ! Transit ! Police ! Force ! __________________________________________ !
!
! ! Public ! Law ! Enforcement ! _______________________________________ !
2. How ! do ! you ! receive ! technical ! support? !
! External ! contract ! with ! a ! consultant ! organization_____________________________ ! !
!
! On # going ! service ! contract ! with ! original ! vendor_______________________________ !
!
! I ! have ! internal ! technical ! support !
!
3. Do ! you ! have ! any ! external ! funding? ! ! _____________ !
!
4. If ! yes, ! where ! does ! this ! transportation ! funding ! come ! from ! ( e. g. ! FTA, ! Caltrans, ! Earmarks, ! etc)? ! ! !
List ! all ! of ! your ! sources. !
!
!
All ! of ! the ! entities ! identified ! above !
! are ! the ! stakeholders ! of ! your ! transit ! system! !
!
!
28 !
APPENDIX ! III: ! NEEDS ! ASSESSMENT ! WORKSHEET " ! PASSENGERS !
!
Needs ! Assessment ! Worksheet !
This ! worksheet ! is ! designed ! to ! capture ! input ! from ! passengers ! and ! end ! users. !
Please ! answer ! the ! following ! questions ! to ! the ! best ! of ! your ! ability !
1. I ! use ! public ! transportation !
a) Very ! often !
b) Somewhat ! often !
c) Rarely !
d) Never !
!
2. I ! use ! a ! dial # a # ride ! or ! demand ! response ! bus !
a) yes !
b) no !
!
3. I ! ride ! a ! fixed ! route ! bus !
a) yes !
b) no !
!
4. Why ! do ! you ! choose ! to ! use ! public ! transportation? !
a) Public ! transportation ! is ! convenient !
b) I ! do ! not ! own ! a ! car !
c) cost ! of ! driving ! is ! too ! expensive !
d) Other ! ( please ! specify)____________________________ !
!
!
!
29 !
5. On ! a ! daily ! basis ! what ! causes ! the ! greatest ! inconvenience? ! ( please ! mark ! the ! level ! of ! inconvenience ! in !
the ! boxes ! next ! to ! the ! statements) !
!
! Very !
inconvenient !
Inconvenient ! Somewhat !
inconvenient !
Not !
applicable !
Buses ! that ! do ! not ! arrive ! on # time !
!
! ! ! !
Not ! knowing ! when ! the ! bus ! will ! arrive ! at ! the ! bus !
stop !
! ! ! !
The ! line ! to ! get ! on ! the ! bus ! is ! long ! and ! moves ! slowly
!
! ! ! !
When ! I’m ! on ! the ! bus ! I’m ! not ! sure ! which ! stop ! is !
next !
! ! ! !
Other ! ( please !
specify____________________________________
! ! ! !
!
!
The ! following ! section ! is ! designed ! to ! help ! you ! prioritize ! between ! different ! technologies ! that ! could !
improve ! your ! transit ! experience. ! ! It ! is ! important ! to ! keep ! in ! mind ! your ! specific ! needs ! when ! responding ! to !
the ! options. ! To ! complete ! this ! section ! read ! both ! option ! 1 ! and ! option ! 2 ! and ! indicate ! which ! option ! you !
prefer ! by ! checking ! the ! box ! next ! to ! it. ! !
!
Option ! 1 !
“ I ! would ! rather… !
Option ! 2
! Or…” ! !
Have ! real " time ! bus ! arrival ! information ! Have ! electronic ! payment capability !
!
Have ! electronic ! payment ! capability ! Have ! automatic ! passenger ! counting !
!
Have ! automatic ! passenger ! counting ! Have ! real " time ! bus ! arrival ! information !
!
Receive ! bus ! arrival ! information ! from ! a !
website !
Receive ! bus ! arrival ! information ! from ! a ! text !
message ! !
Receive ! bus ! arrival ! information ! from ! a !
text ! message !
Receive ! bus ! arrival ! information ! from ! a ! sign !
at ! the ! bus ! stop ! !
Receive ! bus ! arrival ! information ! from ! a !
sign ! at ! the ! bus ! stop !
Receive ! bus ! arrival ! information ! from ! a !
website ! !
Have ! next ! stop ! information ! displayed ! on !
a ! sign ! in ! the ! bus !
Have ! an ! automatic ! annuciator ! that !
announces ! the ! next ! stop ! on ! the ! bus ! !
!
!
!
!
!
30 !
6. Please ! use ! the ! space ! to ! indicate ! any ! improvements ! you’d ! like ! see ! to ! your ! transit ! system !
!
!
!
!
!
!
31 !
APPENDIX ! IV: ! NEEDS ! ASSESSMENT ! WORKSHEET " ! TRANSIT ! PERSONEL !
Needs ! Assessment ! Worksheet !
The ! worksheet ! is ! designed ! to ! capture ! input ! from ! those ! people ! that ! work ! for/ with ! your ! transit ! system. !
Please ! answer ! the ! following ! questions ! to ! the ! best ! of ! your ! ability !
1. How ! long ! have ! you ! worked ! for ! the ! transit ! agency/ authority? !
a) 0 # 2 ! years !
b) 2 # 5 ! years !
c) 5 # 10 ! years !
d) 10 ! years ! or ! more !
!
2. I ! am ! a ! !
a) bus ! driver !
b) transit ! manager !
c) dispatcher !
d) technical ! staff !
e) maintenance ! staff !
f) emergency ! personnel !
g) Other ! ( please ! specify):___________________________ !
!
3. Our ! transit ! system ! has ! !
a) fixed ! route ! bus ! system !
b) demand ! response ! vehicles !
c) both ! demand ! response ! and ! fixed ! route ! systems !
d) Other ! ( please ! specify): ! _________________________ !
!
4. Do ! you ! use ! the ! transit ! system? !
a) yes !
b) no !
!
5. If ! yes, ! then ! why ! do ! you ! choose ! to ! use ! public ! transportation? !
a) Public ! transportation ! is ! convenient !
b) I ! do ! not ! own ! a ! car !
c) cost ! of ! driving ! is ! too ! expensive !
d) Other ! ( please ! specify): ! ____________________________ !
!
!
!
!
32 !
6. While ! you ! are ! at ! your ! job ! what ! causes ! the ! greatest ! inconvenience? ! ( please ! mark ! the ! level ! of !
inconvenience ! in ! the ! boxes ! next ! to ! the ! statements) !
!
!
! Very !
inconvenient !
Inconvenient Somewhat !
inconvenient !
Not !
applicable !
Keeping ! buses ! on # time ! and ! evenly ! spaces !
!
! ! ! !
Recording ! the ! number ! of ! passengers ! as ! they !
board ! the ! bus !
! ! ! !
Stressful ! situations ! involving ! unruly ! passengers !
!
! ! ! !
Inputting ! ridership ! data !
!
! ! ! !
Writing ! reports !
!
! ! ! !
Trying ! to ! schedule ! new ! routes !
!
! ! ! !
Managing ! unexpected ! breaks ! for ! drivers !
!
! ! ! !
Managing ! cash ! from ! bus ! fares !
!
! ! ! !
Other ! ( please !
specify__________________________________
! ! ! !
!
!
! !
7. Please ! use ! the ! space ! to ! indicate ! any ! improvements ! you’d ! like ! see ! to ! your ! transit ! system !
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
33 !
APPENDIX ! V: ! ! OPERATIONAL ! SCENARIOS ! THROUGH ! PICTURES ! AND ! GRAPHICS ! !
! !
When the bus reaches
5mph the MDT display
shows only the current
time to avoid distracting
Mira from her driving.
When Mira arrives at the
first stop, the MDT
displays her location and
counts down to departure
time.
EVENT 1
Joe finishes breakfast
and checks his local
transit website to see if
his bus will be on time.
It should arrive at his
stop in 35 minutes.
Joe walks to the bus stop
and looks at the dynamic
message sign.
Location: stop C
Start route:
2: 59 min
EVENT 3
Sean, the transit agency
dispatcher/ manager, has
powered up his
dispatching console and
monitors the system map
and fleet status table.
The system map updates
bus locations every
minute. The fleet status
table updates whenever a
bus operator arrives,
stops or takes a break at
a stop along the route.
EVENT 2
Mira arrives at the bus
depot for her morning
route. She walks out to
the bus, turns it on, and
inspects it. On the Mobile
Data Terminal ( MDT)
screen she logs in by
selecting her name and
entering the current
odometer reading.
At her next stop the MDT
records her location and
the time. She sees Joe at
this stop and picks him up.
Before leaving the lot she
confirms her assigned
route on the MDT. The
MDT uses Global
Positioning System ( GPS)
to log the date, time, and
bus location, and the
information is sent to
Central Dispatch. She
heads in the direction of
her first stop.
Morning start- up
ARRIVALS
Rte 55 04 min
Rte 22L 12 min
ROUTE OPERATOR STATUS LAST STOP NEXT STOP
55 Mira S. On route Rose Garden Collins
22L Luis R. On break Kellogg W. City Hall
07 Fred C. On route Prince St. 4th St.
01 Jeff Z. On route Main St. State St.
Passengers
Drivers
Dispatcher
Joe runs next door for a
cup of coffee and makes
it back in time to board
the bus.
7: 30am 7: 45am 8: 00am 8: 15am
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10
Sean receives the break
request on his
dispatching console and
accepts the request.
EVENT 2
Mira needs a restroom
break but her next
scheduled break is in 1
hour. She radios in a
request to take a break at
the Sunny St. bus stop,
which she will approach
in 15 minutes.
Sean sees Mira’s “ On
Break” message. The
message signs at other
stops on the route are
updated to reflect this
slight delay.
Sean answers the radio
communication, sees the
current location of the
bus on his monitor, and
looks up a list of
available substitute
drivers.
Sean tells Roy, an available
substitute, to meet the bus
at the Grand Ave. stop in
10 minutes.
Daily Operations
She walks to the stop,
catches the bus, and is
on time for class.
On break
EVENT 1
Sarah, a student at the
local community college,
is walking and late for
class. She calls the transit
hotline and learns that a
bus will arrive at a stop
close to her current
location in 10 minutes.
Mira uses the MDT to
update the status of her
bus to “ On Break,” then
gets off the bus to use
the restroom.
Eight minutes later she
resumes her route.
EVENT 3
Fred, driving Route 7,
gets a cell phone call.
His wife is going to the
hospital to deliver their
first baby! He uses his
two- way radio to contact
dispatch and request a
substitute driver.
Roy receives Sean’s call
and heads to the stop.
The dynamic message
sign at the stop indicates
that the bus will arrive in
2 minutes. Fred logs out
and Roy logs in. The MDT
shows the next stop and
when to start.
Passengers
Drivers
Dispatcher
9: 30am 9: 40am 9: 50am 10: 00am
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35 !
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Jerry, one of two
demand- response drivers
is finishing up another
trip when he gets a radio
call from Sean about
Linda’s trip. He says he
should be able to make it
in time and agrees to
take on the trip.
Sean sees Linda’s
request come through
the automated phone
system on his
dispatching console and
assigns a driver and a
wheelchair accessible
van to her trip.
Linda, an elderly resident,
needs to make an
unexpected trip to the
doctor. She calls the
automated demand-response
hotline
and selects “ 1”
to schedule round-trip
service.
She speaks her start and
end address and punches in
the time and date of
pickup. She receives an
automated voice
confirmation the shuttle
will pick her up at 12: 30pm
the same day.
Demand Responsive Transit
Once his last trip is
complete Jerry heads to
Linda’s home. The MDT
logs his previous and
current trip time and
distance.
Passengers
Drivers
Dispatcher
11: 00am 11: 15am 11: 30am 11: 45am
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36 !
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14
Sean is alerted to the
emergency via audio- visual
alarms on the dispatch
console. The bus is put into
“ tracking mode” and its
GPS location is reported
every 15 seconds. An on-screen
dialog walks Sean
through the proper response
sequence.
Luis asks the passenger to
exit the bus. When the
passenger does not exit
and the situation
escalates, he presses the
Emergency
button near
his leg.
EVENT 2
Mira, who is almost
finished with her shift,
radios in a mechanical
error. She waits at the
Pleasant St. stop
because she is nervous
about continuing to
drive.
A substitute driver takes
out another bus to
Mira’s location. He
selects the bus stop
from the MDT and is
directed on where to go.
Mira logs out of the
other bus and gets a ride
back to the office with
the tow truck.
Luis receives a radio call
from Sean and answers a
coded question to confirm
the situation. Based on his
response, the appropriate
emergency response
person arrives quickly and
takes care of the situation.
Sean confirms that there is
an actual emergency. He
notifies the police and
continues to track the bus
location closely until the
situation has been
resolved.
After chatting with Mira
on the radio Sean
decides to take the bus
out of service. He
checks the fleet status
table on the dispatching
console, chooses an
available bus to replace
the bad one, and calls a
tow truck for Mira’s bus.
Sean then has an available
driver in the office bring
out the new bus to Mira.
He generates an
automated incident
report once the
substitute driver has
replaced the driver and
the bus.
EVENT 1
One particular
passenger is
harassing the driver
and other
passengers, making it
uncomfortable for
those on board.
Passengers on Mira’s bus
are kept informed of the
situation. Most wait for the
replacement bus to arrive,
since it will be only a few
minutes. Dynamic
message signs at other
stops are updated with the
delay
Unplanned Events
1: 00pm 1: 15pm
Passengers
Drivers
Dispatcher
1: 30pm 1: 45pm
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37 !
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16
Sean decides to run
reports from the
dispatching console for
information on the
shopping center routes.
He clicks on Ride Report
and chooses daily,
monthly and yearly
passenger loading and
delay reports.
EVENT 1
A new shopping center has
opened but the buses serving
the area only arrive once an
hour. Passengers form long
queues waiting for the bus,
especially in the afternoons
and on weekends. One
passenger calls to request more
frequent service.
EVENT 2
Throughout the day, Jeff
enjoys having the new
MDT on his bus
coordinate departure
times - He no longer
worries about
maintaining proper
spacing with other buses
on the same route.
He presses a passenger
counter button on the
MDT each time a rider
boards. This helps with
reporting and route
maintenance. He used to
record this information
manually with pencil and
paper.
He also checks for
service requests posted
on the local website and
through phone calls. The
route to the shopping
center is consistently
over- capacity, and there
is high demand for more
frequent service.
He selects the revised
schedule and prints it for
review at the next Board
meeting. He will propose
these changes to the
routes, which, when
ready, will be easily
updated using the
dispatching console.
Sean navigates to
Schedule Maintenance
and selects the “ ADJUST”
button. The system
provides a recommended
new bus schedule based
on the patterns of delay
and passenger load of
buses on that route.
Schedule & Route Maintenance
Passengers
Drivers
Dispatcher
3: 00pm 3: 10pm 3: 20pm
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38 !
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Luis, after finishing his
route, reports to
dispatch that the
magnetic card reader
was having some
small problems during
the day.
Sean calls the qualified
dispatching vendor of
the card reader, who has
a contract to assist with
maintenance. The vendor
is able to walk Sean
through the mechanics of
fixing the reader.
Passengers boarding Luis’
bus are having problems
using their smart transit
cards. They have to swipe
their cards several times
before it is registered.
Vendor Support
Passengers
Drivers
Dispatcher
4: 00pm 4: 15pm 4: 30pm 4: 45pm
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39 !
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The web application
determines the product
package that best fits his
agency’s needs, possible
funding sources, and a list
of certified vendorswith
contact information that
can sell him the products
and help implement the
solution.
EVENT 3
In a neighboring city, a
transit manager has seen
how well EDAPTS works and
is interested in purchasing
certain components of the
system. He navigates to the
EDAPTS website and fills
out information about his
agency.
While refueling, Jeff
selects the “ Fueling”
function on the MDT and
enters in the number of
gallons filled and the
bus’ odometer reading.
This information is
logged and kept for
monthly reports.
EVENT 2
At the last stop of his 8-
hour shift, Jeff drives
the bus to the fueling
station at the lot. The
MDT determines that the
shift is over using its
standard clock and GPS,
and records the
deadhead miles.
At the bus lot, before
leaving for the day, he
selects “ End Shift” from
the MDT and is logged
out of the system.
End of day tasks… & a bright EDAPTS future!
EVENT 1
Sarah is getting ready to
leave the office for the day
and gets a text message on
her cell phone indicating
the arrival of the next bus
home. Instead of waiting in
the rain, she leaves the
office to catch the bus right
when it arrives!
Passengers It is raining…
Drivers
Dispatcher
5: 10pm 5: 30pm 5: 45pm 6: 00pm
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APPENDIX ! C
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MEMORANDUM !
THE ! EDAPTS ! APPROACH: ! !
FUNDING ! MECHANISM
DECEMBER ! 2008 !
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PREPARED ! FOR: ! CALIFORNIA ! DEPARTMENT ! OF ! TRANSPORTATION !
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CALIFORNIA ! CENTER ! FOR ! INNOVATIVE ! TRANSPORTATION !
UNIVERSITY ! OF ! CALIFORNIA ! BERKELEY ! " ! 2105 ! BANCROFT ! WAY, ! SUITE ! 300 ! " ! BERKELEY, ! CA ! ! 947