RouteComplete

RouteComplete gives bus and train companies real-time visibility and control over operations, reducing costs, improving customer service and increasing revenue.

Using global positioning satellite (GPS) technology, vehicles continuously update the control center with their location. The route status server tracks performance against the planned schedule, identifying problems in real time and giving instructions to help drivers correct them.

This tight control lets you maintain high customer service levels with the minimum number of vehicles and reduce variations that frustrate passengers. You can smoothly bring buses in and out of service around peak traffic times and react quickly to unexpected demand changes, traffic jams or breakdowns.

Planning tools let you schedule the optimum number of buses to meet demand. Analysis and reporting tools illuminate the reasons behind service variations, identifying demand patterns, bottlenecks and root causes of service issues. This real data provides evidence to lobby government or for ISO 9000 or Six Sigma process improvement.

Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL)

AVL hardware uses global positioning satellite (GPS) and other technologies to pinpoint the location of vehicles. It then sends location messages periodically or whenever an operational event occurs.

Sensors on the vehicle trigger messages, such as:

• Doors open or close
• Engine stop or start
• Vehicle stop or in motion
• Vehicle arrival or departure at location
• Crash or emergency button pressed or other user-defined messages

Sensors at the doors or on the fare collection box collect accurate real-time information about rider demand and ensure that all fare revenue makes its way back to you. You can also tell advertisers exactly who saw which advertisements at what time, increasing revenue and allowing targeted campaigns.

Geofencing alerts notify you when vehicles enter or exit specific areas. For example, you can identify when a bus enters or leaves a depot or goes out of the standard route service area.

The AVL server keeps track of time and distance in service, automatically notifying staff for scheduled maintenance. With the proper engine interface module, the AVL hardware can send information about engine performance, allowing maintenance staff to diagnose and fix problems before they cause service interruptions.

Route Status Server

The Route Status Server tracks real-time performance against the planned schedule, giving operators a clear picture of the current situation and the tools to resolve issues.

It takes the location data from the AVL system, converts it into operational information and communicates with other systems, generating alerts if values are out of limits.

For each vehicle, it tracks the location against the defined route, determining estimated time of arrival for stations. If the bus is running late, it notifies operations via the Master Management Display.

It tracks the route as a whole, calculating the headway time between buses against the plan. It can then send messages to individual buses telling drivers to speed up or slow down to avoid clumping. It provides countdown timers for buses indicating how long they should wait at stations or depots before departing.

This dynamic control at the individual bus level ensures that the whole route is operating at its optimum level, maintaining the desired service frequency with the minimum required resources.

The Route Status Server also tracks layover/recovery time and driver service time, ensuring compliance with regulations and labor contracts.

The server produces messages that drive the other systems:

Operations center display

• For each bus

  • Current headway and cycle time
  • ETA for upcoming stops
  • Scheduled time of departure
  • Wait time at station and at depot
  • Dispatch time from depot
  • Arrival at station and departure from station

• For route as a whole

  • Current average headway
  • Current average cycle time

Driver display

• ETA at next station
• Countdown timer for departure
• Actual headway vs target
• Actual cycle time vs target

Station displays

• Bus bay signs showing next buses arriving and departing
• Full bus schedule boards showing all buses arriving at station with ETA, ETD
• Public address announcements about next bus arriving station
• Interation with multi-media advertising displays

Depot displays

• Arrival time
• Release time to maintain headway
• Layover time
• Bus maintenance requirements

Integration with automatic traffic light control systems allows the bus to always get a green light, and integration with passenger information displays answer the eternal question: "When is the bus coming?"

Master Management Display

This is the primary interface for operations personnel. It displays the current location and status of all vehicles, and provides the tools to execute against the planned schedule.

The Operations Dashboard shows the current health of routes along with cumulative daily statistics such as number of passengers carried.

It lets operators see at a glance the current situation and causes of problems. It shows alerts whenever problems occur, along with standard resolution processes.

By integrating rider information from sensors on the bus, the route can be managed according to actual demand. When buses reach capacity, more can be put into service to carry more passengers.

Operators can smoothly add or remove buses around peak service times, maintaining the proper headway dynamically. Similarly, if problems occur in service, operators can balance the route, covering for breakdowns, "leapfrogging" overloaded buses, etc.

The Public Web module provides up-to-date bus schedules and real-time status updates for the public via the web. The SMS module allows passengers to enter the bus stop number and get current schedule information.

Schedule Planning Tools

The Schedule Planning Tools provide a framework to easily handle route planning and day-to-day scheduling of buses and drivers.

The graphical Route Builder lets you define new routes by simply clicking on points on the map. Once the route is defined, add estimated or actual travel and wait times for stops. The system then calculates headway and layover times for the route according to the number of vehicles available.

Adjust the parameters to define schedules for different levels of demand at rush hour, weekday, weekend or holiday. Operators switch between different schedules during the day, and the system notifies the buses to smoothly switch to the new schedule. This same mechanism allows you to define strategies to deal with problems like breakdowns, providing the best possible service.

After the schedules and blocks have been defined, the system provides a graphical interface to assign buses and drivers to the schedule on a daily basis. A list of drivers with contact information makes it easy to call up drivers when they would normally be off duty. SMS notifications help remind drivers when they are on duty.

Analysis and Reporting Tools

These tools help you analyze and optimize operations based on recorded service information. You can adjust the schedules to match actual conditions and analyze the root causes of service variations and bottlenecks.

Detailed information about demand allows you to adjust schedules and plan new routes. Actual daily rider information allows you to report to advertisers exactly how many people saw specific advertisements, increasing rates.

You can get immediate information on costs and revenue, identifying unprofitable routes or segments. You can charge based on actual cost to serve various locations, and pay bonuses based on actual performance.