INTERNET-BASED DECISION SUPPORT FOR ADVANCED PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

2000

Subject Area

infrastructure - vehicle, planning - signage/information, technology - intelligent transport systems, place - rural

Keywords

Websites (Information retrieval), Transit operators, Small towns, Small cities, Rural areas, RTI, Road transport informatics, IVHS, ITS (Intelligent transportation systems), Internet, Intelligent vehicle highway systems, Intelligent transportation systems, Decision support systems, ATT, APTS, Advanced transport telematics, Advanced public transportation systems

Abstract

Intelligent transportation systems (ITS) have the potential to improve public transportation service and productivity in small urban and rural areas. Advanced technologies include computer-aided dispatch and scheduling software, automatic vehicle location via satellite, mobile data terminals, smart cards, and Internet technologies. Transit operators, especially those with smaller systems, may feel, however, that they lack the experience and technical background to implement ITS technologies. An extensive website is discussed that will help transit managers define their transit needs and choose potential technology solutions. The website is based on contemporary decision-support questionnaires and the experience of transit managers and researchers. Decision-making factors such as transit service area, service type, daily ridership, and fleet size provide a framework for matching appropriate technologies to transit-manager needs. Further, the website provides extensive tutorial information, technology specifications and costs, and vendor contacts. Perhaps most important, the website identifies small urban and rural transit managers who have been pioneers in ITS applications, summarizing their successes and failures. The website address is http://www2.ncsu.edu/eos/service/ce/research/stone_res/tahmed_re s/www/index.html.

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