EVALUATION OF THE ADVANCED OPERATING SYSTEM OF THE ANN ARBOR TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY : COST STUDY : BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER AOS IMPLEMENTATION (OCTOBER 1996-MAY 1999)

In 1997, the Ann Arbor (Michigan) Transportation Authority (AATA) began deploying advanced public transportation systems (APTS) technologies in its fixed route and paratransit operations. The project's concept is the integration of a range of such technologies into a comprehensive system, termed the "Advanced Operating System" (AOS) to "smart buses", "smart travelers," and a "smart operation center" to benefit from timely and coordinated information on critical aspects of transit operation and maintenance. Central to the system is the deployment of automatic vehicle location (AVL) technology in order to provide continuous real time data on the location of transit vehicles. This AOS cost study is focused on two different aspect of costs. The first one is a quantitative analysis of AATA's operating costs incurred before and during AOS. The second one is a qualitative analysis about potential costs or cost savings associated with AOS. The implications of this report, while not conclusive, are optimistic regarding AOS cost impacts over the longer run at the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority. While neither additional operating costs nor operating cost savings were traceable to AOS at this time, prospects are for at most modest increases in operating costs associated with deployment of the technology. At the same time, operating cost savings, while currently unrealized, have the potential to grow to significant levels as benefits described above begin to accumulate. Charts, table, 15 p.\n