A STUDY OF TRANSIT AND AN ANALYSIS OF INTELLIGENT TRANSIT SYSTEM TECHNOLOGY

In developing a product description for an intelligent transit system, 3M engineers and marketers studied over 25 transit agencies across the United States. The study defined the overriding goals of these transit agencies as increased ridership and decreased operating costs. To increase ridership, the system needs to help buses run more efficiently and predictably. Many transit providers believe the key to increasing ridership is to provide service that transports passengers more quickly and predictably than the private automobile. To decrease operating costs and to be implemented successfully, the system must be cost-effective and turn-key. The system must provide the capability for expansion with future add-ons. It must be easy to use and maintain. It should require minimal or no driver intervention to operate. To meet the transit agencies' goals, an intelligent transit system was developed that provides the following product features: automated vehicle location; real-time tracking and data communication; beginning and end of trip data transfer; intersection priority control; in-vehicle subsystems and interfaces; and transit management system software and interfaces. The analysis quantifies the performance of each technology in the application of an intelligent transit system. Performance and cost tradeoffs are described. The results show that applying the recent advances of computer software, electronics, and data communications can lead to an improved and cost-effective intelligent transit system design.