TRANSIT ITS PROOF-OF-CONCEPT TESTS

This report documents a series of proof-of-concept tests conducted to explore the potential of intelligent transportation system (ITS) technologies to enhance public transportation services. The projects were undertaken through the cooperative efforts of researchers at the Texas Transportation Institute and staff at the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO), Brazos Transit, and the Texas A&M University Department of Parking, Traffic, and Transportation Services. The four projects developed and tested were 1) an automatic vehicle location (AVL) system with a rural transit operator, 2) an automatic passenger paging system with the Texas A&M University paratransit service, 3) a next bus information system at the Heights Transit Center in Houston, and 4) a bus notification system at the Eastwood Transit Center on the Gulf Freeway high-occupancy vehicle lane in Houston. The results of these proof-of-concept tests show that ITS technologies can be successfully applied in a range of transit applications, benefitting both riders and operators. The projects also identify the technical, institutional, and operational issues that may be encountered with transit ITS applications. The results from the four proof-of-concept tests should be of interest and benefit to transit operators, state and federal agencies, industry groups, researchers, and other individuals interested in advancing the deployment of ITS technologies with public transportation services.