Introduction

Mobility is an essential requirement for any type of meaningful involvement in our modern society. Without mobility, an individual’s chances for participation in this country’s socioeconomic system are severely limited. Since most jobs are not in close proximity to home, the chances of a person attaining gainful employment, without mobility, are slim at best. Furthermore, the lack of mobility can relegate one to a substandard lifestyle. Without some form of adequate transportation, it would not be possible for people to shop, to socialize, to worship, or to participate in many other life-enriching activities. For many Americans, the only possible solution to this problem is public transportation.

Since most people in America have vehicles of their own, they do not realize the important role that public transportation plays in our society. This is not the case for some Americans who select to or must rely on public transportation to take them to work, to shop, to worship, etc. For many people, especially low-income and welfare dependent families, public transportation is the only source of mobility. According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Transportation, only 6.5 percent of welfare recipients own a vehicle. This statistic further emphasizes the importance of public transportation to welfare recipients and shows the need for our society to provide adequate and affordable public transportation for them.

However, public transportation services as they currently exist are unable to meet all the demands placed on them by the Welfare to Work Initiative introduced in 1996. To minimize some of the transportation challenges facing welfare recipients, the DOT has begun to apply ITS technologies to the Welfare to Work program.

Background on Intelligent Transportation Systems

For years solutions have been sought to handle transportation problems such as traffic congestion, pollution, and inefficiency. In response, Congress passed the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) to address these concerns. ISTEA was later reinforced in 1998 by The Transportation Equity Act for the 21^st Century (TEA 21). An outgrowth of ISTEA was the Federal Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) program. ITS is a collection of various technologies which include information processing, communications, control, and electronics. The purpose of ITS is to use these diverse technologies to increase mobility and to enhance transit operations by making travel safer, more efficient, environmentally sound, cost-effective, and convenient and comfortable.¹

To fully understand the potential uses of ITS in public transportation, ITS technologies have been organized into three separate categories. The function of each technology in a category will be explored along with its benefits to transit agencies and customers, particularly, welfare recipients. The discussion will begin with Fleet Operation and Management, followed with Fare Collection, and conclude with Customer Information, otherwise known as Traveler Information Systems.

Fleet Management and Operations

Fleet Management and Operation includes five different technologies, as follows: automatic passenger counters (APC), automatic vehicle location (AVL), geographic information systems (GIS), scheduling and dispatching (S&D), and signal priority (SP). These separate technologies often are combined in various software packages, which allow for the integration of many different transit functions. The computer applications allow better resource utilization to meet service demands, which help make public transportation more appealing to customers. Since most welfare recipients must rely on public transportation, the benefits of these technologies are especially important for them. One of the technologies that had the most obvious impact on the Welfare to Work program is the use of geographic information system. GIS allows transit agencies to accurately track where demand is located in their service area.

Automatic Passenger Counter

The APC automatically records the number of passengers, time and location of each stop as passengers get on and off the bus. The APC can collect data, previously recorded manually or with a hand-held device, with a reduction in time, cost, and effort. By means of infrared beams at the doors or pressure sensitive mats on the steps, the APC accurately records the time, location, and the number of passengers as they enter or exit the bus. With the information provided by the APCs, transit planners can make changes to routes and schedules that better serve the transportation needs of their community. For example, the city of Calgary, which first implemented an APC system in 1990, found the count data obtained by the APCs to be “extremely accurate” and the point-to-point travel times valuable for future planning.² The potential benefits of this information for the Welfare to Work program include making transit agencies more aware of the particular transportation needs of the welfare recipients in their local communities. That way changes can be made to existing routes, or additional routes can be planned to enhance welfare recipients’ chances of attaining gainful employment.

Automatic Vehicle Location

Satellite geo-positioning technology tracking vehicles is one of the most common AVL systems, which is another ITS technology that involves daily operations and management. With AVL, dispatchers can pinpoint at any given time, the location of buses in their fleet that are equipped with the technology. Access to this type of information, can be especially significant in an emergency situation, when either passenger or driver safety may be threatened. In addition, bus location information can be given to customers to assist them in planning an itinerary based on the most up-to-the-minute information. Finally, this information can be used to determine whether buses are running on schedule and, if necessary, to reroute buses around problem areas. Many transit agencies have found that automatic vehicle location has been increasing their on-time performance while at the same time it has been decreasing the number of buses necessary for a route. For example, through the use of AVL in Kansas City Mo., the transit system was able reduced the number of buses needed for its routes by 9 percent.³ The potential benefits for the Welfare to Work participant are a safer more efficient and reliable way to get to work on time.

Geographic Information Systems

A geographic information system (GIS) enables a transit agency to collect, store, analyze and display data by location. GIS can provide transportation agencies with specific information regarding mobility problems. With GIS software, a spatial analysis can determine where job opportunities, daycare centers, public transportation, and other services are in relation to where most welfare recipients live. GIS mapping can point to the most efficient routes for welfare recipients to reach needed services. Transit planners also can use the information provided by GIS to modify, improve, or add new services. GIS technology also can be used to help caseworkers and employment counselors to find jobs that are accessible to welfare recipients. For example, St. Mary’s county, a rural area in Southern Maryland, along with KFH Group, a consulting firm in Bethesda MD., used GIS technology to help welfare recipients find work. With the assistance of GIS, case workers in the county’s Department of Social Services were able to see where most public assistance recipients live, along with, the location of suitable employment opportunities, daycare centers and available public transportation.⁴ By using GIS technology, case-workers in St. Mary’s county, were able to make the move from welfare to work and easier transition for the recipients residing there.

Scheduling and Dispatch

Scheduling/dispatch software is used to aid in designing and modifying transit routes. It can also be used to route, schedule, and dispatch vehicles in demand response operations. It often is combined with GIS and AVL to coordinate different transit functions. Combined technologies such as, computer-aided dispatching and AVL can increase the efficiency of transit operations, enhance safety, improve service, and cut costs. For example, systems integrating automated scheduling and dispatching and AVL enable a dispatcher to know the exact location and status of each bus under control. This real-time information allows the dispatcher to address any problems with service or to respond to any emergency. In addition, automated dispatching software and AVL allow the coordination of services among many separate transportation agencies to meet the employment transportation gaps.⁵ The potential benefits for Welfare to Work participants are better access, more reliable, and efficient way to travel to work.

Traffic Signal Priority

Traffic Signal Priority is a technology that holds a traffic light green or turns it green earlier than it would without priority. Signal Priority once was only implemented by emergency vehicles, but now is being used by buses and streetcars. A signal priority system is combined with AVL technology, which allows the system to provide priority only when needed (i.e., when a bus is running behind schedule). The benefits of a signal priority system are that it keeps transit vehicles on schedule and improves on-time performance. As a result, fewer vehicles are necessary for a route. This can mean a large savings for a transit agency. For instance, in Portland, Oregon, a traffic signal priority system has been used successfully to keep buses on schedule. By using this system, bus travel times were reduced by 5 to 8 percent, and as a result, fewer buses are necessary for serving the same routes. ⁶ The potential benefit for welfare recipients, relying on public transit, is improved on-time performance.

Traveler Information Systems

Traveler information systems provide customers with information for planning their trips and during their trips. Transit information can be static, such as route maps, or dynamic such as route delays and other real-time information. Travelers may access information from differing locations such as home, work, transportation terminals, wayside areas, and on-board vehicles. Information can be accessed through various means, such as automated trip itineraries, in-vehicle announcers, variable message signs, monitors, and interactive kiosks. These technologies may help individuals better plan their trips and help decrease frustrations by providing needed information.

Automated Trip Itineraries

Automated trip itineraries assist customers with the information necessary to plan a trip from its point of origin to its final destination. Automated trip itineraries include a broad range of data, such as modes of travel, travel time, transfers, schedules, fares, tourist information, and weather. When automated trip itineraries are combined with AVL technology, real-time information concerning traffic congestion and possible delays can be reported. Since automated trip itineraries are electronic, they can be accessed by various means, such as touch-tone telephones, personal computers, pagers, hand-held devices, kiosks, and Internet, fax machines, cable and interactive television.

The benefits of automated trip itineraries are that they provide accurate and timely information for customers through a variety of means. For example the Smart Trek information program, in the Puget Sound area of Seattle, Wash., uses downtown kiosks, cable television, and the Internet to provide information on traffic flow and congestion and highway speeds.⁷ An additional benefit of an automated transit information system is that it can reduce caller-waiting time. The New Jersey Transit found that their new automated information system reduced callers waiting time from 85 seconds to 27 seconds, although the actual number of callers had increased.⁸ The potential benefit for the Welfare to Work program is an accessible information system that provides accurate and real-time information for its participants, assisting them to reach places of potential employment.

In-Vehicle Announcers

In-vehicle announcers usually are audio and visual systems, used en-route, to provide passengers with next stop information. A sign placed in the front, and sometimes in the middle of each vehicle, displays next stop information while a pre-recorded message simultaneously announces the same information. In-vehicle announcers help passengers with either visual or hearing impairment to recognize their stop. In addition, they help new customers, unfamiliar with a route, as well as existing customers, inattentive to their surroundings, to find their stop. Finally, in-vehicle announcers help transit agencies to comply with the requirements for bus and rail stop announcement according to the American with Disabilities Act. In San Francisco, a study was conducted to test the effectiveness of in-vehicle announcer. The San Francisco Municipal Railway selected 18 visually impaired subjects to participate in an experiment to evaluate “Talking Signs” technology on buses. In this experiment, the participants used infrared receivers to find bus stops and buses. The study found the “remote infrared audible signage” (Talking Signs) enabled the visually handicapped to be more independent on public transit vehicles.⁹

As stated above, in-vehicle announcers can be helpful, not only to the visually or hearing impaired, but also to the average customer. They can alert new or inattentive passengers to their stops. Therefore, a potential benefit of an in-vehicle announcement system to the Welfare to Work participant might be the added assurance of identifying correct transfer points and alighting at the appropriate stop.

Interactive Kiosks

Interactive Kiosks can be computer-like terminals or larger machines that provide travel information. Found in malls, hotels, airports, businesses, and transit centers, interactive kiosks are accessed easily by means of a computer-mouse, touch screen, or keyboard. Kiosks can provide a wide range of travel information, such as routes and schedules, traffic congestion, and weather. When combined with automatic vehicle location information, kiosks can provide customers with real-time information, such as the on-time status of their transit vehicle.

Interactive kiosks promote transit services by providing easily accessible information about a wide range of services for both new and existing customers. This contributes to greater customer convenience, satisfaction, and for the transit agency, the potential for increased revenues. In addition, interactive kiosks along with other electronic forms of customer information help transit agencies to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act by providing services to the visually and hearing impaired.

Due to their accessibility and the wealth of information that they provide, kiosks have become a popular way for transit riders to get travel information. In the downtown areas of Minneapolis and St. Paul, video kiosks and electronic bulletin boards have been used to provide transit routes and schedules in addition to traffic incident and construction information. A study conducted in 1995 to evaluate the benefits of kiosks and other ITS technologies determined that two-thirds of the people who used the kiosks and computer bulletin boards, were requesting bus route and scheduling information. ¹⁰

As noted previously, interactive kiosks are an accessible means of finding many different types of travel information. Since most Welfare to Work participants must rely upon public transportation, having access to information regarding routes, schedules, traffic congestion, and bus delays can be especially significant for them. Finally, it can make the process of seeking employment less taxing and keeping employment more rewarding.

Variable Message Signs and Monitors

Transit agencies use variable message signs and monitors in combination with automatic vehicle location to show whether buses are running on schedule. These signs and monitors provide customers with information regarding arrival and departure times. With this information, customers can make decisions based on their own particular circumstances. In addition, access to this information can reduce customer anxiety significantly, especially when a bus is delayed. Monitors usually are found at transit centers where many buses arrive and depart, while variable message signs are used at stops that involve only one or two bus routes.

Since 1996, the Spokane Transit Authority has used monitors at its downtown transit center. At the transit center, two monitors provide customers with information concerning the arrival and departure times. One monitor provides arrival information while the other provides departure information. The departure monitor also gives passengers information concerning the specific bay location of their departing bus. In addition to traveler information, this system can alert bus drivers waiting in a holding area, to the availability of their assigned bus bay. Also, the system can track the exact arrival and departure times of every bus. This information enables dispatchers and planners to make changes in the schedule, if necessary.¹¹

The information provided by variable message signs and monitors increases customer convenience. By supplying information about arrival and departure times, customers can make decisions based on their own particular circumstances. For the Welfare to Work participant, who has to make several stops in a day, this information can assist with the decision making process. For example, if the participant knows that a bus will be delayed, one can determine whether there is sufficient time to run an errand or choose to remain at the bus stop.

Electronic Fare Collection

Electronic Fare Collection

An electronic fare collection is a system in which cards are used in place of coins or tokens, to pay for transit rides. The purpose of an electronic fare collection system is to reduce the expense of handling and protecting transit revenues and to provide customer convenience. In an automated fare system different types of media can be used in a variety of ways. The types of media include magnetic stripe cards, credit cards, or smart cards that can be contact or contactless. For example, some systems may use these media for transit, retail purchases, and banking, while other systems may use them for transit only. Electronic fare collection systems can also support integrated billing for the provision of subsidized transit service for clients receiving health and human services such as those participating in welfare to work.

One benefit of an electronic fare system is a reduction in the cost of handling and fare processing. For example, the New Jersey Transit discovered an estimated savings of $2.7 million due to a reduction in the costs of handling and processing cash and tokens.¹² Also, in Ventura County, smart cards saved the agency $990,000 in reduced handling costs.¹³ Another benefit of an automated fare system is improved customer convenience. In the Seattle/central Puget Sound Area of Washington, a smart card trial prototype was used to link six transit agencies and the Washington Ferry. Due to the coordination of these systems customers were able to use one fare card for all systems. A survey of customers and focus groups that used the smart cards rendered mostly favorable responses.^{14 15}

An additional benefit of the new electronic media is a more secure fare collection system. In 1993, the New York City Transit installed a magnetic stripe system, as a result, the agency gained an additional $43 million and in 1994 an additional $54 million in transit revenue due to greater security measures and less fare evasion.¹⁶ The final benefit of an electronic fare system is the potential for additional transit revenue due to an increase in marketing strategies, such as transaction fees, interest gained from pre-paid cards, and the unused value of pre-paid cards. The potential benefit of an electronic fare collection system for Welfare to Work participants might be the convenience of using one fare card for a variety of systems and potential services.

¹ U.S. Department of Transportation. ITS Deployment Guidance for Transit Systems: Technical Edition. Federal Highway Administration, Washington, DC, 1997.

² Neil McKendrick, City of Calgary Transportation Department, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

³ Jones, W., ITS Technologies in Public Transit: Deployment and Benefits, US Department of transportation ITS Joint Program Office, November 1995.

⁴ U.S.DOT. A Guide to Innovative Practices: Access to Jobs. Federal Transit Administration, Washington, DC, 1998.

⁵ U.S. Department of Transportation. Access to Jobs. Welfare to Work Initiative. Federal Transit Administration, Washington, DC, 1998.

⁶ Kloos, W., "Bus Priority at Traffic Signals in Portland: The Powell Boulevard Pilot Project," Submitted to ITE for the Compendium of Technical Paper, July 1994.

⁷ "Intelligent Transportation is Here and Working," Trek Talk, Issue 2, Spring 1997.

⁸ "NJ Transit's Customer Information Speeded Up by New System," Passenger Transport, 24 January 1994.

⁹ Crandall, W., Ph.D., B. Bentzen, Ph.D., L. Myers, M.Ed., and P. Mitchell, Ph.D., Remote Infrared Signage for People Who are Blind or Print Disabled: A Surface Transit Accessibility Study-Project Action, The Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, San Francisco, April 1996.

¹⁰ Remer, M., T. Atherton, and W. Gardner, "ITS Benefits, Evaluation and Costs: Results and Lessons from the Minnesota Guidestar Travlink Operational Test." Draft, November 1995.

¹¹ U.S. Department of Transportation, Advanced Public Transportation Systems: The State of the Art Update '98, Federal Transit Administration, Washington, DC, 1998.

¹² ITS Technologies in Public Transit: Deployment and Benefits, ITS America, February 1995.

¹³ Advanced Public Transportation System Benefits, Federal Transit Administration, January 1996.

¹⁴ Smart Card Prototype Demonstration Project, Final Report, IBI Group, June 1997.

¹⁵ Michael G. Dining, Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

¹⁶ Time to Get Smart, article published in Mass Transit, November/December 1995.