Sustainable Solutions for SCM

cannot speak: of the telematics technology, but of a wide range of technologies which may have to be tuned to the needs of individuals and corporate organisations. Thus, there is scope for a wide spectrum of scientific research, which should not only be technological in nature, but also-and increasingly important-social science oriented. 7.5 Public transport management Public transport management deals with the management of public transport services, including fare collection and provision of information to passengers. Strategic planning conducted on the basis of an analysis of operational parameters like demand, revenue, fleet and personnel resources is not included in the range of telematics assisted functions within this area since it is assumed that this aspect of strategic planning is not an area where clearly telematics applications can directly assist. Indirectly, telematics has an interface with strategic planning since some of the functions provide inputs to strategic planning, e.g. information collection on public transport operations. Five groups of key technologies can be distinguished in the field of public transport management. Automatic Vehicle Monitoring (AVM) and Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) systems. Typical automatic vehicle monitoring and location systems include hard- and software in vehicles and operating centres and communication links between vehicles, roadside and control centre. AVM systems cover a range of functions from vehicle diagnostics and passenger counting, while AVL systems are used for fleet monitoring and control. AVL systems are based on techniques like vehicle odometers, dead reckoning, roadside beacons, radio triangulation and satellite positioning (see the previous section for more details on the necessary specific mobile communication techniques). Two or more of these techniques are often used in tandem in individual applications, since there is no clearly leading technology due to a lack of harmonisation in the development of AVM and AVL systems. Interactive passenger information terminals. The application of interactive terminals (and PCs) for public transport information form a substantial part of all systems providing travel information. Interactive passenger information terminals can be used by travellers or by the staff of enquiry offices and can be located at home, in the office, public places and enquiry offices. The information provided is generally static, i.e. based on current time tables, and can be mainly used for trip planning. Considerable advances have been made in the development of software able to rapidly calculate the optimum route between two points on the public transport network. Real time passenger information systems: Real time information displays, mainly used to provide real arrival and leaving times of the next series of vehicles, are usually an adjunct to AVM and AVL systems. Such displays can be located at places like public transport stops and interchanges and in vehicles. The application of real time information in other locations such as in home or via portable terminals is less well developed, but it is likely to become increasingly popular. Fare collection systems: There have been considerable developments in the last decade in the field of electronic ticket machines, magnetic ticketing and smart cards. The most valid option at present is the use of smart cards. Such cards can be used for

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