Intelligent transportation systems, or ITS, are all about leveraging the power and intelligence of information and communication technologies to make roads smarter and safer. While many Asian highway authorities are trialing ITS to enhance highway safety and efficiency, many public transportation operators have also fo
Intelligent transportation systems, or ITS, are all about leveraging the power and intelligence of information and communication technologies to make roads smarter and safer. While many Asian highway authorities are trialing ITS to enhance highway safety and efficiency, many public transportation operators have also found ITS beneficial in helping them achieve their various objectives.
To encourage citizens to utilize modes of transportation other than driving, Asian public transportation operators are working to improve service quality and safety. In this regard, ITS can play a role, too. NEC, for example, has solutions that both improve service and customer experience.
“Our advanced public transportation fleet management system presents transit agencies and public transport operators with effective, data-powered tools for vehicle and fleet planning, measuring performance, streamlining operations, monitoring of fleet location and delivering new and improved services,” said Takayuki Inaba, Managing Director at NEC Technologies India. “We also provide transit agencies such as bus and railway operators with automated fare collection system leveraged by contactless smart card with IC chip equipped. The system realizes accurate and reliable fare collection, contributing towards stable and productive business.
Having a great riding experience is also more and more demanded by passengers, for whom knowing exactly when the bus will arrive is of utmost importance. Singapore, for example, has solutions in this regard. “The transport authority has developed a vision (in the Singapore Land Transport Master Plan 2013) to see a future where travelers can get to more places faster and in greater comfort by improving the coverage and service quality of the public transport network, and at the same time providing more options of transport modes. In addition to the upgrading and expansion of the public transport network infrastructures and facilities, adoption of ITS technologies have been identified as part of the solution,” said Andrew Chow, President of Intelligent Transport Society of Singapore. “For example, the Intelligent Bus Management System has been adopted to improve the service quality of the public bus system, as well as information sharing through mobile apps myTransport to provide real time public transport information to enhance travel experience.”
“The fundamental element for a real-time bus information service for passengers is accurate expected time of arrival (ETA) prediction,” Inaba said. “Our real-time prediction engine is based on multi-dimensional statistics that provide stable ETA prediction and addresses variables such as day, time of the day, route type, schedule type, dwell time and travel time.”
Keeping drivers and passengers safe is another primary objective for operators, who can now rely on ITS technologies as well. “In Singapore, SMRT Buses and NEC launched Singapore's first driver profiling monitoring system consisting of eco-drive sensors that monitor and analyze bus captains' driving behavior in 2014. Driving behavior data is based on on-board telematics sensors installed by NEC monitoring speeds, accelerators, harsh deceleration, abrupt lane change and travel time,” NEC said in a statement. “This has led to another innovative project with SMRT Buses to develop the Professional Learning and Training Management System (PROLEARN). PROLEARN provides a comprehensive approach to constantly monitor, proactively manage, and provide customized training for drivers with relevant operational and industry-specific competencies using NEC's big data analytics technology.”