Improving Public Transport for Older Adults Using ITS & Other Technologies. Rosemary G. Mathias Carol L. Schweiger

Transcription

1 Improving Public Transport for Older Adults Using ITS & Other Technologies Rosemary G. Mathias Carol L. Schweiger

2 Overview What is ITS? What does ITS have to do with older adults? What is the underlying technology? Where has ITS been used? Recommendations

3 ITS is Information Fused with Communications Transport Data # Passengers # Trips Fleet information Vehicle location Financial Data Funding sources Eligibility Electronic payment Performance monitoring

4 System Needs To operate more efficiently To track real-time trip information To improve accountability To better facilitate program coordination

5 Basic Technologies Wireless communications Local Area Network (LAN) Wide Area Network (WAN) Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) Paratransit scheduling & dispatching software

6 Basic Technologies Mobile Data Terminals (MDTs) & Mobile Data Computers (MDCs) Smart cards Automated passenger notification Interactive Voice Recognition (IVR)

7 Some Examples SMART Suburban Detroit CARTS Austin, Texas Florida Rural Pilot Project CRRAFT - Rural New Mexico GATRA Massachusetts Cape Cod Massachusetts

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9 SMART Suburban Detroit Serves four-county area with 430 vehicles Paratransit scheduling & dispatching software Remote access for five community partnership agencies via various communications links SMART provides IT support for HHS agencies using remote scheduling capability

10 Capital Area Rural Transportation System (CARTS) - Austin, Texas

11 CARTS Overview Service area >7,500 square miles 15 fixed-route vehicles 65 demand-response vehicles Prior to 1996, communications system was unreliable Needed to maintain three separate reservation, scheduling & communications centers throughout the service area

12 CARTS Accomplishments In 1998, became first customer of the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) communication system Provides seamless communications across 7,500-square-mile service area with room to grow Preparing to deploy AVL/MDT/CAD

13 CARTS (cont.) Implemented demand-response software Initial implementation improved customer service Radio system facilitates optimal use of software Now all CARTS functions in one facility

14 LCRA and CARTS LCRA main tower CARTS centralized call intake/ scheduling

15 CARTS Outcomes Single toll-free reservations line Greater operational efficiency 14 other agencies on same communication system as part of disaster preparedness program

16 Florida Pilot Project North central coastal Florida Primarily rural Rapidly growing area Supported by Florida TD Commission Mobility management software Improved call-intake, scheduling & dispatching Reduced billing effort, esp. Medicaid Provided for future ITS systems, including AVL, communications, etc.

17 Florida (cont.) Technologies Automated scheduling software GPS-based AVL Mobile data terminals (MDTs) Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Card reader (as part of MDTs in Putnam County)

18 Phase Two Florida Pilot Project Additional $250,000 for expansion Added two counties Focus on peer-to-peer training by existing system Expanded/upgraded MDT & AVL technology Fixed-route mapping overlays, travel route analysis Expanded trip types and agency participation

19 Rural New Mexico: CRRAFT Overview Challenge - To accurately track passengers and correctly bill trips in the 3037 and 5311 programs when the trips are paid for or subsidized by a federal or state program such as WTW, TANF, JARC Result - Client Referral, Ridership, and Financial Tracking Software (CRRAFT)

20 CRRAFT Overview Develop web-based software Authorize and schedule trips, track riders, bill trips, and generate reports Establish Internet connections Providers report trip numbers and expenditures to a central server Procure a multipurpose electronic farecard system Work with the above software and have room for future applications

21 CRRAFT Benefits Integrates human service transportation referral and service delivery with rural public transit Generates financial and client tracking reports to meet agencies criteria Decreases the administrative burden on small transit systems Provides funding agencies with tools to facilitate planning and maintain administrative & fiscal accountability

22 Summary How ITS Can Enhance Public Transport for Older Adults Improved coordination between transportation providers & agency programs (as well as customers) Better data collection & accountability More flexible services More predictability for customers through real-time information

23 Recommendations Modal Intermodal transfers & real-time information Policy Universal design Research Flexible, affordable real-time information both for customers and providers