UTFS Financial Management Committee Meeting Minutes

Greg Garback, Washington Metro Transit Authority

David McIlwraith, ERG Transit Systems

Margaret Walker, ERG Transit Systems

Meeting Goals & Objectives:

• Report-out of UTFS briefing, APTA General Manager's Seminar
• Report-out of APTA TCIP Technical Work Group Meetings in Annapolis, MD
• Discussion of Upcoming Work Package Team Meetings, Chicago, IL
• Work Group report-outs
  

Report-out of UTFS briefing @ General Manager's Seminar, Dave Phelps, APTA:

• Program Schedule
• Program Budget
• IP Policy Update
  

Dave Phelps, Senior Program Manager, APTA provided an overview of the UTFS program briefing given by Tom Parker to the Rail Steering Committee at the APTA General Manager's Seminar last week.

Program Schedule

Tom Parker provided a detailed overview of accomplishments to date and upcoming activities and milestones. The Rail Steering Committee was pleased to see the level of detail and accepted the schedule.

The Steering Committee will continue to support the need to secure additional technical resources through contracts.

Program Budget:

Tom Parker provided an overview of the program budget, anticipated expenditures for this fiscal year and proposed costs for fiscal year 2005.

APTA will be applying for additional grant money from USDOT. There is a need to match that request with industry "seed" money. APTA will invoice existing supporters of the program (both agency and business members) for an assessment that provides a portion of the funds.

IP Policy Update:

Results of balloting to date has culminated in APTA receiving several ballots with comments and one negative vote. APTA provided the Steering Committee with a proposed resolution to the comments. The Steering Committee has directed APTA to accommodate all comments, including the negative vote.

This direction will result in a recirculation ballot as per ANSI process.

Steering Committee agreed in principal to the following: All balloting business members and agencies will get an informal draft of the IP Policy prior to the recirculation ballot. APTA indicated that this should happen by COB 2/2. Materials will include a spreadsheet detailing comments/commenter and proposed resolution, a "track changes" version of the IP Policy and a "clean" version of the IP Policy.

The implication of this direction to implementing the IP Policy effective today, 2/2 is that the Steering Committee is not comfortable with the Policy and directed APTA to NOT implement the IP Policy.

APTA cannot execute the process for distributing and collecting the Letters of Acknowledgment because the IP Policy will change.

There is a need to identify essential patents but APTA cannot request Letters of Assurance at this time.

Report-out of APTA TCIP Meetings in Annapolis, MD on 1/21-1/23, Tam:

• Comments on Version 2.4 due mid-Feb.
• Should TCIP Fare Collection business area be merged with UTFS
• Examine other options for collaboration
  

APTA TCIP Technical Work Group meetings took place on January 21-23 in Annapolis, MD. TWG #7, Fare Collection module met on Wednesday, January 21st. Approximately 21 people attended this session, with several UTFS members present.

Next steps:

Review version 2.4 and provide comments by mid-February. Release date for 2.4 is scheduled for April, 2004.

Data security and fare tables need to be examined and determined. Information also relative to the TCIP/Passenger Information Work Group.

A formal process for coordination between TCIP/UTFS needs to developed.

Should TCIP, Fare Collection be "folded" into the UTFS?
Should TCIP, Fare Collection stay on its current schedule?
Or, should TCIP, Fare Collection be delayed until the UTFS program develops the high level requirements?

If anyone is interested in participating in TCIP activities, or has comments on Version 2.4, please email Tam. His email address is: ctam@transitchicago.com

Discussion of February Work Package Face-to-Face meetings in Chicago @ CTA offices, Tam:

Work Package #1 - Feb. 11

Work Package #3 - Feb. 10

Work Package #4 - Feb. 12

Tam indicated that the Work Package team leaders have submitted their list of attendees. Anyone who has not indicated their interest in attending the sessions should email Tam and the Work Package team leaders ASAP.

To date, Work Package #1 has approximately 22 people who have responded as attending, Work Package #3, 12 people, and Work Package #4, 12 people.

Each meeting attendee should have received an information packet from their respective work package leader. The packet contains a list of hotels in the area, meeting location, etc.

Please note there will be a joint meeting of Work Packages 1 & 4 on Wednesday, Feb. 11th at 5:30 EASTERN TIME.

Gary Yamamura and David McIlwraith need to provide their agendas to Tam ASAP.

David deKozan, co-leader of the Systems Work Group could not make the call.

Work Package #1 - Ticketing PICC Platform:

Walt Bonneau, Leader - not present on the call
Goal of the group is to develop and release to APTA a document containing the necessary guidelines and standards to support an interoperable transit (PICC) proximity smart card environment including the communications to and from the PCD (reader).

Definitions document completed and balloted.
Walt has also developed and distributed a consolidated comments document.

Group will be holding a face-to-face meeting on Feb. 11th at CTA.

The group has been discussing objects as defined in the RIS. This will be a focus of some of the discussion next week in Chicago.

Work Package #2 -- not yet initiated

Work Package #3 - PICC/PCD/CID Security:

Gary Yamamura, Leader - not present on the call
Draft underway - "Automated Fare Collection System Security Planning Guidelines and Best Practices" white paper scheduled for an April 27, 2004 delivery date. The six sections of the document have been assigned leaders. The group will meet in Chicago on Feb. 10th. The group is meeting every other Tuesday via conference call.

Work Package #4 - Applications and Backend Functionality:

David McIlwraith, Leader

Focus of the group is to detail the management and control systems of distributed electronic fare collection systems. 3 deliverables are proposed, the first deliverable due in April 2004.

The development of the functional requirements document is in progress. The team hopes to finalize discussion of the document at their meeting in Chicago, scheduled for Feb. 12th.

Coordination with Work Package #1 on definitions will be part of the discussion next week at the Joint Work Group meeting.

The contract for technical support was awarded last week. Bob Murray, BART is the technical liaison.

This will be an action item for discussion next week in Chicago.

Rick Barrett indicated that the group's work product is available on the website and that APTA still need to do some final editing of the document.

Next meeting of the Full committee will be Monday, March 1st, at 12 noon, EASTERN STANDARD TIME.