By George G. Wynne
APTA Director, International Programs
Transit managers and planners from both shores of the Atlantic gathered last month in
Austin, Texas, to share their vision of seamless commuting aided by web-based traveler
information systems at the ITS International Best Practices Workshop sponsored by APTA.
The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority in Austin was host system for the
program, led by APTA Vice Chair-State Affairs Carol L. Ketcherside, executive director of
the South West Transit Association.
Federal Transit Administration Associate Administrator Edward Thomas set the stage by
citing "seamless mobility seamlessly made available" as the objective for urban
and regional transit systems in the years ahead. Many of the ingredients are in place
today, he said, but total systems integration is still elusive. Much of the infrastructure
is in place, he explained, but "we still lack the ‘infostructure.'"
Speakers concentrated on the construction of this "infostructure" in North
America and Europe, including electronic information, Internet, and voice-enabled
gateways, along with the emerging 511 national traveler information number in the U.S. The
ingredients of operating regional and national systems, as well as demonstration projects
in western Europe, were also shared through two days of intensive panel sessions.
In the U.S., speakers said, systems integration is progressing because of the National
ITS Architecture Policy in place since last April and the Federal Communications
Commission’s assignment of 511 as a nation-wide traveler information phone number.
Discussion of efforts in western and northern Europe focused on advanced traveler
information systems already in place or being linked up across the continent.
Francis Cheung of the Netherlands Transport Ministry described his country's national
network of travel information centers, an integral part of the Dutch government's
commitment to effective, nationwide mobility management. The integrated sys-tem includes a
national travel information number, fare integration, working real-time travel information
systems in several cities, and electronic highway display signs that also promote
intercity train connections.
Under the country's recently adopted National Traffic and Transport Plan, which has a
20-year horizon, Dutch transit operators are required to cooperate and make direct
contributions toward the realization of passenger information systems. Seamless
door-to-door travel is the overall objective of the plan, Cheung explained.
Niels Mortensen, head of the coordinating committee at the County Councils Association
in Denmark, spoke about the web-based "Rejseplanen" (Travel Planner), which
currently serves about 10 million callers a year with further expansion envisioned. The
travel planning system, which also includes platform and bus stop displays, was created
through a joint effort of the national railways and the nation's 14 counties.
Feeder bus and commuter train departures are fully integrated in Denmark, Mortensen
said, and ferries also are included in the system. A door-to-door travel planner is now
working in the greater Copenhagen area, and is expected to cover the entire country within
the next two to four years.
The Danish system is linked with the European Union's "EU Spirit,"
coordinated by the Oerman Railways, which currently comprises seven countries with 35
operator partners. The Internet-based EU Spirit project, promoted by the European
Community and operated by a multinational consortium of operators and authorities,
recently decided to expand its operations after a successful two-year trial phase. The
name of the system is an acronym for "European System for Passenger Services with
Intermodal Reservation, Information and Ticketing.
The successful demonstration phase of EU Spirit covered a region stretching from Rome
to Stockholm, according to Julie Starkey, project manager of Teleride, the Toronto-based
firm that is the North American distributor of the software used by the system. Additional
partners are now coming aboard, and the project is developing a customer-friendly,
Internet-based information system based on existing travel planners offering door-to-door
public transport information across Europe. New partners can be incorporated into the
travelplanning network at any time, given the system's open structure, and additional
travel information can be integrated to provide details on other aspects of a journey
including hotels or car rentals.
Canadian transit operators, including those in Calgary, Alb.; Ottawa, Ont.; and
Montreal, Que., also are working with the Telerider Plus software similar to that being
used by EU Spirit. Last year, these systems handled a combined total of more than 35
million traveler queries. Major U.S. transit systems using the software include Santa
Monica's Big Blue Bus in Santa Monica, Calif.; King County Metro in Seattle; and Buffalo's
Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority.
Altogether, Starkey said, some 48 million public transit information calls were
answered by Telerider systems last year. Linkages are being sought with the 511 systems
that are now coming on stream, she said.
Dr. Glenn Lyons of the University of Southampton's Transportation Research Group in the
United Kingdom spoke about Transport Direct, the U.K.'s national public transport
information service now being established. This Internet-based system eventually will
provide comparisons of travel options in real time across public and private transport
modes.
The evolving Transport Direct system is a part of a 10-year, $270 billion spending plan
for transport unveiled last year, Lyons said. The aim is to integrate highway and public
transport information into a one-stop trip planning, booking, and payment service,
complemented with real time up-date information. A broad package of public transport
improvements is sought under the plan, including a 50 percent increase in rail use and a
10 percent increase in bus passenger trips.
Lyons said the development of robust and effective traveler information services that
span operators and modes "presents a very challenging environment," explaining
that the industry situation that is both complex and fragmented as a result of
privatization, While technical capabilities are well advanced, data availability in terms
of quality and coverage remains a major problem in the U.K., he said, and the government
acknowledges that fulfilling the Transport Direct vision may take seven to 10 years.
However, he added, the few major private groups that currently dominate the U.K. transit
industry are increasingly working in partnership with local authorities to improve local
public transport. Also, online booking and payment for travel tickets are already
available for some individual modes.
Lyons' group recently published a Best Practices Guide for public transport information
web sites that provides detailed guidance on content, structure, and presentation. The
guide is available online at www.trg.soton.ac.uk/bpg/. Also, the university has released a detailed report
titled "Traveler Information Systems Re-search: A Review and Recommendations for
Transport Direct," available online at www.dft.gov.uk/itwp/transdirect/.
The Austin ITS workshop focusing on Intelligent Transportation Systems best practices
and state-of-the-art projects around the world was the sixth in an ongoing series,
co-sponsored by the FTA. Information about the next workshop will be announced on the APTA
web site and in Passenger Transport.
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