Case Study: Real time passenger information system in Yorkshire

Goal:  

• To improve journey times through congested traffic signals
• To Improve schedule adherence for late running vehicles
• To reduce carbon emissions by reducing emissions from idling buses  

Solution: 

The Yorkshire real time scheme which covers 2600+ vehicles in the whole of Yorkshire operating on a region wide PMR communications infrastructure utilising 10 base stations also includes separate communications channels enabling strategic traffic signal priority capability in addition to the local signal priority transmission from vehicles to locally equipped junction equipment.

This infrastructure enables buses to obtain signal priority utilising 2 methods. The first method utilises locally equipped traffic signals, whereby the vehicle transmits utilising the same radio modem as in use for routine updating, voice communications as well as traffic signal priority. 

This technology builds on ACIS award winning intelligent signal priority technology whereby only late vehicles request priority in various forms and is compliant with RTIG standard local signal priority, with late vehicle communicating directly with the local signals to demand priority.

The second methodology in use is strategic signal priority, whereby over a longer range, the vehicles use a central priority channel to deliver preemption requests much further ahead of the junction.

This gives the UTMC/SCOOT systems, which have an inherently broader network view of the traffic environment an earlier warning of vehicles which might be running late and may need priority through a set of signals.

Once again, efficient use of the technology is employed where the same radio modem is again used for this purpose.

Another important aspect of the system is the traffic light priority test and commissioning device which the various different UTC authorities utilise on a daily basis to test, configure and position the various virtual detectors to produce the configuration which is then uploaded onto the vehicles.

To date 260 sites of both varieties have been installed and configured with roll-out extending to 450+ by the summer of 2008.

Results:

Currently on a daily basis the central system is generating consistently in excess of 120,000 preemption, priority or exit trigger (when a bus leaves a junction) requests through the interface with the UTMC systems.

These requests cover a range of different priority levels covering degrees of lateness of up to 2 minutes late, 2-5 minutes late and 5 minutes or more late.

On the assumption that only 2.5% of these requests generate an extension to the green phase in each instance which is the most efficient method of delivering priority at a junction, the carbon dioxide savings through removing this inefficient idle time are in excess of 75 tonnes of carbon dioxide per annum.

Put another way, just the idle time saved is the equivalent of a vehicle idling constantly for a period of in excess of 6 months.

Additionally, in one example of local signal priority a simple before and after analysis utilising the system data an average of 2.5 minutes has been saved on the journey time between the start of a route and the other side of an equipped junction, which on a 50 minute round trip time in an urban area equates to 5% journey time saving.

These results offer an insight into the scale and impact which large scale ACIS real time implementations can and are having on the environment and the transport networks involved.

 

• PMR Infrastructure (10 radio base sites, including Strategic Traffic Light Priority Channels, Voice, and Data Communications)
• GPRS Infrastructure for information delivery to on street signs and vehicles
• Real Time Information Web and WAP site infrastructure hosted and monitored 24/7
• Real Time Information SMS infrastructure hosted and monitored 24/7
• Real Time Fleet management information for OpCos via web and mobile PDAs
• Web based historic analyses of data from entire system, performance, and KPIs
• Digital TV interface for greater social inclusion
• Data Management Suite integrating disparate timetable sources for fortnightly updates
• Interface to UTMC providing both local and strategic traffic light priority to buses
• Passenger information systems at 10 bus stations across Yorkshire

Scope:

• 2,600+ buses
• 1.0m+ daily stop arrival and departure data observations warehoused
• 36,000 bus stops
• 1,000+ displays supported by full system monitoring with all Signs
    using ACIS GPRS2 with reduced communications costs
• 7,000+ daily SMS, Web, and WAP requests to ACIS
• 120,000 Traffic light priority requests per day

Delivering real time passenger information to Yorkshire  - passengers has been a long-term project with the Local Authorities and ACIS partnering to ensure the continued success for the passengers, local authorities, bus operating companies, and the Yorkshire economy.

ACIS was the chosen supplier for the provision of a PMR real time passenger information system throughout West and South Yorkshire and prior to this in York. More latterly, the GPRS North Yorkshire system including vehicles and displays has been integrated.  The aim for all three local authorities partners was to integrate both the PMR and GPRS driven real time passenger information systems to provide a seamless transport solution for the county.  This was accomplished by ACIS on time and on budget.

Future expansion of the Yorkshire system into East Yorkshire and Hull is planned for the period 2008/09.

In order to achieve a seamless transport information system, ACIS developed and implemented many bespoke products.

SMS, Web, WAP, and Digital TV

Patronage growth, better informed passengers, and information when and where the passenger needs it are the key success criteria for Yorkshire's public transport system.  ACIS developed and launched the realtime passenger information via SMS in Yorkshire. Over 7000 requests are made to the Yorkshire-ACIS system daily and cumulatively we are fast approaching the 3 millionth text. 

The real time public transport websites in Yorkshire are hosted and managed by ACIS.

South Yorkshire recognized that many of their constituents were using their digital TV?s to access more and more local information.

ACIS partnered with South Yorkshire's partners to develop an interface whereby real time public transport information can be accessed through their interactive red buttons.  This solution is now being offered to local authorities as an added value to their public service delivery.

Public Transport Priority

Yorkshire quickly recognized that it's economy is both driven by transport and that its success can also add to congestion leading to longer journey times.  The ACIS partnership identified that this dynamic could be resolved for public transport by developing bus priority systems at traffic lights. 

In Yorkshire, every day over 120,000 requests come from buses to ACIS enabled traffic lights enabling those buses potential priority over other traffic.  This innovative solution which centrally integrates with the UTMC system not only reduces journey times, but it also reduces the buses fuel consumption and emissions while waiting at traffic lights with significant potential carbon footprint reduction

York is working with the UK Department for Transport (DfT) to develop a more open approach to Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) in urban areas by utilizing sustainable transport solutions is driving an initiative.
ACIS ensures that all data generated from the BusNet system across the Park and Rides, traffic priority and journeys with the bus operators are provided in format compliant and useable for York's UTMC studies.

On-Vehicle Computer

The ACIS DT125 was utilised on the scheme which at the time was the next evolution of the core ACIS DeltaTrak (DT100) Computer. This was further developed in Yorkshire integrating the different ticket machine interfaces required, delivering RTIG local cleardown on a large scale, unseen elsewhere.

In addition the trunk radio voice communications platform which is an inherent feature of the onboard technology was adapted especially to meet the demanding emergency scenarios needed by the operators in Yorkshire.

The enhancement tailored for Yorkshire allows for the driver to covertly raise the emergency alarm and automatically open up a listen feature allowing control room staff to be alerted and listen into to events as they unfold unknown to the vehicle occupants.

Beyond this enhancement, various software upgrades were developed to allow for the capacity of 3,000 vehicles to operate on the available PMR infrastructure whilst at the same time meeting the requirements of RTIG local cleardown and RTIG local signal priority.

Displays

Actually how has Yorkshire achieved patronage growth through better informed passengers Given the diverse landscape of Yorkshire from high density city centres to rural bus stops the needs and solutions differed widely. 

ACIS designed, developed, and delivered signs that were capable of utilizing the available power and communications infrastructures. 

A dynamic of Yorkshire is the size of the data files, which need to be communicated to each sign, that are generated from tracking 75,000 bus journeys with 15,000 variants each and every day, all of this is updated every two weeks throughout the year.  Given this volume of data, ACIS developed a new display called the Rivelin.

The Rivelin communicates through the innovative self provisioning GPRS2 infrastructure developed by ACIS, which has reduced the data transmissions by 90%, which when coupled with the Rivelin's low power requirements has saved considerable amounts of money.

Therefore the Rivelin and GPRS2 are a fantastic package for Yorkshire in meeting energy efficiency and generating cost savings for bus stop sign solutions.

Data Management Suite 

Managing such a complex and multilayered public transport system, with data timetable data inputs from many different operating companies, bus depots, local authorities  needs a robust package of tools particularly with routine updates of the entire dataset every two weeks.

ACIS Data Management Suite is the main data configuration tool for the Yorkshire system. This solution enables the Local Authority to configure the system for traffic light priority, bus stop data, bus locations, SMS and ACIS Live.

The ACIS system receives approximately 4GB of data every two weeks from our Yorkshire partners to compile and place within the DMS to ensure every route in the Yorkshire RTPI system is up to date. This is the largest single data file currently being configured in any DMS across England, and the ACIS system is successfully updated automatically every two weeks..

Service Performance Management

Service performance management from an operator point of view is delivered in two principle ways. Firstly, in real time, dispatchers and service controllers need real time information providing overview information in real time summarising how the service is operating now, focussing dispatchers and service controllers on the problem areas and routes and initiating management intervention to prevent and overcome performance loss in real time. This is delivered in Yorkshire through BusNet Live in the control rooms, over the internet and also via mobile PDS for inspectors on the ground.

The second key area of improvement comes from strategic analysis of historical performance to strategically inform more achievable future schedules and timetables. This is delivered through the ACIS Operator Reports package, a cutting edge data warehouse and analytics package. Operator Reports provides an intuitive, online and secure browser based user interface, with seamless through any web based machine to in this system alone in excess of 1 billion arrival and departure records within seconds.

All of these data objects are related to Bus Operator, Bus Depot, driver, service, running board, bus stops, time of day, day of week, week of month, month of year and so on. This allows a truly infinite array of data views which can be tailored to individual user needs intuitively and quickly. Manipulation of data which previously and other systems might take hours or days to process is available within seconds, online from anywhere.

As a comparator, the data archived to the data warehouse every day is the equivalent to five man years worth of human arrival and departure observations, this is the equivalent to a similar number of data transactions per day as the total number of cash point transactions handled by HSBC per day in the UK.

The Results

With all the investment and technology applied above, what results have been achieved.

As part of the project management of the scheme a number of project success criteria have been monitored from the beginning of the project, a summary of which is provided below:

• Patronage Growth Approximately 2.5% growth in patronage achieved
• 5-10% increase in customer satisfaction with Metro?s information services since the scheme was launched.
• 80%+ of all users are more than satisfied with the service
• From a sample of general population a 47% overall were aware of the system
• 12.9% of users are using the bus more frequently as a result of the service (this is approximately 2.5% of all bus users)
• Consistent and continuous month on month increase in the SMS service usage since launch with peak demand when service operation is unusual or changing.
• Service Punctuality has improved continuously across the operators through the use of the system.
• Through the potential of the signal priority, upwards of 100 tonnes of carbon dioxide per annum could be saved.

The system installation, project management and ongoing system maintenance is provided by ACIS from a local office based in Leeds.