- Email: [email protected]
New Concepts in Public Transport Information Systems
Copyright © IFAC Transportation Systems. Tianjin. PRC, 1994
NEW CONCEPTS IN PUBLIC TRANSPORT INFORMATION SYSTEMS PROF. G. GIANNOPOULOS*, DR P. PAPAIOANNOU* • Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Depamnenl of Civil Engineering, Transpon Section, Thessaloniki, 540 06 Greece
Abstr~ct.
Passenger Information Systems for Public Transport in urban areas have entered a new era, following the recent developments in information and communication technologies. As a result of research carried out in this respect, in the DRIVE I and ATT Programmes. new concepts for Public Transport Information Systems (PTJS) have resulted. Many of them come from the CASSIOPE system. based on the design of a kernel data model and a common RDBMS appropriate for all functional domains The EUROBUSIPOPINS terminals designed and developed for three European cities are also presented. Finally the likely impacts to Public Transport patronage are examined. Key Words. Public Transport, information systems. real time computer systems
1. INTRODUCfION
The rationale behind this seems to be twofold: First, people use Public Transport for their trips and they make trips to satisfy their needs. Each trip therefore must be considered as a part of a job, and in doing this, information is needed not only for the trip itself but also for other subjects that are related to this job. The degree this additional information is needed is strongly related to the user profile and the size and complexity of the city.
Passenger Information in urban Public Transport Systems is an important and vital function required for more than one reasons. Depending on the nature of the Public Transport Operator. this function may have as a primary objective to attract patronage from other modes and in particular from private cars, or to improve the image of the Operator himself; alternatively, to satisfy the needs of those groups that rely only on public transport; finally to improve the overall public transport efficiency. Certainly, Public Transport Information on itself is not enough to achieve significant changes in patronage, at least according to the available data which refer to the existing generation of Public Transport Information Systems.
Second, information systems are getting into a new era. Some decades ago, there was the generation of the data handling systems. Ten years ago the era of the information systems which provide "information" as a result of data processing started. Nowadays, the era of the "knowledge" systems begins. The emphasis is on the knowledge a person can get from the information that is produced by the system.
Lately (the last six to eight years) a number of efforts in Europe and world-wide has been started aiming at creating a new generation of Public Transport Information systems which will be able to offer better and more advanced information to their users. In doing that the latest technological developments are taken into account, and incorporated wherever possible. The GIS technology for example, a leading technology in computer software, is such an example. In addition to that, this new generation of information systems seems not to be limited only to Public Transport Information, but to combine data and information external to the public transport functions, such as city information, tourist information etc.
This is of course due to the rapid decrease of the computer system acqUIsitiOn cost, and the production of more powerful and small size computers. Passenger Information systems are therefore obliged to conform to the existing trends and employ both the new philosophy and the new technologies that emerge.
471
2. A TYPOLOGY OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT INFORMATION SYSTEMS
Table 1 Presentation of representative Passenger Information Systems Category of Passenger Information System Real Time Interactive
Public Transport Information Systems (PTIS) exist today at many different forms covering a wide range of needs. The simpler form of passenger information is the printed information (timetable etc.) and a network map mounted on the bus stop shelter. On the other hand one of the most advanced forms is the MINITEL terminal installed at the houses of individuals. PTIS could be distinguished in more than one ways. However, if a distinction form a functional point of view is to be made, PTIS can be divided into the following categories:
Real Time Passive
Pre-determined Interactive Pre-determined Passive
a. Interactive and passive systems b. Real time and pre-determined information systems
Name of System STINS, INFOMETRO, AUTOPLUS, STAFI , BUSINTEL, TRA VELPHONE TT, GURU, AOSIS, INFOPLUS, INFOTRAM VIEDOPLAN, UMEA SYSTEM, SITU WEST YORKSHIRE SYSTEM, VASATERMINAIENS YSTEM
Source : Cassiope Project, Deliverable 5.1 (1990)
The combination of these two categories result in 4 new categories as follows:
3. RANKING PASSENGER INFORMATION FUNCfIONS
- Real time interactive systems - Real time passive systems - Pre-determined interactive systems - Pre-determined passive systems
The degree each one of the above categories has penetrated the Public Transport Market is a difficult question to reply. There is definitely a rapid change towards real time systems with the aim to take into account the problems arisen from the changing traffic conditions.
Real time systems imply that an Automatic Vehicle Monitoring (AVM) system is in operation which provides the Information Systems with processed or semi-processed real data . This data most of the time take into account the exact location of the vehicles and/or traffic conditions and vehicle breakdowns A very representative example of real time information is "The time next bus arrives" at a certain location (bus stop, terminal etc.)
One of the relatively recent surveys, which took place in 1989, attempted to do so, i.e. to present the penetration of equipment used by Public Transport Operators for different purposes. This survey, which was launched within the CASSIOPE DRIVE I project (1989), covered all the EEC member countries and a total of 119 Operators. Before the survey, Public Transport Operations were divided into 7 main domains, and subsequently each domain was further split into sub-domains and functions. (Annex I) All the questions set in the survey questionnaire were based on this functional breakdown. The results, qualitative and quantitative can be found in the deliverable 3 (1990), "Operator Needs & Overall Requirement Report ". A typical example of the analysis performed regarding Passenger Information equipment is given in Table 2 at the end of the paper.
Pre-determined information systems on the other hand provide information based on existing data that are either stored in data bases or created at the time of request but rely on scheduled and not real time data. Official timetables, interchange locations, fare information etc., are some characteristic examples. The interactive systems are the ones which provide the information after an activation by the user. The user may be either a passenger or a hostess working for the operator.
At a next step, and according to the obtained results, an effort to rank the various existing passenger information functions was made. This ranking process was based on the "penetration" and "usefulness" concepts elaborated elsewhere (Cassiope Project V 1019, Study of Functionalities in the User Information Domain, 1990). The final result of this rating is shown in Table 3 (at the end of the paper).
Finally the passive systems, which are the most common ones, provide information according to a pre-programmed procedure. Table 1 presents some representative information systems falling in each category.
472
The same analyses indicated also what are the most preferred, and at the same time the necessary functions at various locations where passenger information is requested. Table 4 presents these results.
system prototypes at three different European cities, namely Marseilles of France, Madrid of Spain and Thessaloniki of Greece. All prototypes make use (to a certain degree) of the CASSIOPE data model, and two of them, Marseilles and Thessaloniki, rely on a G IS and its functionalities.
4. THE NEED FOR A PUBLIC TRANSPORT DATA MODEL
The three terminals have been designed according to the priorities set and evaluated within the DRIVE I programme. Thus, passenger information for Public Transport users are grouped accordingly.
The CASSIOPE project not only promoted the concept of domains and functions in Public Transport, but it also stressed the need for the design of a new generation Public Transport System. able to be adapted in the majority of urban areas. Modularity was found to be one of the most important characteristics of the desired system, which was specified at the level of preliminary recommendations.
One of the main goals of EUROBUS is to create standards with regard to interactive passenger information terminals that can be used at a PanEuropean level. These standards refer to the dialogue structure, icons used for a number of functions and actions, icon and character size etc. The purpose of this is to create a common "look and feel" so that all passengers in Europe can use this kind of terminals with the minimum possible frustration .
Like every other information system the CASSIOPE Public Transport Information System is based on a Data Model and an RDBMS. Having in mind that Public Transport functions. as defined in Annex A, require many times the same data , a kernel data model was derived, which was based on the functional hierarchy and the functional specifications of all public transport functions. The detailed analysis and the demonstration projects which followed the design of this kernel data model, proved that in fact such a model is attainable and useful for two main reasons:
It must be noted that the three prototype systems use different hardware and software configuration, and are based on the requirements set by the respective Operators. In this respect, EUROBUS introduces a new concept for PTIS, i.e. similar external look and functionality, but differentiated internal operation.
6. THE THESSALONIKI PROTOTYPE first for standardisation purposes, and second for simplifying the complex work needed today.
6.1 Description of the System
The usefulness and operability of all these, was tested at two levels. The first is the realisation of the aforementioned demonstration projects, which covered the areas of Passenger Information, Scheduling and Fare Collection /. Management Information. The second is the design and development of Interactive Passenger Information System prototypes, which are considered as a continuation of the CASSIOPE project. This second level, which actually attempts to turn .. theory" into reality is being exercised within the POPINS area of the EUROBUS project of the Advanced Transport Telematics Programme of the EEC which is a continuation of CASSIOPE. How this is attained is described in the next section.
The main objective of the Thessaloniki Passenger Information System, (THEPIS), is to provide information in an interactive way to the passengers at the Greater Thessaloniki Area (GTA), and to other potential users. This information include the bus network and schedules as well as other information about the city (places of interest, public buildings, etc.). The THEPIS initially will provide "off-line" information. In the future, and once its usefulness is proven, it will be converted into a real time information system, provided that the appropriate infrastructure and communication system is installed. The THEPIS, comprises at the current (first) stage a central processing unit, a Geographical data base containing information about the greater area of Thessaloniki, a number of external data bases retaining information about the bus network and the bus schedules, and one (or more) terminals which display the information and receive the user requests. The system communicate with the user through a User Interface. Two User Interfaces
5. THE DEVELOPMENT OF INTERACnVE PASSENGER INFORMATION TERMINALS As a result of the CASSIOPE findings, a new effort started with the objective of designing and developing three Public Transport Information 473
have been developed; one for use by the Operator himself to provide information to the Public through telephone lines or at booths at certain locations, and another for the end user, i.e. the passenger. At the next stages, and after the system has been evaluated, the terminal for the end user will follow.
Figure 2 (at the end of the paper) presents in a diagrammatic form the system data bases. The system operation is based on many of the GIS functions and capabilities, such as dynamic segmentation, address Geocoding etc.
6.2 THEPIS Functions
7. EXPECfED IMPACfS
The THEPIS has the following functions
Evaluating the impacts a Passenger Information System may have on the operation and efficiency of a Public Transport Operator is definitely a very difficult task. As mentioned in the Introduction, the primary goals for developing Passenger Information systems vary a lot. However, for all systems the following objectives are sought according to Anderson T.ND (1993)
J. Provide basic infonnation - Provide at any defined bus stop the expected (theoretical according to schedule) arrival and departure time for the three next buses of every bus line passing through this stop. - Provide theoretical timetables for all bus lines at any bus stop, with an error of up to 2 minutes. - Display the whole transport and road network of the Greater Thessaloniki Area, or part of it. The map will be also showing the bus routes in question, the bus stops. the street names, as well as other information such as places of interest. archaeological sites, etc.
- To improve passengers' efficiency of movement through the system - To enhance the quality and range of services offered - To assist passengers plan their trips - To provide confidence to passengers - To improve the image of the Public Transport Operator
2. Trip optimisation - Give the optimum route (path) with or without transfer - Provide on foot connection at the stop areas of origin and destination
For real time systems in particular some additional objectives are sought : - To advise passengers about possible changes - To provide the staff with better information about what is happening
3. Customised user infonnation - Display the stops and other information close to a given point defined either by an address or by another way Display information for a selected place of interest
It is believed that an advanced comprehensive passenger information system most of the time satisfies the majority of the above objectives. However, it is practically impossible to assess how much each objective has been satisfied and if this is significant, unless tedious and exhaustive surveys are carried out. The usual problems related to the before and after studies are some of the main reasons for obtaining reliable results.
The whole THEPIS operation is made in a structured interactive way using pre-defined dialogues (requests and responses). An example of such a dialogue structure is given in Figure 1 (at the end of the Paper)
There is a rather very limited bibliography concerning this matter. In France a number of studies performed for this purpose (i.e. assessing the impacts from the introduction of automated systems in Public Transport) indicate that a 2-4% modal shift from private to public transport must be expected. Similarly, and depending on the system installed, other impacts may be also expected, such as better time distribution of demand, or better spatial distribution. These primary impacts have a subsequent impact on the whole operation which usually results in operating cost reductions.
The dialogue structure and terminology conform to the "standards" set by the EUROBUS team, and they form the basis for the European standards in Interactive Passenger Information Systems. 6.3 THEPIS Data Base Design The THEPIS data base design realised in a RDBMS accessible by the GIS used. In fact there is not only one data base but many related to each other and to the geographical data base which maintains the basic cartographic background as well as the other geographical information, stratified in thematic layers. 474
In this respect the impacts can be classified in the following broad categories:
Similar results in terms of benefits must be also expected in other networks and in other cities which have similarities with the city of Thessaloniki in terms of size and operator legal status.
- Patronage increase - Time savings - Operating cost Reductions due to better scheduling - Improvement in traffic flow conditions - Environmental benefits -Other benefits (mainly qualitative)
It must be also pointed out that the expected impacts can be classified in economic, social and environmental. A comprehensive evaluation methodology in necessary in order to draw final conclusions about the overall consequences of advanced information systems
A recent effort, Cassiope Project V 1019 (1990), Simulation Model for Evaluating RTI Applications, pertaining to the likely impacts from the introduction of a Passenger Information system in the Greater Thessaloniki Area resulted in the following :
8. REFERENCES Anderson T.N.D (1993), Real Time Passenger Information for Transit Systems, London Underground Ltd, Railway Extensions Directorate, UK Cassiope Project V 1019 (1990), Study of Functionalities In the User Information Domain, Deliverable 5.1, Cassiope Consortium Cassiope Project V 1019 (1990), Operator needs and Overall Requirement Report , Deliverable 3, Cassiope Consortium Cassiope Project V 1019 (1990), Simulation Model for Evaluating RTI Applications, Internal Cassiope Report by University of Thessaloniki Eurobus Project V 2025, Specifications of Field Prototypes, (1 992), Eurobus Report
- An average annual patronage increase of 1.5 % must be expected provided that a reduction of 5% in the ratio of transit over public transport generalised cost is achieved. - Reductions in the number of buses ranging between 1 and 5% to serve the same patronage must be expected by the combined introduction of passenger information and scheduling advanced systems. - In all cases operating cost reductions are obtained
..A.RCl'.NFO..~ . GE O GR A PH'C Al DA;A
r:V nomlc occeH
I'
I
a nd uDdole only for me
1
nO!'e~~
I I
I
I
I
i
I !
i i
~~~~;\~i} ~
ono places
I
~
Figure 2 Diagrammatic presentation of the TIlEPIS Data Base
475
Acknowledgement: The authors wish to acknowledge that the first parts of this paper are the result of collective work within the CASSIOPE and the EUROBUS projects to which they participated. These projects were conducted under the co-ordination of
CETE Mediterranee with participation of the following Institutions and Companies: University of Thessaloniki, University of Leeds, University of Cranfield, Hamburg Consult , TransExpert, CTM , RTM , OASTH, ENA Trafico.
:kT~Un~;e=T~ab~~~s~==~I-------t""1 i Places of Interest
Select the nation of the bus stop you are intereS1ed with one of the following ways: Address Intersection of Streets Bus Stop Place of IntereS1
Trip Organization Validation of Data and Calculation of
Solution Destination
.-
B~~-Lin~ No AIchaeologi:.al places
Preffered
Churehes
Hospitals - Health Hotels Monuments Parks - Squares Po1ice Stations Public Buildings Sport Centers
isplay tre position of se~cted pla:e of interest on the map >bus lines passing through and more ...
Figure 1 Example of Dialogue Structure
Table 2 Passenger Information Equipment according to size of Operator
Size of the fleet
Whole Sample
Less than 100 buses
Between 100 and 300 buses
More than 300 buses
16% 49% 14% 8%
12% 45% 9% 9%
28% 58% 20% 10%
6% 43% TI% 6%
EQulDment User information devices Display or video on board Speakers on board Display or video at stops Speakers at stops
Source : Cassiope Project, Deliverable 5.1 (1990) 476
Table 3 Passenger Information Function Rating Domain
Usefulness
Difference
Weighting Factor
Weighted Difference
48 45 41 49 51 44 47 50 42 43 53 52 54 40 55 56 46 57
43% 46% 50% 47% 51% 43 % 28% 47% 46% 45% 57% 39% 32% 31i% 24% 31 % 6% 15%
40% 41% 48% 37% 42% 39% 27% 39% 37% 41 % 54% 35% 30O/C 23% 24% 29% 6% 15%
80% 56% 46% 57% 50% 50% 71% 48% 46% 42% 26% 38% 39% 48% 45% 35% 20% 0%
32% 23% 22% 21 % 21 % 20% 19% 19% 17% 17% 14% 13% 12% II O/C 11 % JOo/c 1% 0%
User Information Penetration (Whole sample) Function Current vehicle location 3% 5% Interchange guidance service Network map, routes 2% Actual waiting time 10% Destination, next stop 9% Route optimisation 4% Bay assignment 1% Route display on the bus 8% Official schedules 9% Fare information 4% Service disruptions 3% Cancellation of service 4% Complaints, suggestions 2% Time display 13% Lost property information 0% Ads., local information 2% Seat reservation 0% Enhancement of waiting time 0%
Source Cassiope Project, Deliverable 5.1 (1990)
Table 4 Necessary (minimum) Requirements of as Satisfactory Information System Location
Minimal Information
At Stops
- SlOp Identification
At Main Stops At Stations On Buses In Buses
panel, destination reached. route colours and numbers, stop name - Planning and waiting map of routes concerned, schedules of the routes, normal ticket price network map, enhancement of waiting time bay No. information booth route number and colour, destination, bus number network map, selling device or person, map of route, stop reached, itinerary, fares, fare zones schedules of all lines, network map, route map, fares, fare zones, directions for use phone with information centre, all portable information
Portable Information Information at Home or at Main Town Places
Source: Cassiope Project, Deliverable 5.1 (1990)
477
ANNEX 1 List of Domains, Sub-Domains and Functions, according to CAS SlOPE No
Domain
Function
No
I 2 3 4
51 52
Voice communication management Data transmission Identification of vehicle location Recording of data/events Operator decision aid Vehicle monitoring Departure management Schedule control (on-line) Frequency control (on-line) Incident/emergency management Vehicle load management Interchange of demand responsive systems Operation of dt".mand responsive systems Training of ~rsonnel (controller) Aid to drivers
15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
Personnel ID/ timekeeping Indication of start of driver duty Performance of pre-departure checks Unscheduled operation Scheduled o~ratlOn IndicatIon of requested stops Lateness/eariyness notification Information on location o f next and previous Vehicle guid.nce Depot Mgnl
24 25 26 27 28
Bus entf)'/exit control Bus garaging in the depot Registration of events Assignment of vehicles Assignment of drivers
Fare Collection Fare slntClUre oplimisallOn
56 57
Revenue analysis Defirution of fare system TlCketing technology
58 59
Ticket issuing at stops Ticket issuing on board Smart cards Hands-off ticketing F fa ud detection
6()
61 62 Patronage knowledge
63
Passenger counting Origin-d.estination data Revenue sharing between operators
64
65 Maintenance Vehicle Database
67 68 69
Logbook Recording of fuelling Recording of kilometrage/ mileage Vehicle MontJonng
70
Tale-diagnosis in case of breakdowns Tele-maintenance/repairs 'vIobile repairlreplacement service
71 7'2
Traffic lighlS priorilies
29 30 31
Priority management at centrally-controlled J Priority management at isolated juncti ons Traffic conditions analysis 73
Maintenance Planningl Control
Preparation of work orders \r1.aintenance reserve management Weak point analysis Assignment of workshop staff Diagnosis/failure detection Compilation of maintenance manuals / training Job control Spare parts/inventory management
74 75 76 77
78 79 80 Str~tegic Planning Network. improvement
Scheduling
32 33 34 35 36 37
Function Service disruptions Complaints, suggestions treatment Lost pro~rty management Local information Enhancement of waiting time
53 54 55
Control aids
5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Domain Miscdlan~OUJ
Real-Time Control Dala management
Timetable planning Printing of timetables, etc. Printing of bus stop display Vehicle scheduling Driver scheduling Driver rostering
Adaptation of network. to changed demand patterns Service frequency adaptation Travel time definition Interchange waiting time minimISation Vehicle sizelfleet development
81 82 83 84 85 Analysis of modifications
Impact of route/stop changes Impact of service level changes
86 87 Management Aid 10 managemOlI
User Inrormation Trip planning
38 39 40 41 42 43 44
Environmmt knowledge
93 94
En rouuinfo
45 46 47 48 49 50
Demand indications Bus o~rating indicators Cost accounting database Personnel database Vehicle database
88 89 90 91 92
Time display at stops Network map. routes Information on timetable Information on fares Route information Interchange information Seat reservation Bay assignment Vehicle location Actual waiting time Route display on the bus Destination/next stop Cancellation on services
478
Road system database Regulationllaw database
NEW CONCEPTS IN PUBLIC TRANSPORT INFORMATION SYSTEMS PROF. G. GIANNOPOULOS*, DR P. PAPAIOANNOU* • Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Depamnenl of Civil Engineering, Transpon Section, Thessaloniki, 540 06 Greece
Abstr~ct.
Passenger Information Systems for Public Transport in urban areas have entered a new era, following the recent developments in information and communication technologies. As a result of research carried out in this respect, in the DRIVE I and ATT Programmes. new concepts for Public Transport Information Systems (PTJS) have resulted. Many of them come from the CASSIOPE system. based on the design of a kernel data model and a common RDBMS appropriate for all functional domains The EUROBUSIPOPINS terminals designed and developed for three European cities are also presented. Finally the likely impacts to Public Transport patronage are examined. Key Words. Public Transport, information systems. real time computer systems
1. INTRODUCfION
The rationale behind this seems to be twofold: First, people use Public Transport for their trips and they make trips to satisfy their needs. Each trip therefore must be considered as a part of a job, and in doing this, information is needed not only for the trip itself but also for other subjects that are related to this job. The degree this additional information is needed is strongly related to the user profile and the size and complexity of the city.
Passenger Information in urban Public Transport Systems is an important and vital function required for more than one reasons. Depending on the nature of the Public Transport Operator. this function may have as a primary objective to attract patronage from other modes and in particular from private cars, or to improve the image of the Operator himself; alternatively, to satisfy the needs of those groups that rely only on public transport; finally to improve the overall public transport efficiency. Certainly, Public Transport Information on itself is not enough to achieve significant changes in patronage, at least according to the available data which refer to the existing generation of Public Transport Information Systems.
Second, information systems are getting into a new era. Some decades ago, there was the generation of the data handling systems. Ten years ago the era of the information systems which provide "information" as a result of data processing started. Nowadays, the era of the "knowledge" systems begins. The emphasis is on the knowledge a person can get from the information that is produced by the system.
Lately (the last six to eight years) a number of efforts in Europe and world-wide has been started aiming at creating a new generation of Public Transport Information systems which will be able to offer better and more advanced information to their users. In doing that the latest technological developments are taken into account, and incorporated wherever possible. The GIS technology for example, a leading technology in computer software, is such an example. In addition to that, this new generation of information systems seems not to be limited only to Public Transport Information, but to combine data and information external to the public transport functions, such as city information, tourist information etc.
This is of course due to the rapid decrease of the computer system acqUIsitiOn cost, and the production of more powerful and small size computers. Passenger Information systems are therefore obliged to conform to the existing trends and employ both the new philosophy and the new technologies that emerge.
471
2. A TYPOLOGY OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT INFORMATION SYSTEMS
Table 1 Presentation of representative Passenger Information Systems Category of Passenger Information System Real Time Interactive
Public Transport Information Systems (PTIS) exist today at many different forms covering a wide range of needs. The simpler form of passenger information is the printed information (timetable etc.) and a network map mounted on the bus stop shelter. On the other hand one of the most advanced forms is the MINITEL terminal installed at the houses of individuals. PTIS could be distinguished in more than one ways. However, if a distinction form a functional point of view is to be made, PTIS can be divided into the following categories:
Real Time Passive
Pre-determined Interactive Pre-determined Passive
a. Interactive and passive systems b. Real time and pre-determined information systems
Name of System STINS, INFOMETRO, AUTOPLUS, STAFI , BUSINTEL, TRA VELPHONE TT, GURU, AOSIS, INFOPLUS, INFOTRAM VIEDOPLAN, UMEA SYSTEM, SITU WEST YORKSHIRE SYSTEM, VASATERMINAIENS YSTEM
Source : Cassiope Project, Deliverable 5.1 (1990)
The combination of these two categories result in 4 new categories as follows:
3. RANKING PASSENGER INFORMATION FUNCfIONS
- Real time interactive systems - Real time passive systems - Pre-determined interactive systems - Pre-determined passive systems
The degree each one of the above categories has penetrated the Public Transport Market is a difficult question to reply. There is definitely a rapid change towards real time systems with the aim to take into account the problems arisen from the changing traffic conditions.
Real time systems imply that an Automatic Vehicle Monitoring (AVM) system is in operation which provides the Information Systems with processed or semi-processed real data . This data most of the time take into account the exact location of the vehicles and/or traffic conditions and vehicle breakdowns A very representative example of real time information is "The time next bus arrives" at a certain location (bus stop, terminal etc.)
One of the relatively recent surveys, which took place in 1989, attempted to do so, i.e. to present the penetration of equipment used by Public Transport Operators for different purposes. This survey, which was launched within the CASSIOPE DRIVE I project (1989), covered all the EEC member countries and a total of 119 Operators. Before the survey, Public Transport Operations were divided into 7 main domains, and subsequently each domain was further split into sub-domains and functions. (Annex I) All the questions set in the survey questionnaire were based on this functional breakdown. The results, qualitative and quantitative can be found in the deliverable 3 (1990), "Operator Needs & Overall Requirement Report ". A typical example of the analysis performed regarding Passenger Information equipment is given in Table 2 at the end of the paper.
Pre-determined information systems on the other hand provide information based on existing data that are either stored in data bases or created at the time of request but rely on scheduled and not real time data. Official timetables, interchange locations, fare information etc., are some characteristic examples. The interactive systems are the ones which provide the information after an activation by the user. The user may be either a passenger or a hostess working for the operator.
At a next step, and according to the obtained results, an effort to rank the various existing passenger information functions was made. This ranking process was based on the "penetration" and "usefulness" concepts elaborated elsewhere (Cassiope Project V 1019, Study of Functionalities in the User Information Domain, 1990). The final result of this rating is shown in Table 3 (at the end of the paper).
Finally the passive systems, which are the most common ones, provide information according to a pre-programmed procedure. Table 1 presents some representative information systems falling in each category.
472
The same analyses indicated also what are the most preferred, and at the same time the necessary functions at various locations where passenger information is requested. Table 4 presents these results.
system prototypes at three different European cities, namely Marseilles of France, Madrid of Spain and Thessaloniki of Greece. All prototypes make use (to a certain degree) of the CASSIOPE data model, and two of them, Marseilles and Thessaloniki, rely on a G IS and its functionalities.
4. THE NEED FOR A PUBLIC TRANSPORT DATA MODEL
The three terminals have been designed according to the priorities set and evaluated within the DRIVE I programme. Thus, passenger information for Public Transport users are grouped accordingly.
The CASSIOPE project not only promoted the concept of domains and functions in Public Transport, but it also stressed the need for the design of a new generation Public Transport System. able to be adapted in the majority of urban areas. Modularity was found to be one of the most important characteristics of the desired system, which was specified at the level of preliminary recommendations.
One of the main goals of EUROBUS is to create standards with regard to interactive passenger information terminals that can be used at a PanEuropean level. These standards refer to the dialogue structure, icons used for a number of functions and actions, icon and character size etc. The purpose of this is to create a common "look and feel" so that all passengers in Europe can use this kind of terminals with the minimum possible frustration .
Like every other information system the CASSIOPE Public Transport Information System is based on a Data Model and an RDBMS. Having in mind that Public Transport functions. as defined in Annex A, require many times the same data , a kernel data model was derived, which was based on the functional hierarchy and the functional specifications of all public transport functions. The detailed analysis and the demonstration projects which followed the design of this kernel data model, proved that in fact such a model is attainable and useful for two main reasons:
It must be noted that the three prototype systems use different hardware and software configuration, and are based on the requirements set by the respective Operators. In this respect, EUROBUS introduces a new concept for PTIS, i.e. similar external look and functionality, but differentiated internal operation.
6. THE THESSALONIKI PROTOTYPE first for standardisation purposes, and second for simplifying the complex work needed today.
6.1 Description of the System
The usefulness and operability of all these, was tested at two levels. The first is the realisation of the aforementioned demonstration projects, which covered the areas of Passenger Information, Scheduling and Fare Collection /. Management Information. The second is the design and development of Interactive Passenger Information System prototypes, which are considered as a continuation of the CASSIOPE project. This second level, which actually attempts to turn .. theory" into reality is being exercised within the POPINS area of the EUROBUS project of the Advanced Transport Telematics Programme of the EEC which is a continuation of CASSIOPE. How this is attained is described in the next section.
The main objective of the Thessaloniki Passenger Information System, (THEPIS), is to provide information in an interactive way to the passengers at the Greater Thessaloniki Area (GTA), and to other potential users. This information include the bus network and schedules as well as other information about the city (places of interest, public buildings, etc.). The THEPIS initially will provide "off-line" information. In the future, and once its usefulness is proven, it will be converted into a real time information system, provided that the appropriate infrastructure and communication system is installed. The THEPIS, comprises at the current (first) stage a central processing unit, a Geographical data base containing information about the greater area of Thessaloniki, a number of external data bases retaining information about the bus network and the bus schedules, and one (or more) terminals which display the information and receive the user requests. The system communicate with the user through a User Interface. Two User Interfaces
5. THE DEVELOPMENT OF INTERACnVE PASSENGER INFORMATION TERMINALS As a result of the CASSIOPE findings, a new effort started with the objective of designing and developing three Public Transport Information 473
have been developed; one for use by the Operator himself to provide information to the Public through telephone lines or at booths at certain locations, and another for the end user, i.e. the passenger. At the next stages, and after the system has been evaluated, the terminal for the end user will follow.
Figure 2 (at the end of the paper) presents in a diagrammatic form the system data bases. The system operation is based on many of the GIS functions and capabilities, such as dynamic segmentation, address Geocoding etc.
6.2 THEPIS Functions
7. EXPECfED IMPACfS
The THEPIS has the following functions
Evaluating the impacts a Passenger Information System may have on the operation and efficiency of a Public Transport Operator is definitely a very difficult task. As mentioned in the Introduction, the primary goals for developing Passenger Information systems vary a lot. However, for all systems the following objectives are sought according to Anderson T.ND (1993)
J. Provide basic infonnation - Provide at any defined bus stop the expected (theoretical according to schedule) arrival and departure time for the three next buses of every bus line passing through this stop. - Provide theoretical timetables for all bus lines at any bus stop, with an error of up to 2 minutes. - Display the whole transport and road network of the Greater Thessaloniki Area, or part of it. The map will be also showing the bus routes in question, the bus stops. the street names, as well as other information such as places of interest. archaeological sites, etc.
- To improve passengers' efficiency of movement through the system - To enhance the quality and range of services offered - To assist passengers plan their trips - To provide confidence to passengers - To improve the image of the Public Transport Operator
2. Trip optimisation - Give the optimum route (path) with or without transfer - Provide on foot connection at the stop areas of origin and destination
For real time systems in particular some additional objectives are sought : - To advise passengers about possible changes - To provide the staff with better information about what is happening
3. Customised user infonnation - Display the stops and other information close to a given point defined either by an address or by another way Display information for a selected place of interest
It is believed that an advanced comprehensive passenger information system most of the time satisfies the majority of the above objectives. However, it is practically impossible to assess how much each objective has been satisfied and if this is significant, unless tedious and exhaustive surveys are carried out. The usual problems related to the before and after studies are some of the main reasons for obtaining reliable results.
The whole THEPIS operation is made in a structured interactive way using pre-defined dialogues (requests and responses). An example of such a dialogue structure is given in Figure 1 (at the end of the Paper)
There is a rather very limited bibliography concerning this matter. In France a number of studies performed for this purpose (i.e. assessing the impacts from the introduction of automated systems in Public Transport) indicate that a 2-4% modal shift from private to public transport must be expected. Similarly, and depending on the system installed, other impacts may be also expected, such as better time distribution of demand, or better spatial distribution. These primary impacts have a subsequent impact on the whole operation which usually results in operating cost reductions.
The dialogue structure and terminology conform to the "standards" set by the EUROBUS team, and they form the basis for the European standards in Interactive Passenger Information Systems. 6.3 THEPIS Data Base Design The THEPIS data base design realised in a RDBMS accessible by the GIS used. In fact there is not only one data base but many related to each other and to the geographical data base which maintains the basic cartographic background as well as the other geographical information, stratified in thematic layers. 474
In this respect the impacts can be classified in the following broad categories:
Similar results in terms of benefits must be also expected in other networks and in other cities which have similarities with the city of Thessaloniki in terms of size and operator legal status.
- Patronage increase - Time savings - Operating cost Reductions due to better scheduling - Improvement in traffic flow conditions - Environmental benefits -Other benefits (mainly qualitative)
It must be also pointed out that the expected impacts can be classified in economic, social and environmental. A comprehensive evaluation methodology in necessary in order to draw final conclusions about the overall consequences of advanced information systems
A recent effort, Cassiope Project V 1019 (1990), Simulation Model for Evaluating RTI Applications, pertaining to the likely impacts from the introduction of a Passenger Information system in the Greater Thessaloniki Area resulted in the following :
8. REFERENCES Anderson T.N.D (1993), Real Time Passenger Information for Transit Systems, London Underground Ltd, Railway Extensions Directorate, UK Cassiope Project V 1019 (1990), Study of Functionalities In the User Information Domain, Deliverable 5.1, Cassiope Consortium Cassiope Project V 1019 (1990), Operator needs and Overall Requirement Report , Deliverable 3, Cassiope Consortium Cassiope Project V 1019 (1990), Simulation Model for Evaluating RTI Applications, Internal Cassiope Report by University of Thessaloniki Eurobus Project V 2025, Specifications of Field Prototypes, (1 992), Eurobus Report
- An average annual patronage increase of 1.5 % must be expected provided that a reduction of 5% in the ratio of transit over public transport generalised cost is achieved. - Reductions in the number of buses ranging between 1 and 5% to serve the same patronage must be expected by the combined introduction of passenger information and scheduling advanced systems. - In all cases operating cost reductions are obtained
..A.RCl'.NFO..~ . GE O GR A PH'C Al DA;A
r:V nomlc occeH
I'
I
a nd uDdole only for me
1
nO!'e~~
I I
I
I
I
i
I !
i i
~~~~;\~i} ~
ono places
I
~
Figure 2 Diagrammatic presentation of the TIlEPIS Data Base
475
Acknowledgement: The authors wish to acknowledge that the first parts of this paper are the result of collective work within the CASSIOPE and the EUROBUS projects to which they participated. These projects were conducted under the co-ordination of
CETE Mediterranee with participation of the following Institutions and Companies: University of Thessaloniki, University of Leeds, University of Cranfield, Hamburg Consult , TransExpert, CTM , RTM , OASTH, ENA Trafico.
:kT~Un~;e=T~ab~~~s~==~I-------t""1 i Places of Interest
Select the nation of the bus stop you are intereS1ed with one of the following ways: Address Intersection of Streets Bus Stop Place of IntereS1
Trip Organization Validation of Data and Calculation of
Solution Destination
.-
B~~-Lin~ No AIchaeologi:.al places
Preffered
Churehes
Hospitals - Health Hotels Monuments Parks - Squares Po1ice Stations Public Buildings Sport Centers
isplay tre position of se~cted pla:e of interest on the map >bus lines passing through and more ...
Figure 1 Example of Dialogue Structure
Table 2 Passenger Information Equipment according to size of Operator
Size of the fleet
Whole Sample
Less than 100 buses
Between 100 and 300 buses
More than 300 buses
16% 49% 14% 8%
12% 45% 9% 9%
28% 58% 20% 10%
6% 43% TI% 6%
EQulDment User information devices Display or video on board Speakers on board Display or video at stops Speakers at stops
Source : Cassiope Project, Deliverable 5.1 (1990) 476
Table 3 Passenger Information Function Rating Domain
Usefulness
Difference
Weighting Factor
Weighted Difference
48 45 41 49 51 44 47 50 42 43 53 52 54 40 55 56 46 57
43% 46% 50% 47% 51% 43 % 28% 47% 46% 45% 57% 39% 32% 31i% 24% 31 % 6% 15%
40% 41% 48% 37% 42% 39% 27% 39% 37% 41 % 54% 35% 30O/C 23% 24% 29% 6% 15%
80% 56% 46% 57% 50% 50% 71% 48% 46% 42% 26% 38% 39% 48% 45% 35% 20% 0%
32% 23% 22% 21 % 21 % 20% 19% 19% 17% 17% 14% 13% 12% II O/C 11 % JOo/c 1% 0%
User Information Penetration (Whole sample) Function Current vehicle location 3% 5% Interchange guidance service Network map, routes 2% Actual waiting time 10% Destination, next stop 9% Route optimisation 4% Bay assignment 1% Route display on the bus 8% Official schedules 9% Fare information 4% Service disruptions 3% Cancellation of service 4% Complaints, suggestions 2% Time display 13% Lost property information 0% Ads., local information 2% Seat reservation 0% Enhancement of waiting time 0%
Source Cassiope Project, Deliverable 5.1 (1990)
Table 4 Necessary (minimum) Requirements of as Satisfactory Information System Location
Minimal Information
At Stops
- SlOp Identification
At Main Stops At Stations On Buses In Buses
panel, destination reached. route colours and numbers, stop name - Planning and waiting map of routes concerned, schedules of the routes, normal ticket price network map, enhancement of waiting time bay No. information booth route number and colour, destination, bus number network map, selling device or person, map of route, stop reached, itinerary, fares, fare zones schedules of all lines, network map, route map, fares, fare zones, directions for use phone with information centre, all portable information
Portable Information Information at Home or at Main Town Places
Source: Cassiope Project, Deliverable 5.1 (1990)
477
ANNEX 1 List of Domains, Sub-Domains and Functions, according to CAS SlOPE No
Domain
Function
No
I 2 3 4
51 52
Voice communication management Data transmission Identification of vehicle location Recording of data/events Operator decision aid Vehicle monitoring Departure management Schedule control (on-line) Frequency control (on-line) Incident/emergency management Vehicle load management Interchange of demand responsive systems Operation of dt".mand responsive systems Training of ~rsonnel (controller) Aid to drivers
15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
Personnel ID/ timekeeping Indication of start of driver duty Performance of pre-departure checks Unscheduled operation Scheduled o~ratlOn IndicatIon of requested stops Lateness/eariyness notification Information on location o f next and previous Vehicle guid.nce Depot Mgnl
24 25 26 27 28
Bus entf)'/exit control Bus garaging in the depot Registration of events Assignment of vehicles Assignment of drivers
Fare Collection Fare slntClUre oplimisallOn
56 57
Revenue analysis Defirution of fare system TlCketing technology
58 59
Ticket issuing at stops Ticket issuing on board Smart cards Hands-off ticketing F fa ud detection
6()
61 62 Patronage knowledge
63
Passenger counting Origin-d.estination data Revenue sharing between operators
64
65 Maintenance Vehicle Database
67 68 69
Logbook Recording of fuelling Recording of kilometrage/ mileage Vehicle MontJonng
70
Tale-diagnosis in case of breakdowns Tele-maintenance/repairs 'vIobile repairlreplacement service
71 7'2
Traffic lighlS priorilies
29 30 31
Priority management at centrally-controlled J Priority management at isolated juncti ons Traffic conditions analysis 73
Maintenance Planningl Control
Preparation of work orders \r1.aintenance reserve management Weak point analysis Assignment of workshop staff Diagnosis/failure detection Compilation of maintenance manuals / training Job control Spare parts/inventory management
74 75 76 77
78 79 80 Str~tegic Planning Network. improvement
Scheduling
32 33 34 35 36 37
Function Service disruptions Complaints, suggestions treatment Lost pro~rty management Local information Enhancement of waiting time
53 54 55
Control aids
5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Domain Miscdlan~OUJ
Real-Time Control Dala management
Timetable planning Printing of timetables, etc. Printing of bus stop display Vehicle scheduling Driver scheduling Driver rostering
Adaptation of network. to changed demand patterns Service frequency adaptation Travel time definition Interchange waiting time minimISation Vehicle sizelfleet development
81 82 83 84 85 Analysis of modifications
Impact of route/stop changes Impact of service level changes
86 87 Management Aid 10 managemOlI
User Inrormation Trip planning
38 39 40 41 42 43 44
Environmmt knowledge
93 94
En rouuinfo
45 46 47 48 49 50
Demand indications Bus o~rating indicators Cost accounting database Personnel database Vehicle database
88 89 90 91 92
Time display at stops Network map. routes Information on timetable Information on fares Route information Interchange information Seat reservation Bay assignment Vehicle location Actual waiting time Route display on the bus Destination/next stop Cancellation on services
478
Road system database Regulationllaw database