Computer Aided Dispatch & Scheduling Fact Sheet:
Human Services Transit

Technology Overview


Dispatcher updates schedules in real time and communicates with drivers.
Dispatcher updates schedules in real time
and communicates with drivers.

Use CADS To:
  • Optimize vehicle dispatching and scheduling.
  • Reduce time between pick-ups.
  • Reduce call-ahead reservation time.
  • Automating reservations, billing, and reporting.

Computer-Aided Dispatch and Scheduling (CADS) is a widely adopted software technology used by human services transit agencies because it can rationalize operations, result in cost savings, and improve service. CADS is most often used to assist schedulers in preparing efficient vehicle schedules because it can optimize the number of trips that each vehicle can provide each day while minimizing nonrevenue miles and passenger wait times. It is often relied on by dispatchers to reroute vehicles when unexpected changes in schedule occur due to heavy traffic or altered pick-up times, or when additional service trips are needed. CADS can also facilitate reservations, billing, and reporting activities.

CADS is often used as a support tool for staff, particularly those performing reservations and scheduling; it is possible to design systems to automate reservation requests and confirmations, billing, and reporting. It is often implemented in conjunction with Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL). Using Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers and satellites, AVL tracks the real-time location of vehicles, allowing CADS to update schedules in real time.

CADS is most appropriate for human services agencies or brokerages with more than five vehicles. It is particularly useful for agencies where trip demand changes daily, for those that allow day-of-travel reservations, and for those where demand exceeds capacity (thus saving the agency from purchasing additional vehicles).

Image shows data being transferred from Flex Route Vehicles to a Wireless Wide Area Network through a gateway server. The gateway server connects to a Flex MDT AVL Interface and then to a Local Area Network using Trapeze software scheduling and dispatching systems. Image shows that communication is to and from the Flex Route Vehicles.
Dispatcher updates schedules in real time and communicates with drivers.

Common Technology Combinations

AVL, CADS, and communications systems are used in conjunction to optimize dispatching and to transmit information about schedules, routes, and pick-up locations to drivers. CADS data can be downloaded onto Mobile Data Terminals (MDT), onboard devices that relay text or maps to drivers. Incorporating AVL and communications systems allows dispatchers and drivers to communicate in real time. The scheduler receives real-time vehicle location information and can send drivers updated trip manifests or directions. Otherwise, voice-based systems can be used for driver communication.

Automated or computer-aided reservations and billing systems can be integrated into CADS, making it faster and easier to confirm trips and to bill appropriately. This allows data input into the reservation system to automatically create a trip within CADS and also to automatically process billing information, reducing the need to transfer data from one system to another. If scheduling is done after each reservation is made, CADS can minimize the time that it takes to schedule the trip so that pick-up times can be provided to the client during the initial communication. Alternatively, electronic notification of pick-up times can automatically be generated and sent to passengers once schedules are finalized or if there is a change in the schedule.

Some Factors to Consider

Before purchasing CADS, planning, implementation, and integration with other systems should all be considered.

Planning and Integration

  • Identify capabilities that you're the system should include, such as reservations, prescheduling and rescheduling, vehicle tracking, and real-time communication. Existing processes, especially those that are the most troublesome, should be considered.
  • Develop a planning team with members representing different areas of the agency.
  • Consider how CADS will fit into the agency's larger Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) plan and how each component will be phased in. Ensure that CADS components are compatible with existing and planned technologies.
  • If CADS is the first system that will integrate data from numerous sources, time and effort will need to be spent on standardizing data. For example, information on addresses used in reservations should be compatible with the address nomenclature of the Geographic Information System (GIS) component of CADS.
  • CADS often must be customized to fit the specific needs of the agency's geographic area, reservation policies, and operating environment. A GIS component will be needed to map the service area.
  • Develop a well-structured procurement plan and performance-oriented requirements
  • Choose technologies with open standards and develop detailed documentation.
  • Ensure scalability for changes in fleet size and system flexibility to allow for additional functionality.

Implementation

  • Implementation of CADS may significantly impact how some employees conduct their jobs. Make sure that adequate time is planned for training for each type of employee. Include training and ongoing technical assistance as part of the procurement contract.
  • Testing and troubleshooting will be necessary to ensure that the system is working as designed. Consider running CADS in parallel with existing tools during a learning period.
  • Other technologies that may need to be updated include GPS, reservations, and billing software.

Benefits and Costs


Benefits

Capital Savings

  • Santa Clara Paratransit reduced its fleet size from 200 to 130 vehicles after implementing CADS with AVL, which saved $488,000 per year in 1996 and 1997.
  • Fleet reductions of 2%-5% are expected after a few years, when the agency has learned to use the software efficiently.

Operating Savings

  • San Jose, CA reduced paratransit expenditures from $4.88 to $3.72 per passenger.
  • Winston-Salem Paratransit had an 8.5% reduction in operating expenses per vehicle mile.
  • Door-to-Door in Peoria, IL was able to eliminate a dispatcher position, and on-time arrivals increased from 72% to 81%.
    • Ridership and Customer Service
  • Sweetwater County, WY saw increased ridership from 5,000 to 9,000 passengers per month and had a 14% increase in overall demand.
Costs

Equipment and Implementation
The cost of CADS does not depend on fleet size but rather on the features and functions included in the product. It has ranged from $15,000 to $120,000, with a median cost of $50,000. Boone County, IO spent $72,300 on its CADS system, while Ann Arbor's Transportation Authority spent $261,099.

Operating and Maintenance

  • CARTS in Austin, TX incurred $10,000 in annual maintenance costs for its scheduling and dispatching application.

Training and Staff

  • St. Johns and Flagler counties in Florida spent about $13,400 and $11,000, respectively, on training.
  • At least a part-time systems maintenance person will need to be hired.

Human Services Transit Agency Deployments




Name Contact Information No. of Vehicles Context/Success of Deployment
RYDE
(Reach Your Destination Easily)
(serving mid-Nebraska)		 1-877-335-6422
mnca@mnca.net		 15 vans Introduced as first step in ITS architecture, reducing costs and call-ahead time and accommodating rapid growth.
Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS)
(serving Charlotte, NC metro area)		 704-336-7902 HS: 101
fixed route: 303		 Enhanced CADS added to existing AVL and Mobile Data Terminals (MDT), resulting in improved scheduling.
Santa Clara Valley Transit/Outreach 3331 N. First St.
San Jose, CA
(800) 894-9908		 43 Added to new GIS and CADS systems, simplifying and improving communications among control center, passengers, and management.

Additional Resources


Reports

Chira-Chavala, Ted, G.D. Gosling, and Christoffel Venter. Advanced Paratransit System: An application of Digital Map, Automated Vehicle Scheduling and Vehicle Location Systems. Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Berkely. 1997.

ITS Applications for Coordinating and Improving Human Services Transportation: A Cross-cutting Study. FHWA. JPO, August 2006.

Kessler, David. TCRP Synthesis 57. Computer- Aided Scheduling and Dispatch in Demand- Responsive Transit Services. Transportation Research Board. 2004.

Lave, R.E., Roger Teal, and Patrisha Piras. TCRP Report 18. A Handbook for Acquiring Demand-Responsive Transit Software. Transportation Research Board. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1996.

Ripplinger, David, and Del Peterson. ITS Transit Case Studies: Making a Case for Coordination of Community Transportation Services Using ITS, 2004-05. Small Urban & Rural Transit Center, Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute, North Dakota State University, 2005.

Burkhardt, Jon, et al. TCRP Report 91. Economic Benefits of Coordinating Human Service Transportation and Transit Services. Transportation Research Board, 2003.

Pagano, A.M., and Paul Metaxatos. Computer-Aided Scheduling and Dispatch System: Impacts on Operation and Coordination. Urban Transportation Center, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2000.

Websites

US DOT ITS Databases