December 2007

Common Technology Combinations

Daily Operations
Communications and automatic vehicle location (AVL) systems are used by fixed route bus agencies to monitor on-time performance, reduce bus bunching, and improve schedule adherence. AVL is often integrated with mobile data terminals (MDTs) to allow for the real-time transfer of location data. Dispatchers also use computer aided dispatch and scheduling (CADS) software to determine optimal operations and then connect with drivers using a voice or text communications network.

System and Service Planning
Data collected by MDTs can be aggregated and analyzed for longer-term planning and service adjustments. Such data are more powerful when combined with geographic data from an AVL system and depicted using geographic information system (GIS) software.

Safety and Security
Communication systems can be installed with a dedicate channel for emergency response. MDTs can include a pre-programmed emergency message that when integrated with an AVL system will provide the location of the distressed vehicle. In addition, a silent alarm or CCTV camera video feed from the transit bus or a bus facility to the operations or security center will utilize the communications network, which must be configured to handle streaming video.