Maintenance Management Systems:
Transit Overview
December 2007

Some Factors to Consider

Maintenance Management Systems (MMS) should be considered by officials operating Medium and Large Fixed Route Bus, Demand Response and Human Service Transit Agencies. MMS is very useful for all transit agencies with moderate-sized fleets and perform in-house maintenance. The remote diagnostic features of a MMS is probably not necessary for most agencies. Most MMS functions are to be utilized withing the garage environment, including monitoring the life-cycle vehicle costs and tracking inventories. The MMS for Fixed Route Bus Transit Agencies should be developed as part of their asset management system. All Rail Transit agencies should examine the remote diagnostics capabilities of the vehicle component monitoring system, but also ensure that they include a manual override of any automatic shut-down commands.

 Core Technology by Transit Mode
 Fixed Route BusDemand ResponseRural TransitHuman Services TransitRail TransitFerry Boat
LargeAgency check mark check mark check mark   check mark  
Medium Agency check mark check mark check mark   check mark  
Small Agency Best use with garage record keeping Basic maintenance database is needed for in-house maintenance   check mark  

Before installing MMS in a fleet of vehicles, planning, implementation, and integration should be considered so the technology can be used to optimize the fleet's performance.

Planning

  • Develop a well-structured procurement plan and performance-oriented requirements.
  • Ensure adequate data storage and analysis capacity.
  • Avoid proprietary interfaces between vehicle and dispatch-center components.
  • Choose technologies with open standards, and develop detailed documentation.
  • Ensure scalability for changes in fleet size.
  • Identify vehicle capacity for additional wiring and discuss impact to available passenger space.

Implementation

  • Train drivers and dispatchers.
  • Hire new staff as needed to analyze data collected from vehicles.
  • Test and troubleshoot to ensure that data are being gathered correctly.
  • Update other technologies, such as Global Positioning Systems (GPS) or communications, as needed.

Integration

  • Integrate MMS with AVL, CAD, or MDTs to track trends or changes in vehicle's status fluid levels, and engine temperature.
  • Consider integration of MMS with other ITS capabilities and functions, including planning and scheduling systems.
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