System for monitoring urban public transport vehicle fleets

Abstract

The project aims to establish of a System for Monitoring Urban Public Transport Vehicle Fleets designed to monitor the punctuality of buses or vans through the use of radio signals along pre-established routes. Besides informing the moment when each vehicle passes by the radio devices, the system can also monitor other parameters, such as, for example, the speed of the vehicle and the number of passengers carried. The information collected from the vehicle is transferred by radio to a collecting station coupled to a central computer by radio or a telephone line. This computer processes the information received to help assess the system’s punctuality, the distances covered, the number of vehicles in operation, costs, speed control, etc. It also enables the municipal authorities to monitor the service quality. Under the proposed scheme, each vehicle will be fitted with a recorder able to receive and store the information transmitted by the landmark stations distributed along the routes. At the end of the day, or at any other time, the recorders in the vehicle download the information stored at collecting stations. These stations are connected to a central computer to process the information and produce reports. The recorders are carried on each vehicle in the fleet and they consist of a radio transponder, an antenna and a control board. The transmitters are fixed, distributed along the bus routes, installed on posts or next to traffic lights and they consist of a transponder, an antenna and a control board. In Stage 1, a prototype of the system, consisting of a collecting station, a transmitter, and two recorders, was built. The feasibility of the system was checked and the project team was able to deal with various aspects related to its implementation. The purpose of Stage 2 is to carry on the work, completing solutions to the main questions relating to the construction of the monitoring system and the development of prototypes of the system’s equipment. (AU)