The Future of ITS Is Here

Bringing ITS All Together in Ann Arbor
by Chris White, Ann Arbor Transit Agency

The Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (AATA) became the first transit agency in the U.S. to integrate systemcommunications and real-time connections into a single system.  Although components of these technologies have been used in other locations, the agency, which installed its Smart Traveler, Smart Bus, and Smart Operation Center from 1997 to 1999, became the first to operate a single advanced operating system (AOS) in 1999. 

The heart of AOS is a computer on board each bus which controls differential GPS for automatic vehicle location, a mobile data terminal for the driver, in-vehicle and external audio and visual displays, surveillance cameras, passenger counters, and monitoring of the engine and transmission.  The bus knows where it is scheduled to be throughout the day which allows it to automatically change destination signs, make stop announcements to passengers, and provide schedule adherence information to AATA’s control center as well as transit centers and displays at bus stops.  The driver can use the mobile data terminal to send and receive text messages to AATA’s control center and other buses, play announcements on board, and coordinate passenger transfers to and from other routes.  Drivers can also switch the system to voice communication on demand.

Although it is impossible to attribute it directly to the AOS, ridership has increased more than 15 percent since the AOS was introduced.  The next step for AATA is making real-time system information (such as the arrival time of the next bus) available to customers on the internet, at kiosks at major boarding locations, and at individual bus stops.  These technologies are anticipated to increase the reliability and user-friendliness of service on the agency’s fleet of seventy-seven “smart” buses.  The leadership and stable local funding that enabled AATA to pursue demonstration funding for the ITS program continue to give the transit operator the ability to see the possibilities for transit supportive technologies.

The Portland region’s transportation policies prioritize people, not cars. The result is a very beautiful area with a viable downtown core where 50 percent of commute trips are made by transit.  To plan for future growth, the region has launched an aggressive program of using Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) to achieve our goal of a fast, safe, efficient, accessible, convenient and sustainable transportation system.  Projects include the implementation of operational systems, integration of ITS into the region’s coordinated planning process, and the creation of new ITS capabilities that leverage our current investments in freeway, arterial, and transit management and operational infrastructure.  Some examples of the current ITS projects being deployed are:

• Real Time Customer Information Displays will provide real-time transit information to customer waiting areas (e.g., vehicle arrival information, transfer information or service disruption messages).

• Traffic Signal Priority will extend the “green-time” at traffic signals for buses running behind schedule in Portland and, eventually, throughout the region.

• Automated Stop Announcements will announce stops to passengers on Tri-Met’s bus fleet, similar to technologies on the MAX light rail.  This will help visually impaired passengers navigate their journey.

• Using buses as traffic probes Tri-Met will report travel speeds over high-priority corridors. This data will allow agencies to better monitor and manage the transportation system.

The Portland regional ITS infrastructure has been built through cooperation and communication between the transportation stakeholders in our regional and statewide partnership.  This coordination is critical to meeting our future challenges in transportation system efficiency and safety.