Introduction

In much of the developed world public transport operators and authorities are beginning to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the increasing deployment of automated data collection systems (ADCS). For example, the use of automatic vehicle monitoring systems to measure on-time performance for bus service and to provide accurate real-time information to customers on when a bus will arrive at a particular stop. Similarly, automatic fare collection systems such as contactless smart cards can give a clear picture of system usage at the individual customer level, information previously available only through quite expensive and unreliable customer surveys. However, even in the most advanced organisations the full potential of these systems is far beyond current uses.

In urban areas of the developing world the opportunities presented by the introduction of ADCS are even greater because of the typical paucity of data, especially in the case of informal public transport markets. Some level of formalisation will be required to take advantage of the benefits of ADCS. A fragmented service delivery model, where each bus owner may own one or two buses, provides neither the financial incentive nor the operational capacity to allow the effective deployment of ADCS technology.

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) requires a significant increase in information if it is to be run efficiently and provide a high level of service. Customers rightly expect accurate information on how long they must wait for a bus serving their destination to arrive at their station and how long it will be before they get there. Operators need to be able to estimate the productivity and reliability of individual vehicles and drivers, as well as the productivity and reliability of each route operated. Automated data collection systems are fundamental to this type of performance monitoring. Even in developing cities, with current high public transport modal shares, for BRT to be successful in the long term as incomes increase, it will need to offer a service quality providing high customer satisfaction. These systems can also provide rich information for route and network planning.

In this chapter we describe the roles that ADCS can play in improving public transport performance and illustrate several of them through case studies from recent research.