Five public transport companies opt for hosted multi-client system

Integrated ITCS and ticketing system in Thuringia

Five public transport companies in the German Federal State of Thuringia have commissioned INIT to upgrade their control system. From April 2019, dispatchers, drivers, and passengers alike will benefit from numerous new options.

Some things are better together: That is why Omnibusverkehr Ilmenau (IOV), JES Verkehrsgesellschaft mbH, Omnibus Verkehrs Gesellschaft Sonneberg (OVG), Personenverkehrsgesellschaft Weimarer Land, Apolda (PVG), and Verkehrsbetriebe Nordhausen (VBN) issued a joint call for tenders for a new Intermodal Transport Control System (ITCS).

The call for tender included the delivery and installation of a multi-client fare management and ITCS system. Additionally, the public transport companies’ vehicles will be equipped with new ticketing equipment and on-board computers. The fleet consists of around 400 vehicles, including minibuses, city and intercity buses, as well as mono- and bi-directional trains across a total of 13 depots.

INIT’s MOBILE-ITCS will be the core of the five clients’ transport control system, providing dispatchers and drivers with numerous new functionalities to optimise control of operations.

A multi-client solution for ticketing and ITCS

The complete solution enables all five partners to use the new functionalities in the same way, while retaining control of their data and enabling the integration of additional partners in the future if so desired.

These partners will use a public mobile phone service provider for communication between vehicles and the respective control centres. Various providers can be considered for this service. For rail transport, a failsafe connection is additionally assured via voice radio, which will act as a fall-back option using existing equipment.

The custom-made solution for Thuringia provides all these capabilities with ease. Integration with existing tools and infrastructure is similarly straightforward. Thanks to numerous interfaces based on the VDV (Association of German Transport Companies) standard, existing planning systems can be integrated just as easily as the driver behavior information system already in place.

New PIDscreen passenger information displays will be installed at ten stops. Existing passenger counting devices and interior passenger information displays will also be integrated and supplied with schedule and real-time data.

Passengers benefit from real-time information

No matter whether the display is existing or brand new, all passengers will now see real-time information. This will significantly improve the quality of service. INIT’s real-time passenger information system, MOBILE-STOPinfo, is able to predict arrival and departure times in real time at every stop based on location information and the known minimum driving times. Integrating MOBILE-STOPinfo means it will also be possible to consider the effect of dispatching measure on scheduled arrival times.

The integrated ITCS and Real-Time Information System will also help to ensure reliable connections across the network. The VDV 453 interface (dynamic passenger information service) provides a connection to Thuringia’s central data hub. This enables public transport companies to exchange real-time information on their own routes and those of other providers.

The five public transport companies are taking another important step by deploying MOBILEvario, INIT’s powerful back-office system for billing and ticketing. Together with the new hardware, it allows for e-ticketing to be implemented based on the VDV core application. This provides accurate best-price calculation for customers, precise distribution of revenue among the individual clients, and sophisticated tariff management.

Efficient driver support and hosting service

The bus drivers working for the five public transport companies also have good reason to be happy: The buses will now be equipped with EVENDpc2, an combined ticket-printer an Windows-based on-board computer. Along with all the functions of a modern on-board computer, EVENDpc2 also features integrated communication and announcement modules. It offers an intuitive touchscreen interface, provides drivers with navigation support, and also supports sales and the reading of smartcard and barcode tickets.

The hosting package the public transport companies have selected will also make everyday operations significantly easier. Without it, having five different partners managing a common IT infrastructure would be quite difficult, not least because they would first need to clarify where the server rooms should be located. However, INIT’s new service takes that problem out of the equation: over the next ten years, the five public transport companies will have the latest IT infrastructure and resources at their disposal, along with ongoing support from INIT’s experts, who will also take care of IT security. The result for these transport providers is a fully supported package. The additional capabilities and special expertise provided will free up capacity to concentrate on their core business issues.

Whether operations control, fare management, hosting, or passenger information: this comprehensive solution represents a major step forward for public transportation services in Central Thuringia.

Contact

Jens Reinwald

Key Account Manager
INIT GmbH
Germany

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This article was published in our customer magazine INITiative, issue 1/2018. If you want to receive the magazine regularly per e-mail, we kindly ask you to subscribe.

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