Coming Soon...Real Time Passenger Communication in Advance of Travel

POOLE, U.K. - Nov. 27, 2013 - PRLog -- Bus passengers could soon be benefiting from real time information in advance of travel, thanks to a partnership between Parkeon and Cloud Amber that is redefining the effectiveness of RTI systems.

In the first year of the strategic alliance, the companies have notched up a number of successes for a system that uses the in-built mobile data and GPS location functionality of the Wayfarer200 ticketing platform to improve the scope and accuracy of RTI by using over-the-air location tracking integrated with real-time traffic feeds.

This is enabling bus operators to make better fleet and route management decisions – now though plans are moving ahead to use the data to provide valuable information to customers in real time in advance of travel.

“One year on from the launch of our partnership with Cloud Amber and we are making significant progress in winning market share for real time information systems,” says Owen Griffith, Managing Director of Parkeon Transit. “We’ve been successful in helping Newport Transport to take control of its own RTI system and won contracts with other bus operators for fleet management and two-way driver messaging. The next step is to leverage this data to enhance the customer experience.”

The system developed by Parkeon and Cloud Amber enables over-the-air location tracking of buses, the deep integration with Urban Traffic Management Control (UTMC) data and two-way driver messaging. This bus-centric view means that operators are better able to manage and report on fleet performance in areas such as schedule adherence, including early and late running indicators, while passengers benefit from an information flow to RTI displays, websites and Apps that’s accurate based on live conditions.

“The next focus is to use the available data to add value to both operators and customers through proactive communication,” says Alan Butterworth, Managing Director of Cloud Amber. “Data captured through smartcards opens up the potential to provide passengers with real time travel information that is specific to their journey and plans in a means of their choosing...whether via an App, email, text or social media channel. This is a very exciting development that has the potential to transform the customer experience, particularly when considering travel plans across multiple modes.”

Among the latest successes for the Parkeon-Cloud Amber collaboration is a contract with Newport Transport, which is set to become one of the first bus operators in the country to take direct control of its own Real Time Information system. The project takes accounts of all the elements associated with the RTI system infrastructure, including dual language on-street displays, and will integrate with the city’s traffic signal priority scheme.

Meanwhile, Go Ahead Anglian Bus, has just ordered the Parkeon-Cloud Amber technology for Fleet Management which will feed into the Suffolk RTPI network and the integrated Cloud Amber system with Oxfordshire County Council has just been shortlisted for a national transport award.

Says Owen Griffith: “Our Wayfarer200 system truly is the heart-beat of on-vehicle technologies - not only driving fare collection systems but acting as the data hub for a wide variety of allied technologies. In the case of RTI and Fleet Management, the effect is a lower cost and more accurate solution than is achieved with conventional architecture - this is just the sort of operational efficiency that operators value and indeed need to compete effectively.”

Ends

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