Development of Automated Vehicle Location (AVL) Data Based System to Improve Bus Service at New York City Transit
MTA Bus Time is an Automated Vehicle Location (AVL) system utilizing Global Positioning Systems (GPS) hardware and wireless communications technology to track real-time location of New York City buses. This paper describes the challenges and coordination required in developing a Bus Time data based analysis system to replace traffic surveyor-based manual data collection. This work was conducted by New York City Transit’s Operations Planning / System Data & Research (SDR) group. SDR developed an algorithm to integrate raw data delivered every 30 seconds with both existing and newly-developed data sources, and determined when each trip arrived at, and departed from, en-route timepoint locations. Incorporating external data sources allowed system designers to capture both trips that were not in service because of operator unavailability, vehicle breakdowns, or skipped stops, as well as missing trips due to hardware issues. In conjunction with operating departments, SDR developed novel ways to use Bus Time data for both performance reporting and investigation into operational issues, such as: identifying operator login error, bus bunching, and increased deadhead times due to road construction. Reports for these issues and overall bus operations are sent daily to both Depot Supervision and Road Operations personnel who use the information to improve operations. The experiences encountered at New York City Transit (NYCT) can serve as a model for agencies looking to successfully use existing automated AVL/GPS data sources, by learning how to overcome data inconsistencies and process and use information for operational efficiencies.
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Supplemental Notes:
- This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AP050 Bus Transit Systems.
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Corporate Authors:
500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC United States 20001 -
Authors:
- Levine, Brian
- Iyer, Shrisan
- Reddy, Alla
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Conference:
- Transportation Research Board 93rd Annual Meeting
- Location: Washington DC
- Date: 2014-1-12 to 2014-1-16
- Date: 2014
Language
- English
Media Info
- Media Type: Digital/other
- Features: Figures; References;
- Pagination: 17p
- Monograph Title: TRB 93rd Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Algorithms; Automatic vehicle location; Bus transit; Global Positioning System; Information processing; Real time information; Travel time
- Geographic Terms: New York (New York)
- Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Operations and Traffic Management; Public Transportation; I70: Traffic and Transport;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01516395
- Record Type: Publication
- Report/Paper Numbers: 14-1711
- Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
- Created Date: Feb 28 2014 1:32PM