Lesson
Allow one agency to be in charge of the procurement process when implementing ITS technologies designed to coordinate services between urban and rural transit systems.
A rural ITS demonstration in Poinciana, Florida.
December 2010
Background (Show)
Lesson Learned
Ensure consistency in purchases and delivery of products or services by allowing one agency to be in charge of the procurement process. Assets purchased through the single procurement process can be transferred in accordance with the FTA policies as appropriate.
Specify in the procurement solicitation that the AVL supplier use the transit operator's preferred base maps. Accurate and complete base maps are critical. An AVL supplier must demonstrate that an AVL system can accept frequent map updates easily. Products that rely solely on data derived from the U.S. Census Bureau (i.e., TIGER maps) may not be updated frequently enough to convey reliable vehicle location data to dispatchers or provide drivers with accurate turn-by-turn directions in areas with rapid urban growth. In these instances, transit operators must partner with another entity, such as a local emergency services agency, to obtain routinely updated base maps.
Overall, the demonstration project found that increased interoperability between agencies can improve operations. Customer service staff, dispatchers, and drivers interviewed agreed that the project improved paratransit operations and the service was carrying more passengers more efficiently.
Lesson Categories
Procurement > Work Allocation
Procurement > Terms & Conditions
Application Areas
Intelligent Transportation Systems > Transit Management > Operations & Fleet Management > Planning
Intelligent Transportation Systems > Transit Management > Operations & Fleet Management > Service Coordination
Intelligent Transportation Systems > Driver Assistance > Driver Communication > With Carrier/Dispatch
Intelligent Transportation Systems > Driver Assistance > Navigation/Route Guidance
States
None defined
Countries
None defined
Goal Areas
Keywords
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Lesson Comments
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