In Denver, on-board silent alarms installed on RTD buses contributed to a 33 percent reduction in bus passenger assaults between 1992 and 1997.
Date Posted
09/21/2000
Identifier
2007-B00463
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Assessment of the Denver Regional Transportation District Automatic Vehicle Location System

Summary Information

The Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) AVL system was implemented to develop more efficient schedules, improve the ability of dispatchers to adjust on-street operations, and increase safety through better emergency management.



In conjunction with the new AVL system, the entire dispatcher-to-field communications system was replaced providing more capacity to communicate data.



This study attempted to evaluated AVL and isolate the impacts of an improved communication system.

FINDINGS

The AVL system and on-board silent alarms improved safety for both operators (bus drivers) and passengers. Between 1992 and 1997, passenger assaults per 100,000 passengers decreased by 33 percent. Operators reported that they felt safer after the system was installed and many criminal acts were thwarted because police responded quickly using AVL data. Initially, misuse of the silent alarm was a problem, but with additional training performed by RTD the number of misuses decreased. Operators indicated that the emergency button was installed in a location that was easy to bump unintentionally.

Passengers and Operator Assaults.

1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
Passenger and Operator Assaults
105
102
101
88
122
84
Change from Previous Year
-2.9%
-1.0%
-12.9%
38.6%
-30.3%
Passenger and Operator Assaults per 100,000 Boardings
0.18
0.17
0.16
0.13
0.17
0.12
Change from Previous Year
-5.6%
-5.9%
-18.8%
30.8%
-35.3%
Goal Areas
Deployment Locations