Though transit travelers do not typically have as many options available to them as automobile travelers, they generally do have more than one option. Bus stops are generally serviced by more than one bus line and there are often several different transfer points that a traveler can use (especially if the traveler is willing to do some walking at both ends). However, because they do not have real-time information, transit travelers must use simple decision rules when determining which option to choose. For example, one common decision rule is to board the next available vehicle, even if it takes a more circuitous route. With that in mind, the Center is developing transit information technologies that can be used both to help people make better decisions and to relieve the anxiety associated with the decision-making process.

First, the Center is developing and evaluating technologies that can be used to determine the state of the transit system. This includes both Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) technologies for determining the location of transit vehicles and Automatic Passenger Counting (APC) technologies for determining the number of people on-board vehicles (and hence the number of available seats and the amount of available standing room). Most existing AVL systems provide location information in terms of latitude and longitude coordinates (using GPS) which then have to be matched to a map so that they can be associated with a particular street and bus route. Difficulties can arise because of inaccuracies in the map database, because buildings and overpasses can block or reflect signals, and because of interference. Hence, new technologies (both hardware and software) are required. Most existing APC systems work only in limited environments (for example, single stream door configurations but not multi-stream articulated buses). Hence, new technologies are needed in this area as well.

Second, the Center is developing technologies for forecasting the future position of transit vehicles (i.e., travel times). Initially, these technologies will not take real-time congestion levels into account. Instead, they will use average travel times and focus exclusively on predicting boarding and alighting times as a function of the position of the vehicle and the number of passengers on board. Ultimately technologies will be developed to monitor real time traffic conditions and predict future travel times (as discussed more fully below).

Third, the Center is developing technologies for delivering this information to individual users (e.g., using hand-held computers, cellular telephones, and pagers) and groups of users (e.g., using kiosks at bus stops and the World Wide Web). It is also developing technologies that help individuals make better transit-related decisions using this real-time information. engender.

Finally, the Center is developing dispatching and routing technologies to assist managers and operators of demand-responsive transit systems. Such systems are difficult to manage because of the shared-ride nature of the trip, the special needs (e.g., wheelchair accessible vehicles) of the passengers, and the constraints under which transit agencies must comply to provide such services. Technologies are needed for recording and scheduling reservations, managing vehicles and drivers, and determining routes and schedules which minimize travel times or distances subject to constraints on vehicle capacity, pick-up and drop-off times, etc....