Implementing intelligent transport systems (ITS) can greatly enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of transit agencies. Key areas for improvement include optimizing vehicle routes, managing vehicle arrival times, reducing overall transport costs, and predicting incidents to mitigate issues quickly. By utilizing real-time data and insights from ITS, agencies can improve rider experience and operational performance.

1. How to make your transit agency smarter and
more efficient?
There are two important elements when it comes to running your transit agency
effectively – making your operations smart and more efficient. But how can you
achieve this?
A solution for both elements is implementing Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS)
into your network.
Here are some key areas you can focus on for a smarter and more
efficient transit agency when incorporating ITS.
1. Preferred vehicle routes
Choosing the right routes for your vehicles is essential for every journey,
especially when unforeseen factors impact your network or changes occur in the
area of your vehicles. With ITS, you can approach this task smartly and use
insights to adjust your vehicle’s routes where necessary.
Using real-time vehicle monitoring, you’ll constantly have accurate data on the
position of your vehicle and can receive suggestions on route changes that best suit
the current situation. For example, traffic or road closures could indicate an
alternative and more efficient route to the next stop.

2. 2. Vehicle arrival times
Another key area where you can be smarter with your transport and boost
efficiency is your vehicle arrival times. These times can heavily affect how well
you meet rider demand and deliver a satisfying passenger experience.
Monitoring your vehicle with ITS can help you choose the right arrival times for
every vehicle at a stop. This means they won’t be arriving too close to each other,
or too far apart. You can therefore have a good spread of vehicle arrivals that
manage rider demand more efficiently, without having crowded vehicles or
missing out on potential passengers during peak times.

3. 3. Overall transport costs
You can also be more efficient with your spending using ITS in your transit
agency. There are many ways this can be done, such as ITS helping you choose the
most efficient routes for every vehicle journey, which helps reduce the amount of
fuel used and cuts costs.
ITS can also offer insights that help you choose the right schedules for your
vehicles to optimize rider capacity and adapt to the demand. This can help you
avoid missed revenue from transportation gaps, and also only use the number of
vehicles needed at one time – to help save unnecessary spending on too many
active vehicles.
4. Incidents and issues
Incidents on the road and transport issues are always a challenge for transit
agencies, but ITS can help you mitigate this smartly and efficiently. The systems
can not only detect certain issues but even predict them before they occur. This
includes predicting faulty equipment on a vehicle or identifying when a vehicle has
broken down.

4. With faster issue detection, you can also have more efficient resolution, so you can
address the issue without severe disruption, helping journeys to remain seamless
and enjoyable for riders. By incorporating the right ITS into your transit agency,
you can begin reshaping how you run your operations and manage your transport
network with high efficiency.
ITS insights can be essential for a range of smart transport processes. Will you be
implementing issue resolution systems, for example? Or have you got plans to
optimize your vehicle routes?