Pilot Results Paper - The Connected Bus is a proof of concept in the city of San Francisco that can be referenced by other cities and scaled around the globe.
The vision for The Connected Bus is to develop a smart transportation system that enhances the customer experience when using public transportation. The pilot was designed to provide passengers with real-time information and to streamline transportation-management operations and deliver capabilities and services that address the reduction of carbon emissions and operational costs.
Presented by Eric Ziering, Director of Software, Cambridge Systematics, Inc.
Google Transit and the widespread adoption of the General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) has had a huge impact on the availability of Transit routing and scheduling services and information,
both from Google and third parties such as HopStop.com. The effect has been to provide
the public with high-quality information services (well beyond what was imaginable a decade
ago) while lowering the cost to transit agencies. In his presentation, Mr. Ziering will tie together a
number of transit-related information systems projects that are now in progress or have recently
been completed by Cambridge Systematics that illustrate this theme of cost-effectiveness through
the innovative use of information technology. Together, these projects showcase the potential to
maximize the effectiveness of existing transit agency resources through innovative use of information systems.
Bus Customer Information Systems: MTA ’s BusTime Pilot Program
Presented by Sunil Nair, Senior Director, Bus Customer Information Systems, MTA
MTA BusTime represents a big step forward in how the MTA delivers technology to its customers.
Join MTA’s Sunil Nair for a discussion on the MTA’s new pilot project, currently in operation on the B63 route in Brooklyn. The program uses Global Positioning System (GPS) hardware and wireless
communications technology to track the real-time location of buses. Sunil will explain how the MTA developed the system, which allows riders to find the real-time location of buses that will arriveat their stop, and is accessible via a desktop web map, a mobile web site on iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, or other smartphones, and via SMS on all mobile phones.
Presented by Eric Ziering, Director of Software, Cambridge Systematics, Inc.
Google Transit and the widespread adoption of the General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) has had a huge impact on the availability of Transit routing and scheduling services and information,
both from Google and third parties such as HopStop.com. The effect has been to provide
the public with high-quality information services (well beyond what was imaginable a decade
ago) while lowering the cost to transit agencies. In his presentation, Mr. Ziering will tie together a
number of transit-related information systems projects that are now in progress or have recently
been completed by Cambridge Systematics that illustrate this theme of cost-effectiveness through
the innovative use of information technology. Together, these projects showcase the potential to
maximize the effectiveness of existing transit agency resources through innovative use of information systems.
Bus Customer Information Systems: MTA ’s BusTime Pilot Program
Presented by Sunil Nair, Senior Director, Bus Customer Information Systems, MTA
MTA BusTime represents a big step forward in how the MTA delivers technology to its customers.
Join MTA’s Sunil Nair for a discussion on the MTA’s new pilot project, currently in operation on the B63 route in Brooklyn. The program uses Global Positioning System (GPS) hardware and wireless
communications technology to track the real-time location of buses. Sunil will explain how the MTA developed the system, which allows riders to find the real-time location of buses that will arriveat their stop, and is accessible via a desktop web map, a mobile web site on iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, or other smartphones, and via SMS on all mobile phones.
Have you ever wondered how decisions are made about transportation projects that affect your life? How do government officials decide where to put a bus stop, road, or bridge? How are these and other transportation projects planned? And how can you make sure your opinions are heard and considered by the planners, road designers, elected officials, and other citizens?
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) wrote this guide to give you the answers to
these and other transportation-related questions.
NFTA Metro Route Restructuring
Presented by: James Morrell, Manager, Service Planning, NFTA
Hal Morse, Executive Director, Greater Buffalo-Niagara Region Transportation Council
The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) implemented a major route restructuring
initiative on October 31, 2010; a plan which required extensive organizational planning and community participation. The restructuring included adjusting service levels to make the entire system more efficient and increase passenger revenues. Buses now run more frequently over the heaviest used routes, and less frequently over lesser-used portions. This presentation will outline the steps needed to restructure service to be more efficient and cost effective.
Lessons Learned in Transit Efficiencies, Revenue Generation, and Cost Reductions
Presented by: Joel Volinski, Director, National Center for Transit Research, University of South Florida
Over the years, transit systems have responded to budget challenges by becoming more diligent
and creative in developing ways to generate non-traditional revenues and to reduce costs without raising fares or cutting service. Mr. Volinski will discuss a project, first reported on in 1996, whose objective was to collect innovative ideas from transit agencies throughout the country. The ideas collected were then synthesized and redistributed to transit agencies throughout the nation, allowing all agencies to have the potential to replicate successful techniques. Mr. Volinski will also provide a sampling of the 200 successful ideas that have been put in place in dozens of transit agencies across the country.
Have you ever wondered how decisions are made about transportation projects that affect your life? How do government officials decide where to put a bus stop, road, or bridge? How are these and other transportation projects planned? And how can you make sure your opinions are heard and considered by the planners, road designers, elected officials, and other citizens?
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) wrote this guide to give you the answers to
these and other transportation-related questions.
NFTA Metro Route Restructuring
Presented by: James Morrell, Manager, Service Planning, NFTA
Hal Morse, Executive Director, Greater Buffalo-Niagara Region Transportation Council
The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) implemented a major route restructuring
initiative on October 31, 2010; a plan which required extensive organizational planning and community participation. The restructuring included adjusting service levels to make the entire system more efficient and increase passenger revenues. Buses now run more frequently over the heaviest used routes, and less frequently over lesser-used portions. This presentation will outline the steps needed to restructure service to be more efficient and cost effective.
Lessons Learned in Transit Efficiencies, Revenue Generation, and Cost Reductions
Presented by: Joel Volinski, Director, National Center for Transit Research, University of South Florida
Over the years, transit systems have responded to budget challenges by becoming more diligent
and creative in developing ways to generate non-traditional revenues and to reduce costs without raising fares or cutting service. Mr. Volinski will discuss a project, first reported on in 1996, whose objective was to collect innovative ideas from transit agencies throughout the country. The ideas collected were then synthesized and redistributed to transit agencies throughout the nation, allowing all agencies to have the potential to replicate successful techniques. Mr. Volinski will also provide a sampling of the 200 successful ideas that have been put in place in dozens of transit agencies across the country.
Our journal has been unwavering commitment to showcasing cutting-edge research. The journal provides a platform for researchers to disseminate their work on next-generation technologies. In an era where innovation is the driving force behind progress, JST plays a crucial role in shaping the discourse on emerging technologies, thus contributing to their rapid development and implementation.
Shifting to Net Zero: A Case Study of New DelhiESD UNU-IAS
Group Presentation - 2022 ProSPER.Net Leadership Programme
16 December, 2022
Shifting to Net Zero: A Case Study of New Delhi
Presented by:
Kaidi Ru
Padmi Ranasinghe
Rajat
Yen Nguyen
Recently, rates of vehicle ownership have risen globally, exacerbating problems including air pollution,
lack of parking, and traffic congestion. While many solutions to these problems have been proposed,
Carpooling is one of the most effective solutions to this problems Recently, several carpooling
platforms have been built on cloud computing systems, with originators posting online list of
departure/arrival points and schedules from which participants can search for rides that match their
needs. In this paper, an improved carpool system is described in detail and called the improved
intelligent carpool system (IICS), which provides car poolers the use of the carpool services via a smart
handheld device anywhere and at any time. This IICS Consist the geographical, traffic, and societal
information and used to manage requests and find minimum route. We apply advanced genetic-based
carpool route and matching algorithm (AGCRMA) for this multiobjective optimization problem called
the carpool service problem (CSP).
Connected and Sustainable Mobility WhitepaperShane Mitchell
Urban mobility problems are rapidly turning into an urban mobility crisis.
ICT offers enormous capabilities, but most are vastly underutilized in urban transportation.
Public- and private-sector organizations must partner in adopting a vision for the sustainable city of the future where transportation continues to play a key role in enabling mobility—yet is dramatically transformed by innovative ICT.
A presentation by Mr Neil Frost (CEO: iSAHA International), at the Transport Forum SIG: "Sustainable Transport" on 6 August 2015 hosted by University of Johannesburg's Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies (Africa), or ITLS (Africa). The theme of the presentation was: "Sustainable Integrated Transport".
Smart Transportation Technologies: Definition, Benefits, And Impact | Enterpr...Enterprise Wired
Here are some Benefits of Smart Transportation: 1. Improved Efficiency, 2. Environmental Sustainability, 3. Enhanced Safety and Reduced Accidents, 4. Improved Accessibility.
Optimal Content Downloading in Vehicular Network with Density MeasurementZac Darcy
The existence of Internet-connected navigation and infotainment systems is becoming a truth that will
easily lead to a remarkable growth in bandwidth demand by in-vehicle users. In Examples the applications
of vehicular communication proliferate, and range from the updating of road maps to the repossession of
nearby points of interest, downloading of touristic information and multimedia files. This content
downloading system will induce the vehicular user to use the resource to the same extent as today’s mobile
customers. By this approach communication-enabled vehicles are paying attention in downloading
different contents from Internet-based servers. We summarize the performance limits of such a vehicular
multimedia content downloading system by modeling the content downloading process as an effective
problem and developing the overall system throughput with density measurement. Results highlight the
methods where the Roadside infrastructure i.e., access points are working at different capabilities
irrespective of vehicle density, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication.
Similar to The Connected Bus: Connected and Sustainable Mobility Pilot (20)
Accelerate your Kubernetes clusters with Varnish CachingThijs Feryn
A presentation about the usage and availability of Varnish on Kubernetes. This talk explores the capabilities of Varnish caching and shows how to use the Varnish Helm chart to deploy it to Kubernetes.
This presentation was delivered at K8SUG Singapore. See https://feryn.eu/presentations/accelerate-your-kubernetes-clusters-with-varnish-caching-k8sug-singapore-28-2024 for more details.
Transcript: Selling digital books in 2024: Insights from industry leaders - T...BookNet Canada
The publishing industry has been selling digital audiobooks and ebooks for over a decade and has found its groove. What’s changed? What has stayed the same? Where do we go from here? Join a group of leading sales peers from across the industry for a conversation about the lessons learned since the popularization of digital books, best practices, digital book supply chain management, and more.
Link to video recording: https://bnctechforum.ca/sessions/selling-digital-books-in-2024-insights-from-industry-leaders/
Presented by BookNet Canada on May 28, 2024, with support from the Department of Canadian Heritage.
Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey 2024 by 91mobiles.pdf91mobiles
91mobiles recently conducted a Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey in which we asked over 3,000 respondents about the TV they own, aspects they look at on a new TV, and their TV buying preferences.
SAP Sapphire 2024 - ASUG301 building better apps with SAP Fiori.pdfPeter Spielvogel
Building better applications for business users with SAP Fiori.
• What is SAP Fiori and why it matters to you
• How a better user experience drives measurable business benefits
• How to get started with SAP Fiori today
• How SAP Fiori elements accelerates application development
• How SAP Build Code includes SAP Fiori tools and other generative artificial intelligence capabilities
• How SAP Fiori paves the way for using AI in SAP apps
State of ICS and IoT Cyber Threat Landscape Report 2024 previewPrayukth K V
The IoT and OT threat landscape report has been prepared by the Threat Research Team at Sectrio using data from Sectrio, cyber threat intelligence farming facilities spread across over 85 cities around the world. In addition, Sectrio also runs AI-based advanced threat and payload engagement facilities that serve as sinks to attract and engage sophisticated threat actors, and newer malware including new variants and latent threats that are at an earlier stage of development.
The latest edition of the OT/ICS and IoT security Threat Landscape Report 2024 also covers:
State of global ICS asset and network exposure
Sectoral targets and attacks as well as the cost of ransom
Global APT activity, AI usage, actor and tactic profiles, and implications
Rise in volumes of AI-powered cyberattacks
Major cyber events in 2024
Malware and malicious payload trends
Cyberattack types and targets
Vulnerability exploit attempts on CVEs
Attacks on counties – USA
Expansion of bot farms – how, where, and why
In-depth analysis of the cyber threat landscape across North America, South America, Europe, APAC, and the Middle East
Why are attacks on smart factories rising?
Cyber risk predictions
Axis of attacks – Europe
Systemic attacks in the Middle East
Download the full report from here:
https://sectrio.com/resources/ot-threat-landscape-reports/sectrio-releases-ot-ics-and-iot-security-threat-landscape-report-2024/
Climate Impact of Software Testing at Nordic Testing DaysKari Kakkonen
My slides at Nordic Testing Days 6.6.2024
Climate impact / sustainability of software testing discussed on the talk. ICT and testing must carry their part of global responsibility to help with the climat warming. We can minimize the carbon footprint but we can also have a carbon handprint, a positive impact on the climate. Quality characteristics can be added with sustainability, and then measured continuously. Test environments can be used less, and in smaller scale and on demand. Test techniques can be used in optimizing or minimizing number of tests. Test automation can be used to speed up testing.
Securing your Kubernetes cluster_ a step-by-step guide to success !KatiaHIMEUR1
Today, after several years of existence, an extremely active community and an ultra-dynamic ecosystem, Kubernetes has established itself as the de facto standard in container orchestration. Thanks to a wide range of managed services, it has never been so easy to set up a ready-to-use Kubernetes cluster.
However, this ease of use means that the subject of security in Kubernetes is often left for later, or even neglected. This exposes companies to significant risks.
In this talk, I'll show you step-by-step how to secure your Kubernetes cluster for greater peace of mind and reliability.
Epistemic Interaction - tuning interfaces to provide information for AI supportAlan Dix
Paper presented at SYNERGY workshop at AVI 2024, Genoa, Italy. 3rd June 2024
https://alandix.com/academic/papers/synergy2024-epistemic/
As machine learning integrates deeper into human-computer interactions, the concept of epistemic interaction emerges, aiming to refine these interactions to enhance system adaptability. This approach encourages minor, intentional adjustments in user behaviour to enrich the data available for system learning. This paper introduces epistemic interaction within the context of human-system communication, illustrating how deliberate interaction design can improve system understanding and adaptation. Through concrete examples, we demonstrate the potential of epistemic interaction to significantly advance human-computer interaction by leveraging intuitive human communication strategies to inform system design and functionality, offering a novel pathway for enriching user-system engagements.
Essentials of Automations: The Art of Triggers and Actions in FMESafe Software
In this second installment of our Essentials of Automations webinar series, we’ll explore the landscape of triggers and actions, guiding you through the nuances of authoring and adapting workspaces for seamless automations. Gain an understanding of the full spectrum of triggers and actions available in FME, empowering you to enhance your workspaces for efficient automation.
We’ll kick things off by showcasing the most commonly used event-based triggers, introducing you to various automation workflows like manual triggers, schedules, directory watchers, and more. Plus, see how these elements play out in real scenarios.
Whether you’re tweaking your current setup or building from the ground up, this session will arm you with the tools and insights needed to transform your FME usage into a powerhouse of productivity. Join us to discover effective strategies that simplify complex processes, enhancing your productivity and transforming your data management practices with FME. Let’s turn complexity into clarity and make your workspaces work wonders!
In his public lecture, Christian Timmerer provides insights into the fascinating history of video streaming, starting from its humble beginnings before YouTube to the groundbreaking technologies that now dominate platforms like Netflix and ORF ON. Timmerer also presents provocative contributions of his own that have significantly influenced the industry. He concludes by looking at future challenges and invites the audience to join in a discussion.
Dev Dives: Train smarter, not harder – active learning and UiPath LLMs for do...UiPathCommunity
💥 Speed, accuracy, and scaling – discover the superpowers of GenAI in action with UiPath Document Understanding and Communications Mining™:
See how to accelerate model training and optimize model performance with active learning
Learn about the latest enhancements to out-of-the-box document processing – with little to no training required
Get an exclusive demo of the new family of UiPath LLMs – GenAI models specialized for processing different types of documents and messages
This is a hands-on session specifically designed for automation developers and AI enthusiasts seeking to enhance their knowledge in leveraging the latest intelligent document processing capabilities offered by UiPath.
Speakers:
👨🏫 Andras Palfi, Senior Product Manager, UiPath
👩🏫 Lenka Dulovicova, Product Program Manager, UiPath
zkStudyClub - Reef: Fast Succinct Non-Interactive Zero-Knowledge Regex ProofsAlex Pruden
This paper presents Reef, a system for generating publicly verifiable succinct non-interactive zero-knowledge proofs that a committed document matches or does not match a regular expression. We describe applications such as proving the strength of passwords, the provenance of email despite redactions, the validity of oblivious DNS queries, and the existence of mutations in DNA. Reef supports the Perl Compatible Regular Expression syntax, including wildcards, alternation, ranges, capture groups, Kleene star, negations, and lookarounds. Reef introduces a new type of automata, Skipping Alternating Finite Automata (SAFA), that skips irrelevant parts of a document when producing proofs without undermining soundness, and instantiates SAFA with a lookup argument. Our experimental evaluation confirms that Reef can generate proofs for documents with 32M characters; the proofs are small and cheap to verify (under a second).
Paper: https://eprint.iacr.org/2023/1886
LF Energy Webinar: Electrical Grid Modelling and Simulation Through PowSyBl -...DanBrown980551
Do you want to learn how to model and simulate an electrical network from scratch in under an hour?
Then welcome to this PowSyBl workshop, hosted by Rte, the French Transmission System Operator (TSO)!
During the webinar, you will discover the PowSyBl ecosystem as well as handle and study an electrical network through an interactive Python notebook.
PowSyBl is an open source project hosted by LF Energy, which offers a comprehensive set of features for electrical grid modelling and simulation. Among other advanced features, PowSyBl provides:
- A fully editable and extendable library for grid component modelling;
- Visualization tools to display your network;
- Grid simulation tools, such as power flows, security analyses (with or without remedial actions) and sensitivity analyses;
The framework is mostly written in Java, with a Python binding so that Python developers can access PowSyBl functionalities as well.
What you will learn during the webinar:
- For beginners: discover PowSyBl's functionalities through a quick general presentation and the notebook, without needing any expert coding skills;
- For advanced developers: master the skills to efficiently apply PowSyBl functionalities to your real-world scenarios.
The Metaverse and AI: how can decision-makers harness the Metaverse for their...Jen Stirrup
The Metaverse is popularized in science fiction, and now it is becoming closer to being a part of our daily lives through the use of social media and shopping companies. How can businesses survive in a world where Artificial Intelligence is becoming the present as well as the future of technology, and how does the Metaverse fit into business strategy when futurist ideas are developing into reality at accelerated rates? How do we do this when our data isn't up to scratch? How can we move towards success with our data so we are set up for the Metaverse when it arrives?
How can you help your company evolve, adapt, and succeed using Artificial Intelligence and the Metaverse to stay ahead of the competition? What are the potential issues, complications, and benefits that these technologies could bring to us and our organizations? In this session, Jen Stirrup will explain how to start thinking about these technologies as an organisation.
Enhancing Performance with Globus and the Science DMZGlobus
ESnet has led the way in helping national facilities—and many other institutions in the research community—configure Science DMZs and troubleshoot network issues to maximize data transfer performance. In this talk we will present a summary of approaches and tips for getting the most out of your network infrastructure using Globus Connect Server.
Enhancing Performance with Globus and the Science DMZ
The Connected Bus: Connected and Sustainable Mobility Pilot
1. Pilot Results
The Connected Bus:
Connected and Sustainable Mobility Pilot
A partnership between the City and County of San Francisco and Cisco
Authors
Shane Mitchell
Wolfgang Wagener
Cisco Internet Business Solutions Group
2. Pilot Results
The Connected Bus: Connected and Sustainable Mobility Pilot
Introduction
The Connected Bus is a landmark innovation and a key element of the Cisco®
Connected Urban Development (CUD) program—a public-private partnership focused
on innovative use of information and communications technology (ICT) to make knowl-
edge, people, traffic, and energy flow more efficiently. Increased efficiency enhances
how people experience urban life, streamlines the management of cities, and decreases
the urban environmental footprint.
As cities grow, traffic congestion increases, imposing huge costs on local and global
economies, and impacting both the environment and quality of life for citizens. Attempts
to reduce carbon emissions by cutting consumption of greenhouse-gas-producing
fuels have been largely unsuccessful and viewed, by many, as counterproductive to
economic growth—such measures are difficult to implement and impossible to enforce.
Developing a new approach to the problem is critical, given the urgency posed
by rapid climate change.
The Connected Bus is one approach cities can take to address these issues, and is
a physical representation of a CUD architecture called “Connected and Sustainable
Mobility.”1 In today’s knowledge-based society, people often require mobility to gather
information or collaborate with others. Moving information to people and conducting
virtual collaboration are increasingly possible under this architecture. In this way, people
and goods can move freely and safely while preserving the environment and ensuring
economic vitality and quality of life.
Connected Public Transit
Within this mobility architecture is a program called Connected Public Transit (CPT),
which is a set of information services that improves passengers’ experience through
ubiquitous connectivity. It is intended to make public transportation convenient, com-
fortable, efficient, and reliable. Connected Public Transit can incorporate various “smart
traveler” features that provide dynamic (changeable) guidance based on user profiles
and context using real-time information. Some CPT features will integrate with Personal
Travel Assistant (PTA) services that use handheld devices and public monitors located at
transit stops and on transit vehicles to provide users with information along their route.
The Connected Bus—a proof of concept within the CPT program—is a best practice
that, through CUD’s partnership with the city of San Francisco, can be referenced by
other cities and scaled around the globe.
1. http://www.connectedurbandevelopment.org/connected_and_sustainable_mobility
1
3. Pilot Results
The Connected Bus: Overview
The Connected Bus project began in the third quarter of 2007 and is a collaborative
effort between the Cisco Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG) and the
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA).2
The Connected Bus Vision
Our vision for The Connected Bus was to develop a smart transportation system that
would enhance the customer experience when using public transportation in the City
and County of San Francisco, thereby attracting more riders. The pilot was designed to
provide passengers with real-time information prominently displayed and accessible
on the bus—such as the status of connecting lines at key transfer points—allowing
riders to reach their destinations with certainty.
In addition, we wanted the bus to streamline transportation-management operations
and deliver capabilities and services that address the reduction of carbon emissions
and operational costs.
The Connected Bus is a 95 percent emissions-free hybrid vehicle3 that helps offset up
to 55,000 car trips (270 tons of carbon emissions) each year. Key features include:
• High-speed wireless Internet access for all passengers
• “NextMuni” real-time travel information (location, routes, wait times, and more) via
onboard touch screens
• “Green Gauge” calculator that provides information on the environmental impact of
The Connected Bus as it travels throughout San Francisco (see Figure 1)
Figure 1. The Connected Bus Green Gauge Calculator
Source: Cisco IBSG, Connected Urban Development, 2008
2. http://www.sfmta.com
3. http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mfleet/hybrids.htm
2
4. Pilot Results
Click on The Connected Bus to take a video tour of the bus’ features with
Dave Evans, chief technologist, IBSG.4 Or, simply type the following URL—
http://tinyurl.com/km8xes—into your browser.
As part of our vision, we wanted to ensure that The Connected Bus complied with
U.S. Federal Transit Administration standards regarding regional and national
interoperability:
• Reduce the number of devices for standards compliance, increase operational
effectiveness through onboard systems integration, and decrease upgrade costs
• Improve reliability—this is measured by schedule accuracy, operator and vehicle
reliability, supervisor coverage, and congestion management
• Increase effectiveness of the transit operator by enabling efficient communications,
relieving the burden of information sharing between driver/rider
An enhanced transit experience, combined with operational efficiencies and “green”
benefits derived from a unique configuration of technologies, positions The Connected
Bus as a transit breakthrough that—if deployed broadly—can reduce carbon emissions
significantly in cities around the world.
The Connected Bus Pilot
The Connected Bus pilot was launched at the inaugural Connected Urban Development
Conference, February 21-22, 2008, in San Francisco. The Connected Bus was the first
public-transit vehicle of its kind to showcase the following technologies: mobile access
router, personal computers, touch-screen monitors, digital displays, and software.
The Connected Bus gave SFMTA passengers real-time travel information and wire-
less connectivity, while providing SFMTA with a new technical infrastructure to improve
fleet maintenance, vehicle reliability, and rider safety. These capabilities resulted from
a strong partnership and a highly collaborative project spanning seven months, and
involving people from more than 40 functional areas.
4. http://www.connectedurbandevelopment.org/multimedia/proof_of_concepts/walk_through
3
5. Pilot Results
Pilot testing took place over a 12-month period in San Francisco, where the bus ran on
one route. Feedback from citizen surveys, analysis from value cases, and data from test
results of the bus’ features and functions were compiled.
The “10 Townsend” line—which runs from the commuter train station through
San Francisco’s Financial District, around the waterfront, and past several high schools—
was the first SFMTA line selected for operational trials because it serves a segment of
the population that owns wireless devices and would most likely use it on the bus. It also
serves a heavily traveled tourist area, which was a good proving ground for real-time
connection information displayed onboard.
The bus followed a six-week burn-in schedule that mirrored the original burn-in
schedule for the electric-hybrid buses. By mirroring the original schedule, SFMTA
planned to collect vehicle maintenance data that could be compared with that of the
initial burn-in period to see if there was a significant change in vehicle health, given
the increased electrical load.
After six weeks, the bus was switched to the “18–46th Avenue,” a relatively long cross-
town bus line on the west side of San Francisco. This line tends to operate at higher
speeds and with fewer stops than most SFMTA lines, and has medium-to-low ridership.
The line was selected for an extended test of The Connected Bus primarily because
it caters to San Francisco residents, services a large number of university/college
students, has moderate passenger loads and high Internet use, and has less potential
for vandalism.
Assessing the Impact of the Pilot
Assessing the economic and environmental impact of The Connected Bus and testing
the CUD hypothesis that technology has a net positive impact are crucial components
of the pilot. In addition, the pilot’s ability to change citizens’ behavior patterns and per-
ceptions about public transportation is important in delivering a sustainable technology
solution. In this context, the goals established at the start of the project resulted in the
following criteria for the pilot:
• Improve customer experience for public transportation users
• Increase use of public transportation
• Reduce San Francisco’s environmental footprint
• Integrate public transportation resources
• Take advantage of best practices in all related core areas
• Incorporate industry standards
• Present pilot project material with meaningful content
• Engage citizens and civil society in the pilot
• Create public awareness through media exposure
• Implement technologies that can be scaled across the SFMTA fleet
4
6. Pilot Results
Based on past performance and prior assumptions regarding public transportation in
San Francisco, data from the pilot study was used to form a number of metrics—both
qualitative and quantitative—to determine public perceptions, use trends, and the
economic and environmental value case. Several measurements were put in place to
record data and account for these broad metrics. Some measurements were taken
automatically, while others were derived from riders who shared their opinions about
their experiences on The Connected Bus. Furthermore, the value-case approach
required a scenario model to capture data acquired in conjunction with the pilot.
Public Awareness
Public awareness was critical to the pilot. A public relations campaign,5 launched in
February 2008 between Cisco and the city of San Francisco, raised considerable
awareness among the media. At this time, and subsequently when San Francisco Mayor
Gavin Newsom highlighted The Connected Bus during Earth Day the following April, the
initiative was covered by a number of television, print, and online media.
In addition, the pilot became the topic of discussion on community blogs and online
forums. In this regard, public awareness, publicity, and citizen engagement have been
successful. An example of community interest and engagement is shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2. Results from a TreeHugger.com Survey
TreeHuggers Embrace The Connected Bus
When the bus was first launched, TreeHugger.com, a popular independent website devoted to
sustainability and green topics, surveyed its users to determine how much The Connected Bus might
increase ridership. The survey indicated that a significant portion of respondents would switch to
public transportation if they had access to the services provided in the pilot.
Would it make a difference in your transit?
I would switch to public transport if I could 46%
No, I would still drive my car 10%
I already take the bus 35%
Other (in comments or forum) 9%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Source: TreeHugger.com, April 2008
5. http://www.theconnectedbus.org
5
7. Pilot Results
Pilot Survey and Results
SFMTA and IBSG conducted a survey halfway through the year-long pilot. We followed
the bus over one day, surveying 64 riders of the “18 Townsend” line. In addition, visitors
to SFMTA’s website were invited to participate in an online survey. Although the sample
size was small, the survey provides useful and insightful findings.
Passenger Use of and Interest in Information Features
Among the survey’s respondents, 64 percent said they had used the connecting-line
information, with 68 percent of respondents stating that passenger information is very
important and likely to increase how frequently they ride. By contrast, only 24 percent
of respondents said they had used onboard Wi-Fi, and only 32 percent considered
Wi-Fi very important. The mean journey time was 24 minutes, which may account for
low Wi-Fi use.
Respondents said they appreciated that a low-emissions vehicle provided onboard
travel information. Seventy-seven percent responded positively to having such features
deployed across the public transit fleet in San Francisco.
Nearly four out of 10 respondents (36 percent) said they used the Green Calculator,
and more than 60 percent used the bus GPS locator on the touch-screen monitors.
Additional information from the bus survey is shown in Figures 3, 4, and 5.
Figure 3. How Important to You Are the Following Features of The Connected Bus?
100
Very important—would lead me
to ride SFMTA more often
Important—would not lead
80 me to ride SFMTA more often
68 Not Important
64
60
49
Percent
40 37
40 35 35 34 36
32 32 33
27 26 27
20 16
9
0
Wait Wi-Fi Bus My green Silent alarm Information
times for access location calculator to driver on landmarks,
connecting (estimated (possible shops, and services
lines CO2 savings) future along routes
feature) (possible future
features)
Source: Cisco IBSG, Economics & Research Practice, March 16, 2009
6
8. Pilot Results
Figure 4. Did You Use Any of These Features on The Connected Bus?
100
Yes, I used this feature onboard
No, I did not use this feature onboard
80 76
64 64
60
60
Percent
40
40 36 36
24
20
0
Wait times for Wi-Fi access Bus location My green calculator
connecting lines (estimated CO2 savings)
Source: Cisco IBSG, Economics & Research Practice, March 16, 2009
Figure 5. o You Think It Is Worthwhile for SFMTA To Invest in The Connected Bus Features
D
for the Entire Fleet?
100
80
60
Percent
39 38
40
18
20
5
0
Yes Maybe No, SFMTA should Don’t know
not spend significant
funds on these vehicles
Source: Cisco IBSG, Economics & Research Practice, March 16, 2009
7
9. Pilot Results
Suggestions by respondents for future developments include:
• Implementing technology at bus stops to provide an easy way to pay fares; having
more zero-emissions vehicles
• Providing information on routes and arrival times to other buses and transportation
systems such as Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and Caltrain
• Adding “trip planners” to onboard computer monitors; having larger monitors
onboard even if they are not touch screens, since some passengers have
difficulty reaching screens
• Providing information on how many miles per gallon a typical SFMTA bus gets
during a route
• Enabling Internet access on touch screens for passengers who do not have laptops
Value-Case Analysis
IBSG developed a value-case model6 to estimate the economic argument for bus travel,
to register net environmental impact, and to assess the range of possible reductions in
cost and environmental impact enabled by The Connected Bus.
The value-case hypothesis is that any investments in improving the effectiveness of the
bus’ service would result in a positive Net Present Value (NPV) proposition that can lead
to a net reduction in carbon emissions. A standard SFMTA bus was the baseline for the
value case, comparing it to the technologies deployed on The Connected Bus.
We then compiled findings from the prior assumptions value-case model to define the
economic and environmental costs and benefits.
Economic Costs and Benefits
Functionality. Delivering the specific functionality displayed on The Connected Bus
requires a cumulative investment of US$144,500, or nearly $68,000 (NPV) over 10 years.
This represents a 10-year total cost per passenger of 6.8 cents, compared with the
operating cost of $2.38 per passenger over this same period for a standard bus.
Reliability. The Connected Bus is available for an additional 30 hours per year, resulting in
an increase in ridership of 3,000 passengers and revenue growth of $2,070 per year.
Passenger Information. The principal benefit of the bus is to reduce perceived transfer
times among passengers, resulting in an additional 62 bus trips per year and annual
revenue of $3,202.
6. For a full description of the methodology, assumptions, sensitivities of the value-case model, and the scenarios explained in this paper, refer to the
Connected Urban Development solutions toolkit at http://www.connectedurbandevelopment.org/toolkit.
8
10. Pilot Results
Vendor Integration. An IP platform allows equipment vendors to swap and transmit
information using IP rather than proprietary standards. This enables tighter and more
effective integration of vendor services, likely leading to lower costs in the long term.
Over the 10-year life of the bus, this is equivalent to $500 a year.
Traffic-Light Integration. The Connected Bus allows transportation systems to send
information to local traffic lights indicating either to hold the green light for an extended
time or to shorten the red-light cycle. Doing so provides a 3.13 percent decrease in the
usual bus route trip of 90 minutes, suggesting a 1.56 percent improvement in ridership,
some 7,734 additional riders each year, and $5,337 in revenue.
Other Revenue. Internet access and additional advertising enabled through digital
signage are estimated to generate incremental revenue of $500 per bus per year.
These determinants result in an NPV of $19,870 at a discount rate of 12 percent per
bus. The impact of The Connected Bus technologies is 10-year cumulative revenue of
$144,900 and a 10-year cumulative cost of $100,300. Proportional revenue contributions
are shown in Figure 6.
Figure 6. The Connected Bus Value-Case Model
IBSG developed an ex-ante, scenario-based value-case model to help cities estimate the impact of
The Connected Bus in their environments.
Transfer Onboard
Setup Reliability Travel Speed Revenue Costs
Information Integration
The Connected Bus Revenues
Reliability
Transfer Information Passenger Miles/ Average Revenue
Onboard Integration Year/Bus per Bus Trip
Travel Speed 433,125 $51.75
Advertising Annual Base
Scenario Ridership per Bus
99,000
NPV ($000) 19.87
10-Year Cumulative Cash Flow ($000) 44.61
Additional Passengers per Year 15,375 10-Year Cumulative Revenue ($000) 144.9
Annual Operations Revenues ($) 12,671 10-Year Cumulative Cost ($000) 100.3
Annual Public Benefits ($) 222,750 10-Year CO2e7 Metric Tons Avoided 1,450
Source: Cisco IBSG Economics & Research Practice, 2008
7. Carbon dioxide equivalent
9
11. Pilot Results
Environmental Benefits
The environmental benefits of The Connected Bus in Figure 6 are calculated in a simple
manner that avoids some of the complexity of a detailed environmental impact analysis.
Aggregate increased ridership per year is estimated at 15,375. Assuming that 5 percent
of bus trips replaced a car trip, then 769 additional car trips were avoided. Compared
with an average car trip of 6.3 miles (10 kilometers), the bus reduces carbon emissions by
1,537 metric tons. Subtracting the 87-metric-ton construction footprint, estimated in the
value-case model, yields a net environmental benefit of 1,450 metric tons over 10 years.
Learnings
The Connected Bus pilot has been successful in terms of the measurement metrics
stated earlier in this paper. There are, however, some practical considerations that must
be addressed regarding the functioning and positioning of the touch screens for easy
access by all riders, including disabled citizens, and protection against vandalism. Also,
heavy passenger loads and shorter rides were found to limit the use of Wi-Fi Internet
access by bus riders.
Other learnings include:
Provisioning citywide transportation information on The Connected Bus. Information
on bus locations and transfer wait times is currently available at SFMTA stations and
bus shelters. It was important to make sure the appearance of information displayed
in The Connected Bus complemented that of the stations and shelters.
Setting for the pilot. San Francisco provides a challenging operating environment in
several ways. First, shorter rides compared to suburban express trains and buses
make Wi-Fi potentially less attractive. Second, heavy passenger loads on SFMTA buses
make it harder for riders to access touch screens or use laptop computers. Vandalism
to the touch screens is a significant concern. On the other hand, with a high transfer
rate on many SFMTA lines, connecting-service wait times are valuable, especially to
The Connected Bus passengers, since Internet use is high in San Francisco.
Mayoral endorsement. When conducting a public transportation pilot like The
Connected Bus, it is essential to have high-level endorsement from government leader-
ship right from the start. In announcing The Connected Bus pilot, Mayor Newsom referred
to the use of green technology to furnish passengers an “office on wheels” and provide
amenities that would attract drivers. He highlighted the value of SFMTA’s partnership with
Cisco in working toward changing citizens’ perceptions of public transportation.
This paper provides a preliminary evaluation of The Connected Bus pilot during the first
six months of use. Our findings focus on passenger-information features. A more exten-
sive assessment is needed in the future to provide a holistic perspective; it would
incorporate a review of operational efficiency measures and considerations of the
business model for potential adoption of The Connected Bus fleetwide.
10
12. Pilot Results
Next Steps
This pilot review has proved valuable in determining the priority SFMTA must give
to integrating the features of The Connected Bus into the city’s public transportation
fleet. The Connected Bus pilot ended March 15, 2009 and was documented in the
CUD program as an exemplar for integrated and sustainable technology within a public
transit system.
Future enhancements to The Connected Bus concept that are under consideration
include integrated operator log-on for all onboard applications, shared location information
across driver and rider accessed by onboard electronic services, and Wi-Fi downloads
of vehicle status in the fleet yard to aid fleet and vehicle diagnostics.
During the next stage of this project, plans include extending the technology architec-
ture embedded into The Connected Bus to other CPT projects. To date, The Connected
Bus architecture has generated significant interest in scaling the model in other cities
globally. Further applications of CPT technology, as applied to “connected bus stops”
and citizen services such as PTAs, are currently being developed in the CUD partner
cities of Amsterdam and Seoul, as well as in other cities outside the CUD program.
Acknowledgements
The Connected Bus pilot has been a partnership between SFMTA and Cisco. Many
organizations and individuals were instrumental in delivering the pilot, most notably:
• ity and County of San Francisco
C
• an Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA)
S
• isco Corporate Affairs
C
• isco Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG) Innovations, Public Sector, and
C
Strategic Communications practices
CB/LW 15738 0609
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