PRONTO - Support for Real-time Decision Making

摘要

For public transport authorities, the most important aspects for operations are passenger satisfaction and safety. Based on surveys, passengers regard punctuality as the most important aspect, which makes it an important factor of passenger satisfaction for the operators [10]. In the City of Helsinki, the public transport vehicles' movements and status are monitored through a real-time information system, which provides authorities information about punctuality of vehicles. Furthermore, the gathered information is used for route planning and scheduling. Due to the existing information systems in Helsinki, the focus in operation planning has gradually moved from real-time timetables to other factors affecting passenger satisfaction and safety, aiming to find ways to further improve public transport operations. The PRONTO research project focuses on two demonstration cases. One is emergency rescue operations in Dortmund, Germany. The other one is public transport in Helsinki, where the research focuses on developing methods for improving passengers' travel experience through monitoring and analyzing vehicle events in real-time. Through these methods, it is possible to further improve public transport punctuality and especially the driving style that would lead to improved passenger safety and satisfaction, as well as better vehicle endurance. A variety of sensors and connections to existing systems have been implemented in order to provide the PRONTO system with valuable data about the both demonstration cases. This paper presents the activities and achievements so far of the public transport demonstration case.