Mass Transit magazine features agency profiles, industry trends, management tips and new product information.
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FEBRUARY 2015 | MassTransitmag.com | Mass Transit | 31 for mobile devices. MTD's information kiosks and LED signs at high-volume stops make real-time departure infor- mation immediately available. MTD's General Transit Feed Specif- cation (GTFS) is used to power trip plan- ning and supplement real-time data. Te trip planner uses Trapeze's ATIS tool to generate results on our website and in the apps. MTD also exports GTFS data so that customers may use Google Transit for trip planning. MTD's Application Programming Interface (API) is made freely available to third-party developers to encourage development of apps. A 2012 app contest resulted in a variety of apps. Te contest encouraged developers to create apps for most platforms and to competitive- ly work to create the best possible app. Today, there are links to 20 apps in the MTD App Garage. All of these tools help instill con- fdence in riders resulting in a more pleasant experience. A new rider can get a detailed trip plan using MTD's web- site trip planner or with Google Transit. All riders can get real-time departure information from one of several sources allowing them to maximize their personal time, minimize wait times at the stop and increase confdence in the availability of service. Better yet, customers can access this information at the stop level which improves wayfnding and trip experiences. INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS MTDweb Internal electronic communications are accomplished using MTD's intranet, MT- Dweb. MTDweb was custom developed internally and a major upgrade is under- way. MTDweb allows employee-to-em- ployee messaging; posting of bulletins, documents and videos; and ofers an em- ployee directory with photographs. Te intranet processes forms for reporting and employee requests and houses an ap- parel shop. MTDweb tools enable updates to the external website and STOPwatch information kiosks are managed through the system. Operator trainees can take practice tests and view training videos. Leave requests, payroll requests, and ac- cident reporting are available in MTDweb. MTDweb is an invaluable tool for inter- nal communications, management and resource allocation. MTD's technological tools improve communications across the board. Te MTD team is committed to their contin- uous improvement and constantly seeks feedback while monitoring system per- formance. MTD has always been an early adopter of technological tools and we are excited to see what the future brings. More tools for internal electronic communication will soon be available. ONVENIENCE FOR THE PASSENGER is increasingly important to transit agencies and one of the major emerg- ing trends in the transit world is the push toward supporting the ever-increasing array of payment options available to its riders. Juniper Research reports that one in eight North American smartphone us- ers will use their mobile device as a metro rail or bus ticket by 2016, thus it is criti- cal agencies modernize public transit by embracing those technologies that riders have become accustomed to in their dai - ly experiences. Agencies are looking for technology that will help them expand their ofering so they can enjoy all of the benefts that come with a smarter fare payment experience. Ranging from $1 to $3, fares in fxed- route transit are typically a low-value item. Agencies have discovered that while there may always be a need to collect cash, reducing this need to a minimum can help decrease costs in many diferent ways. Te manpower required to collect and count cash, the time needed to handle tendered cash, not to mention frequent delays in bus service when riders are searching for cash. Add to this, the enhanced security that is necessary to monitor cash along its journey from the passenger's pocket to the bank, the risk of fraudulent, stolen or destroyed cash, these are the challenges that new fare technologies are eliminat- ing. Te future of transit fare collection is happening now as companies continue to explore technologies that allow mobile ticketing and real-time, account-based systems that accept smart cards and cred- it/debit card payment. Mobile ticketing allows passengers to easily buy and manage their pass with their smartphones, any time, any place that is convenient to them, making the process when they fnally board the tran- sit service that much quicker and hassle free, in a similar fashion to the new ways you can now pay for your morning Star- bucks or check-in to a commercial fight. Mobile payment technology and the availability of 4G LTE means especially great things for transit due to the low ticket costs and the frequency of transac- tions that occur. Mobile ticketing allows riders to use their own devices, which reduces the dependence on specialized cards or devices, signifcantly expediting the boarding process while simultane- ously reducing the cost of fare collection. Te benefts of smart fare technology are three-fold: improved passenger experi- ence leads to an increase in ridership, the wealth of data collected through the use of these new technologies provides agencies with a better understanding of ridership and operations, while at the same time the agency enjoys substantial cost savings. Mississauga, Ont. Marsha Moore Chief Technology Officer Trapeze Group C