Passenger information system
Encyclopedia
A passenger information [display] system (PIDS) is an electronic information system
which provides real-time passenger information
. It may include both predictions about arrival and departure times, as well as information about the nature and causes of disruptions. It may be used both physically within a transportation hub
and remotely using a web browser
or mobile device.
Current operational information on service running is collected from automatic vehicle location
systems and from control systems, including incident capture systems. This information can be compared by computers with the published service timetable to generate a prediction of how services will run in the next few minutes to hours.
This may be informed by additional information: for instance, bus services will be affected by congestion on the road network, while all services may be affected by adverse weather conditions.
Additional considerations include:
At a station or stop, it is normal to provide up to date predictions of:
On a vehicle, it is normal to provide up to date predictions of:
Personalised channels (web, mobile device, or kiosk) will normally be set up to mimic the view from a station or stop but may in addition be linked to journey planners. Using such systems a passenger may (re)plan his/her journey to take into account current circumstances (such as cancelled services or excessive delays).
offers a Travel Information System (RIS). This shows current train times compared to the published timetable, as well as known delays and expected arrival and departure times of the train
s.
This information is made available to the train conductor
(via SMS
) as well as to the passenger via loudspeaker in the train station
or schedule boards on the internet (http://www.bahn.de/ris). The VRR (http://www.vrr.de/de/fahrplanauskunft/index.html) and VRS (http://195.14.241.6/ass/client/vrs/fahrplanauskunft.html) transportation schedule information systems also process RIS data.
The data can also be queried in real-time via mobile terminal devices like PDA
s, and mobile phone
s over WAP
and i-mode
.
This information is available online at http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/
and on mobile devices.
London Underground
has “Countdown” displays on each platform at each station. These are simpler than the national rail displays as in most cases each platform serves only a single line and there are fewer variations in carriage restrictions. Audio announcements are also made regularly.
Buses are operated by local operating companies but in close partnership with local authorities. Local authorities, and ome transport operators, provide electronic versions of the bus timetables to the Traveline information service which covers all public transport modes, and from there to other information services such as Google Transit and Transport Direct.
The deployment of real-time bus information systems is a gradual process which currently extents to around half of the national fleet and a high proportion of town-centre stops, but relatively few suburban and rural stops.
The first sight of these system was in Brighton and Hove, where the counicl developed them and they were such a success that the UK government gave councils money to invest in this technology. Brighton and Hove operate the best information real time and they are viewable from a long distance - not just in the shelter where most operate from.
The Traveline NextBuses information service provides the next departures from any bus stop in the UK, and some trams as well. This information is real-time where the real-time feed has been connected in, otherwise the scheduled times are given. The convention is to show real-time information as (in x mins) and scheduled information as a time (xx.xx).
A variety of electric services are available through SMS which cover large parts of the UK’s public transport network, and many web sites provide access to information from bus or train real-time systems. Most of this is single-mode.
The Government-sponsored Transport Direct
project provides journey planning across all transport modes (including private car) and is increasingly linked to real-time information systems.
Audio announcement (on or off bus) is relatively rare, although London and some metropolitan areas have recently seen significant increases.
Information system
An information system - or application landscape - is any combination of information technology and people's activities that support operations, management, and decision making. In a very broad sense, the term information system is frequently used to refer to the interaction between people,...
which provides real-time passenger information
Passenger information
Passenger information is information provided to public transport users about the nature and state of a public transport service, though visual, voice or touchable media...
. It may include both predictions about arrival and departure times, as well as information about the nature and causes of disruptions. It may be used both physically within a transportation hub
Transportation hub
A transport hub is a place where passengers and cargo are exchanged between vehicles or between transport modes. Public transport hubs include train stations, rapid transit stations, bus stops, tram stop, airports and ferry slips. Freight hubs include classification yards, seaports and truck...
and remotely using a web browser
Web browser
A web browser is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier and may be a web page, image, video, or other piece of content...
or mobile device.
Systems
Automatic vehicle location
Automatic vehicle location is a means for automatically determining the geographic location of a vehicle and transmitting the information to a requester....
systems and from control systems, including incident capture systems. This information can be compared by computers with the published service timetable to generate a prediction of how services will run in the next few minutes to hours.
This may be informed by additional information: for instance, bus services will be affected by congestion on the road network, while all services may be affected by adverse weather conditions.
Channels
Information may be delivered via any electronic media, including:- telephoneTelephoneThe telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
(either a manned bureau service or an automated answering system) - touch screen kiosks for self service (e.g. in customer offices)
- InternetInternetThe Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
through a websiteWebsiteA website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet... - PDAPersonal digital assistantA personal digital assistant , also known as a palmtop computer, or personal data assistant, is a mobile device that functions as a personal information manager. Current PDAs often have the ability to connect to the Internet...
or mobile phoneMobile phoneA mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
(typically using SMSSMSSMS is a form of text messaging communication on phones and mobile phones. The terms SMS or sms may also refer to:- Computer hardware :...
or WAPWireless Application ProtocolWireless Application Protocol is a technical standard for accessing information over a mobile wireless network.A WAP browser is a web browser for mobile devices such as mobile phones that uses the protocol.Before the introduction of WAP, mobile service providers had limited opportunities to offer...
) - LEDLEdLEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
displays and screens inside stations
Additional considerations include:
- How the system will present information for disabled travellers
- Whether the system will be able to provide information in multiple languages
Information
The information provided by a passenger information system depends on its location, and the technical scope (e.g. how big the display screen is)At a station or stop, it is normal to provide up to date predictions of:
- Which service is operated by the next vehicle to arrive, including its route and destination?
- When this vehicle will arrive?
- How closely it is running to timetable?
- Similar information for the following few services.
- General advice on current travel disruptions that may be useful to the passenger in understanding the implications for their travel plans.
On a vehicle, it is normal to provide up to date predictions of:
- What is the next station or stop?
- When it will arrive?
- How closely it is running to timetable?
- Advice on connecting services.
Personalised channels (web, mobile device, or kiosk) will normally be set up to mimic the view from a station or stop but may in addition be linked to journey planners. Using such systems a passenger may (re)plan his/her journey to take into account current circumstances (such as cancelled services or excessive delays).
Passenger information systems in Germany
Deutsche Bahn AGDeutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn AG is the German national railway company, a private joint stock company . Headquartered in Berlin, it came into existence in 1994 as the successor to the former state railways of Germany, the Deutsche Bundesbahn of West Germany and the Deutsche Reichsbahn of East Germany...
offers a Travel Information System (RIS). This shows current train times compared to the published timetable, as well as known delays and expected arrival and departure times of the train
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
s.
This information is made available to the train conductor
Railroad engineer
A railroad engineer, locomotive engineer, train operator, train driver or engine driver is a person who drives a train on a railroad...
(via SMS
SMS
SMS is a form of text messaging communication on phones and mobile phones. The terms SMS or sms may also refer to:- Computer hardware :...
) as well as to the passenger via loudspeaker in the train station
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
or schedule boards on the internet (http://www.bahn.de/ris). The VRR (http://www.vrr.de/de/fahrplanauskunft/index.html) and VRS (http://195.14.241.6/ass/client/vrs/fahrplanauskunft.html) transportation schedule information systems also process RIS data.
The data can also be queried in real-time via mobile terminal devices like PDA
Personal digital assistant
A personal digital assistant , also known as a palmtop computer, or personal data assistant, is a mobile device that functions as a personal information manager. Current PDAs often have the ability to connect to the Internet...
s, and mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
s over WAP
Wireless Application Protocol
Wireless Application Protocol is a technical standard for accessing information over a mobile wireless network.A WAP browser is a web browser for mobile devices such as mobile phones that uses the protocol.Before the introduction of WAP, mobile service providers had limited opportunities to offer...
and i-mode
I-mode
NTT DoCoMo's i-mode is a mobile internet service popular in Japan. Unlike Wireless Application Protocol, i-mode encompasses a wider variety of internet standards, including web access, e-mail and the packet-switched network that delivers the data...
.
- WAP: http://wap.bahn.de/bin/mobil/bhftafel.exe/dow?
- imode: http://wap.bahn.de/bin/mobil/bhftafel.exe/doi?
- PDA: http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/bhftafel.exe/dn?L=ua_pda&
Passenger information systems in the UK
National rail stations are equipped with visual platform displays which indicate the next service or services from the platform. Audio announcements are made to confirm these. Additionally, concourses and ticket offices have large screen displays which show all of the services available at the station for the next hour or more, and (at major stations) the full route of the service and any restrictions applicable (e.g. ticket types, catering services, bicycle carriage). It should be noted that many smaller and less well-used railway stations do not have such systems, but rather have Passenger Help Points which connect the user by telephone to a control room by pushing an "Information" button.This information is available online at http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/
and on mobile devices.
London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
has “Countdown” displays on each platform at each station. These are simpler than the national rail displays as in most cases each platform serves only a single line and there are fewer variations in carriage restrictions. Audio announcements are also made regularly.
Buses are operated by local operating companies but in close partnership with local authorities. Local authorities, and ome transport operators, provide electronic versions of the bus timetables to the Traveline information service which covers all public transport modes, and from there to other information services such as Google Transit and Transport Direct.
The deployment of real-time bus information systems is a gradual process which currently extents to around half of the national fleet and a high proportion of town-centre stops, but relatively few suburban and rural stops.
The first sight of these system was in Brighton and Hove, where the counicl developed them and they were such a success that the UK government gave councils money to invest in this technology. Brighton and Hove operate the best information real time and they are viewable from a long distance - not just in the shelter where most operate from.
The Traveline NextBuses information service provides the next departures from any bus stop in the UK, and some trams as well. This information is real-time where the real-time feed has been connected in, otherwise the scheduled times are given. The convention is to show real-time information as (in x mins) and scheduled information as a time (xx.xx).
A variety of electric services are available through SMS which cover large parts of the UK’s public transport network, and many web sites provide access to information from bus or train real-time systems. Most of this is single-mode.
The Government-sponsored Transport Direct
Transport Direct
Transport Direct is a division of the UK Department for Transport to develop better information technology systems to support public transport. It developed and operates the Transport Direct Portal which is a public facing multi-modal journey planner...
project provides journey planning across all transport modes (including private car) and is increasingly linked to real-time information systems.
Audio announcement (on or off bus) is relatively rare, although London and some metropolitan areas have recently seen significant increases.
See also
- Passenger informationPassenger informationPassenger information is information provided to public transport users about the nature and state of a public transport service, though visual, voice or touchable media...
- Dynamic Passenger InformationDynamic passenger informationDynamic Passenger Information is intended to inform public transportation passengers about currently available runs. As such, data from long term, static, predefined public transport timetables can be amended with continuous, dynamically determined timetable deviations...
(DPI) - Hamburger HochbahnHamburger HochbahnHamburger Hochbahn AG or HHA is a company operating the underground system and large parts of the bus system in Hamburg, Germany, founded in 1911 it is headquartered in Hamburg.-History:...
(HHA): Passenger Information and Management System - Delfi protocol: Germany-wide passenger information from point to point http://delfi.hbt.de/base/welcome.jsp?DSTYLE=delfi&LANGUAGE=de_DE
- Real Time Information GroupReal Time Information GroupThe Real Time Information Group is an organisation in the United Kingdom supporting the development of bus passenger information systems; its 85 members include local authorities, bus operators and system suppliers together with representatives from the UK government and other key industry groups...
- CEN TransmodelTransmodelTransmodel is the CEN European Reference Data Model for Public Transport Information; it provides an abstract model of common public transport concepts and data structures that can be used to build many different kinds of public transport information system, including for timetabling, fares,...
, IFOPT and SIRIService Interface for Real Time InformationThe Service Interface for Real Time Information or SIRI is an XML protocol to allow distributed computers to exchange real time information about public transport services and vehicles....
technical specifications and standards. - IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems SocietyIEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems SocietyThe ' is a professional society of the IEEE.- Field of Interest :The IEEE ITS Society states on its that its Field of Interest is in "theoretical, experimental and operational aspects of electrical and electronics engineering and information technologies as applied to Intelligent Transportation...