2. BACKGROUND ON CARTA AND THE SMARTBUS PROJECT
2.1 OVERVIEW OF CARTA OPERATIONS
CARTA provides transit services for the City of Chattanooga in southeastern Tennessee and portions of nearby counties. Transit services include: fixed route service within the City of Chattanooga and Hamilton County; complementary demand-response paratransit service for citizens with disabilities within the City of Chattanooga and the Town of Signal Mountain; a downtown shuttle and parking system; and the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway (the Incline). CARTA operates 13 main line fixed routes, 3 neighborhood flex routes, the Care-A-Van demand responsive service, parking facilities in downtown Chattanooga, and a free shuttle service in downtown Chattanooga. Figure 1 shows a system map of CARTA's main line and neighborhood fixed routes.
Figure 1. System Map of CARTA's Fixed Routes
CARTA's fixed and flex route services operate seven days per week using a mix of conventional diesel buses and electric shuttle buses. Buses on the fixed route service make stops on a fixed route at fixed times. Buses on the flex route service make stops at a shopping mall every 30 minutes, driving through nearby neighborhoods to pick up and drop off passengers in the intervening periods. Passengers can call in to schedule a pick up at any location in the neighborhood serviced by the bus. The CARTA Care-A-Van demand response service also operates seven days per week.
2.2 OVERVIEW OF CARTA ITS DEPLOYMENTS
CARTA's experience with technology deployments dates back to 1996, when it began using maintenance planning and tracking software for vehicles and facilities. In 1998, it began using GIS network software to support ADA paratransit operations. In 2001, it deployed a parking garage security system, established a system-wide network for CARTA fixed facilities, and integrated the CARTA network with the City IT network. The agency's experience with technology took an important step forward in 2003, when it applied for and was awarded an ITS Deployment Program earmark. With long-term funding for ITS technologies secured, CARTA began deploying a series of technologies that would integrate technologies across its operations.
Table 1 summarizes these deployments, and each of the technologies deployed is summarized in the following sections.
| Year | Activity |
|---|---|
| 2004 | Deployed data warehousing and reporting software. |
| 2005 | Deployed handheld system ("tricoder") for recording vehicle fuel, oil, and other liquid usage. |
| 2005 | Deployed TVMs for the Incline Railway. |
| 2006 | Deployed new fixed-route scheduling software and new scheduling and dispatch management software for demand-response service. |
| 2007 | Deployed onboard components for an Automatic Vehicle Monitoring (AVM) system on fixed route vehicles, including wireless local area networks (WLAN) communications at both vehicle storage facilities to enable bulk data transfer with vehicles. The WLAN was also needed to download the onboard run schedules database for various onboard systems. |
| 2007 | Provided network connectivity to CARTA vehicles via cellular EVDO network to enable real-time data collection from vehicles for the upcoming next arrival predictions and CAD/AVL systems. Further leveraging this broadband data connectivity, CARTA also began offering wireless public Internet access on CARTA buses. |
| 2008 | Deployed a new revenue management system and new electronic registering fareboxes in fixed route vehicles. This included introducing the use of smart cards for fare payment, including onboard smart card revaluing capability (initially as a replacement for monthly passes and to enable a transition from transfers to a day pass). |
| 2008 | Deployed onboard audio and visual next stop automated announcement system (AAS) as well as a headsigns interface (to automatically change the headsign as the vehicle approaches the end of a trip). |
| 2008 | Deployed a public website with bus next-arrival-time prediction system based on real-time schedule adherence data gathered from the fleet over the mobile data communications system. |
| 2008 | Deployed bus arrival signs at eight bus stops — three at University of Tennessee — Chattanooga (UTC) campus stops, two on Market Street, one at Brainerd and Germantown, one at Hamilton Place Mall, and one at Eastgate Mall as an additional channel to disseminate to the public the next arrival predictions for these specific locations. |
| 2009 | Implemented daily upload via WLAN of bus diagnostic information collected onboard to the AVM server, making this data available to maintenance staff. |
| 2009 | Deployed APCs on fixed- and flex-route vehicles, with APC data uploaded daily via the WLAN, and the APC central management software to manage and analyze the collected APC data. |
| 2009 | Will complete deployment of the CAD/AVL dispatcher software initially for operations management on the fixed route fleet. This will include integration with the onboard systems to enable real-time fleet status data and new communications tools. It will also enable sending critical AVM alerts to dispatchers over the mobile data communications system. |
| 2010 | CAD/AVL deployment will be extended to the flex-route and demand-response fleets, including the deployment of flexible-route scheduling and dispatch management software and integration with the demand-reponse scheduling and dispatch management software. |
| 2010 | The smart card fare collection system will be extended to support stored value as an additional alternative to cash payment and web-based smart card revaluing. |
| 2010 | Fareboxes will be interfaced with the onboard systems for CAD/AVL to enable a single point login, additional data for the fare transactions database, and real-time access to farebox alarms data. |
2.2.1 Data Warehousing and Reporting Software
CARTA understood that many of the activities needed to support its operations relied on information managed by different software applications. For example, reports needed to support tire lease payments relied on combining data from mileage logs with maintenance data that identified the tires mounted on each bus. Assessments of the cost-effectiveness of alternative fuels required a combination of fuel usage and maintenance cost data. CARTA also noted that some of its existing applications were not capable of producing necessary reports. For example, the maintenance system could not produce the annual parts inventory audit reports needed for end-of-year accounting.
Recognizing these needs, CARTA decided to deploy data warehousing and reporting software. This data warehouse combined data from all CARTA software applications and was the central repository that supported key CARTA operational reporting. Making the CARTA data warehouse the first ITS application deployed enabled CARTA to include integration with the data warehouse as a requirement for future ITS deployments at CARTA.
2.2.2 Ticket Vending Machines
In the spring of 2005, CARTA deployed five TVMs along with a central TVM management server application to support the Incline Railway operation. The TVMs accept both cash and credit cards. The use of TVMs allowed CARTA to migrate from its former paper-based system for tracking Incline Railway ticket sales to an automated system that integrated with its data warehouse.
2.2.3 Remote Diagnostics Maintenance System
Beginning in 2006, CARTA required the inclusion of a multiplex system on all buses purchased. This system connected to the J1939 data bus; monitored common engine, transmission, and braking faults transmitted on the data bus (e.g., high engine oil temperature, low oil pressure, high transmission oil temperature); and logged the data for later retrieval. The main purpose of this system was for integration with other planned in-vehicle equipment to eventually provide CARTA with a full remote diagnostics maintenance system. (The system is now operational.)
2.2.4 Operations Software
In April 2006, CARTA completed the deployment of new fixed route scheduling software and new scheduling and dispatch management software for demand-response operations. Although the new software provided some immediate benefit, the full benefit for demand-response operations will not be achieved until the various onboard technologies are installed and integrated with the computer-aided dispatch/automated vehicle location (CAD/AVL) system and with the mobile data computers. The fixed-route scheduling software immediately supported more efficient development of the blocks, runs, and rosters for fixed-route schedules and allowed the user to explore various alternative scenarios. The paratransit scheduling and dispatch management software supports paratransit booking, scheduling, manifest generation, and completed trip validation, invoicing, and reporting. Once integrated with the CAD/AVL system and the demand-response fleet MDTs, this paratransit software will be better able to support same day scheduling adjustments and implement an electronic manifest and the real-time collection of data for completed trips.
CARTA had intended to use the same software to support the operation of the flexible neighborhood routes using real-time scheduling and manifest updating in response to telephone requests from passengers. However, it discovered that, without real-time location information from CAD/AVL, the software was not effective for this type of operation. For this reason, CARTA decided to delay this part of the software deployment
2.2.5 Fareboxes and Revenue Management System
CARTA's fareboxes were replaced with newer models that support a transactional database (i.e., with a time-stamped record created for each fare transaction indicating the amount collected and the fare type) and contactless smart card readers. As part of this deployment, new revenue management software was also deployed. This software included support for the initial role of smart cards in the system as both monthly and day passes and with onboard smart card revaluing. In the future, CARTA may extend this capability to allow the use of smart cards as debit cards to pay fares.
2.2.6 Onboard Systems and Fixed Route CAD/AVL Operations Management Software
CARTA has implemented onboard systems including mobile data computers (MDC) for run login and real-time reporting of location and schedule adherence. These technologies already support the onboard next-stop announcements, APC, automated vehicle monitoring (AVM), and next arrival predictions. The dispatcher fixed-route CAD/AVL operations management software is being implemented beginning in late 2009.
- Mobile data computers. Mobile data computers on the vehicles will provide operators with text messaging capabilities, voice radio call management, and navigational assistance and will provide feedback to the operator regarding route/schedule adherence and remote diagnostics. It is important to note that the full impacts of many of the technologies already discussed are not expected to be fully realized until the onboard systems have been integrated with the CAD/AVL software. An example of this is the MDCs. These are expected to enhance the paratransit software by providing features such as paperless manifests, real-time manifest updates, automated reporting of date/time/location for pick-up/drop-off trip events, and location-enhanced, same day scheduling.
- Computer-aided dispatch / automated vehicle location software. The CAD/AVL software will receive location and schedule adherence data from the onboard MDCs and will provide dispatchers, customer service, and maintenance management staff with a map and tabular display of the vehicle locations and status (e.g., whether the bus is behind schedule) for the entire fleet including fixed-route, paratransit, and non-revenue vehicles.
- Covert alarm. A covert alarm switch will be incorporated into the MDCs to allow operators to send an emergency alarm message to dispatch through the CAD/AVL system.
- Automated passenger counters. APCs will count the number of passengers boarding and alighting at each stop and will display this information on the operator's MDC. This data will be archived onboard and uploaded using the bulk data transfer system when the vehicles return to the garage.
- Next stop automated announcement system. An automated announcement system (AAS) will announce each bus stop as the vehicle approaches (e.g., stop name, cross street, landmark). An LED display inside the vehicle will simultaneously display a corresponding text message.