Transit Tech – NOW will you ride?

By Venturan — John B.

Claritans are about to receive a welcome upgrade to our signature Transit service that eliminates much of the anxiety associated with standing at a bus stop waiting for the coach.

Santa Clarita Transit gave SCVTalk an exclusive all access pass to preview the enhancements:$2.8M worth of technology and operational enhancements to their fleet, dispatch, and routing systems. The final phase will be released to the public within the coming weeks.

The project, known as “Transit Information Network” (TIN), provides information to SCTransit staff in real time and serves as a vital tool for the City to actively manage the network. Transit staff use the tool to pinpoint and address problem areas in the service, such as late or off-route buses.

SCTransit managers have been using the system to manage and improve routes for the past few months (notably improving on-time performance from 85% to 92%). Now TIN is ready for its public debut, offering passengers instant status updates on any bus serving a given route. The public will have the ability to access bus/route information in a variety of ways:

LED Signs – providing bus arrival times on a three line display posted at 10 bus stops and terminals

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BusTV – Flat panel screens found at the transit center and Metrolink station will display extended service information (should be live by the time you read this).

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TIN route data that will be displayed on flat panel screens

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BusFinder – Simple push-button terminals providing next bus arrival or destination, giving passengers route options. This will be the most pervasive of the physical terminals.

Self service – TIN will be accessible via touch-tone phone, web, and iPhone (we validated the web interface will work on most any smartphone, but there will be an iPhone-specific interface to boot).

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TIN's real-time reporting allows Transit staff to monitor and respond to route exceptions.

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Transit coaches report location information every 20 seconds. Each green dot represents a ping from a coach, containing time, location and speed; the gray halos are scheduled stops.

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Analysts can zoom to a specific street and reported location.

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Each bus has a GPS, computer and modem on board.

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The white hump and "shark fin" are the radio and GPS antennae components specific to TIN. The system communicates via a radio tower on Oat Mountain (or cellular when the buses are out of range).

In comparing the SCVTV preview of some of the infrastructure from November 2009, it was obvious from my tour the full scale go-live is now just a few short weeks out. Six months ago, the BusFinders were still in boxes. A significant chunk are already at a number of stops, due to blanket the rest of the service area by the end of June.

Bus stop numbers are marked on the poles all around the SCTransit service area; those stop numbers offer quick access via the web interface.

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A preview of the mapping interface that will be accessible to riders via the web.

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After an extensive RFP process that began three years years ago, SCTransit sourced the system from Connexionz Ltd, a New Zealand-based provider of transit systems. The same system is in place in a number of global transit systems, and is currently being installed in the SF Bay area, as well. The total value of the SCTransit TIN project is $2.8M.

SCTransit is also working on interface to Google Transit for route planning and reporting.

TIN has a robust analytical reporting suite that gives SCTransit a wealth of information that can be aggregated across multiple dimensions, including route, driver, day of the week, etc. – insight that is used to continuously improve the quality of the transit service.

Connexionz of New Zealand provides both software and hardware for TIN.

Special thanks to SCTransit staffers Adrian Aguilar and Brendie Heter who demoed the various parts of TIN at the Transit Maintenance Facility, probably the most green building in SCV. It opened with fanfare in 2006, receiving Gold LEED certification and winning a host of greenie awards.

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The shade structure shown will be extended to cover most of the yard and outfitted with solar panels. The panels are expected to provide 90% or more of the facility's energy consumption.

SCTransit has made a series of serious improvements to its fleet and service. The main facility boasts honest-to-goodness green credibility. The fleet is dominated by cheap, abundant, enviro-friendly compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered coaches. Fares are now collected via cash-free TAP cards. The innovative Commuter service offers near door-to-door transport for most commuters. Beyond improving communication with riders, TIN creates a positive feedback loop into the service, promising better efficiency and service to its riders.

Despite all these changes, unfortunately a material number of Claritans still refuse to take SCTransit, even for the portion of their errands that falls in the sweet spot of the service. Like an over-achieving sibling to the car in your garage, it seems no matter what SCTransit does, it’s just not enough for this group of people.

Their loss.

Comments (18)

StevenApril 24, 2010 at 11:41 am

I applaud the SCTransit for these new gadgets. The few people who ride will enjoy the $3 million upgrade. Aside from work, my trips are generally a run to the store or post office. Hmmm. should I do it in 10 minutes via car or make it a 1 hour trip by bus? IMHO, the GPS tracking is another government expenditure that sounds like progress yet completely misses the core public objection. Sorry, Jeff, I know how you love the gadgets but they do not make the service more useful to me or most others. Same goes for car pool lanes. I envy those few who can enjoy them every day but I, like many people, have appointments during the day and need my car. Many others simply don’t know a neighbor who lives nearby and also happens to work close by their job in Woodland Hills, Santa Monica, Hollywood, or downtown. Mass transit simply does not work for many people. We’ll spend tens of millions of dollars on a flyover car pool lane at the 5/14 interchange but how many will really use it? Same with GPS. Time is the issue, not accurate location of a bus. We need local jobs before any local transit service will have relevance. $3 million spent working on that problem would be money better spent. The city’s priorities are all show, no go.

JeffApril 24, 2010 at 3:00 pm

Incredible technology. I really like how advanced our city is when it comes to traffic management and now, transit management. This is so cool! Great report John.

Jim FarleyApril 24, 2010 at 4:47 pm

JB/ND: I continue to be impressed with the depth and quality of your reports. I also love the level of technology our transit system is incorporating. That being said, I unfortunately will remain in that group that will not use the bus. When your car is ready in the garage and the nearest bus stop is at least a 15 minute walk away (plus the wait time that still exists even with the tecnology)the car remains just too convenient. My opinion is still probably in part due to an experience with SCV Transit just after the 1994 earthquake. Working in Chatsworth I got up early one day to try the SCV bus there as an alternative. On the return trip I waited 45 minutes in the rain for the return bus that was delayed. At least with the new technology I would have known it was delayed and still comming without a call to SCV Tranist from a payphone. (Yep, I had no cell phone in 1994). All the above being said, I’m still going green as I have a bike for local commutes right next to my car in the garage.

RemStarApril 25, 2010 at 9:41 am

C’mon, Farley, that example of yours if 16 years ago! Are you really that old?!? One of these weekends try this with your Mrs: take the route 757 “noho Express” (at mcbean & valencia) to the north hollywood station and then take the metro redline to Hollywood (exit at Hollywood & Vine so you can walk back west toward the metro stop Hollywood & Highland). Grab brunch and/or see a matinee. A good, easy and fun excursion that will include a little walking and some fun entertainment. We do this frequently. It’s my hope that eventually the route 757 noho express will run later on Fridays and Saturdays so it would be possible to use mass transit to see late events at staples or hollywood bowl (to get to staples you take the red line to 7th street and transfer to the blue line which you take for one stop). As it is now, we drive to north hollywood, park our car their and then take the red line, etc.

Jim FarleyApril 25, 2010 at 5:11 pm

I know it is an old example but it was traumatic enough to stick with me. I work all over the place and know the NoHo Arts District and Hollywood well. I really have no desire to go there when I’m not working by any means of transportation. Thanks for the encouragement though.

rosierayApril 24, 2010 at 5:10 pm

I was a regular commuter, Warner Center, Century City, Van Nuys since 1996. There were some “burps” but overall, I would not go any other way. I highly recommend it to all commuters. SC to the valley, valley to SC

drive66April 24, 2010 at 8:27 pm

Wow, do you like to take pictures or what?! How about some graphs!

OlenkaApril 25, 2010 at 12:21 am

This is rock n roll! I love the status marquees. They have those in Rome and they were immensely helpful while I lived there. Loved it.

Robert GardnerApril 25, 2010 at 6:56 pm

$2.8 million for 7% improvement for something less than 1% of our residents use. This would be great if we were San Francisco, but SCV is too spread out. But hey, if they keep up the high density residential building then it will pay for itself by 2030.

Fred ButlerApril 26, 2010 at 5:48 am

We only have one car, so I occasionally ride the bus to work and from work when I am not cycling. I like the bus because I can read and do other similar work related things for about 50 plus minutes. I have also never felt threatened by other bus riders, though there was one time a giant mob of teenagers who had just been let out of class pushed and shoved their way on to the bus and we were forced to wait 30 minutes sweating at a stop in a sweltering bus until a “supervisor” drove up to give a speech to them on what the transit authorities expected from their behavior. Overall the bus folks do a good job coordinating with the sheriff’s department to deal with ruler individuals. That said, the bus ride can take forever. When I ride my bike, I get to work or home at least 15 minutes earlier than when the bus I would be riding drove by my stop. Taking the bus to Wal-Mart, for example, (or Whole Foods if we are going to think Valencia), then having to wait at the stop with my families groceries, only to have to lugged them on a bus that may or may not be crowded, to take another 30 minute ride home, is not worth the hassle when we have a van that can get me in and out in more than half the time it would take to ride a bus. It’s just not worth it, even with all the gadgets and computer stuff. Personal ease and convenience trumps being “enviro-conscious” every time.

CCApril 26, 2010 at 7:25 am

I think these are new tools that will help current riders. While I think this will make it easier, it still doesn’t deal with the fact that my trips happen at all times of the day and I often have side trips to make. Now, if they could get the SCV bus drivers to learn driving courtesy, I might be more inclined to applaud their efforts.

Robert GardnerApril 26, 2010 at 7:59 am

Why didn’t the City “shop local” for this contract? Were they not aware of Moore & Associates here in our own back yard? Way to THiNK Santa Clarita! ND – $2.8M “to manage the contractor” – really? Well spent tax dollars, Not! Again, this town is not setup or designed for mass transit unless you are commuting out of town (or we building high density – which most of us living here moved here to escape!). Nothing beats the Metro, it works and I have used it, but here in town I’ll keep using my car thank you and be more than happy doing so.

Linda StaedtlerApril 26, 2010 at 10:02 am

The contract was awarded at the 5/27/08 council date and the agenda report lists the vendors who submitted proposals on this project. Moore & Associates was not on the list. As Nickeldime said, it looks like Moore & Associates is more consulting while this is technology related. The company doesnt do this type of business.

mikeApril 26, 2010 at 8:07 am

Rob, Do we know if and how Moore quoted on this project? There is a local business discount in city contracts, so maybe they were significantly higher? (I don’t know).

RyanApril 26, 2010 at 2:41 pm

Thanks for the insight for your insightful report! I have question; are the blue busfinder boxes based on real-time info or schedules? Thanks.

RyanApril 26, 2010 at 6:51 pm

Wow! That’s impressive.

rosierayApril 26, 2010 at 5:34 pm

Many daily passengers were impacted by the elimination of the Van Nuys run, and Route#8, and I don’t think the NO Ho run was a valid replacement as it added much more travel time to these dependent riders. I do believe that the former riders are driving, carpooling or lost their jobs because of lack of transportation. It would be nice if we could at least get back the #8 run and possibly combine it with the old Van Nuys route. I am sure we would have the ridership (and this would only have to be 2-3 runs (am and pm)

CoryApril 27, 2010 at 7:51 am

Were these improvements funded through a grant or city transportation funds? There are a lot of outside funding sources available for these types of improvements that are not available for operational costs like providing increased connections over the hill. SC Transit serves many residents who perhaps do not have another means of travel. Take a bus ride through some lower income neighborhoods and you will see some pretty heavy riderships (some times standing room only). Thanks to SC Transit and Metrolink service I have been able to reduce from two vehicles to one. A savings to me of about $800 per month. By combining that savings to what I was already spending on rent I was able to purchase a home last year and the city will see one less foreclosure and bring in more property tax revenue. Those that still sit behind the wheel of their single occupant vehicle had one less car sitting in traffic with them. Transit is good for everybody even if you don’t use it. These types of improvements make it that much easier for folks who are considering reducing their vehicle ownership. For every person that makes the change, the economic benefits compound.

StevenApril 24, 2010 at 11:41 am
I applaud the SCTransit for these new gadgets. The few people who ride will enjoy the $3 million upgrade. Aside from work, my trips are generally a run to the store or post office. Hmmm. should I do it in 10 minutes via car or make it a 1 hour trip by bus? IMHO, the GPS tracking is another government expenditure that sounds like progress yet completely misses the core public objection. Sorry, Jeff, I know how you love the gadgets but they do not make the service more useful to me or most others. Same goes for car pool lanes. I envy those few who can enjoy them every day but I, like many people, have appointments during the day and need my car. Many others simply don’t know a neighbor who lives nearby and also happens to work close by their job in Woodland Hills, Santa Monica, Hollywood, or downtown. Mass transit simply does not work for many people. We’ll spend tens of millions of dollars on a flyover car pool lane at the 5/14 interchange but how many will really use it? Same with GPS. Time is the issue, not accurate location of a bus. We need local jobs before any local transit service will have relevance. $3 million spent working on that problem would be money better spent. The city’s priorities are all show, no go.
JeffApril 24, 2010 at 3:00 pm
Incredible technology. I really like how advanced our city is when it comes to traffic management and now, transit management. This is so cool! Great report John.
Jim FarleyApril 24, 2010 at 4:47 pm
JB/ND: I continue to be impressed with the depth and quality of your reports. I also love the level of technology our transit system is incorporating. That being said, I unfortunately will remain in that group that will not use the bus. When your car is ready in the garage and the nearest bus stop is at least a 15 minute walk away (plus the wait time that still exists even with the tecnology)the car remains just too convenient. My opinion is still probably in part due to an experience with SCV Transit just after the 1994 earthquake. Working in Chatsworth I got up early one day to try the SCV bus there as an alternative. On the return trip I waited 45 minutes in the rain for the return bus that was delayed. At least with the new technology I would have known it was delayed and still comming without a call to SCV Tranist from a payphone. (Yep, I had no cell phone in 1994). All the above being said, I’m still going green as I have a bike for local commutes right next to my car in the garage.
RemStarApril 25, 2010 at 9:41 am
C’mon, Farley, that example of yours if 16 years ago! Are you really that old?!? One of these weekends try this with your Mrs: take the route 757 “noho Express” (at mcbean & valencia) to the north hollywood station and then take the metro redline to Hollywood (exit at Hollywood & Vine so you can walk back west toward the metro stop Hollywood & Highland). Grab brunch and/or see a matinee. A good, easy and fun excursion that will include a little walking and some fun entertainment. We do this frequently. It’s my hope that eventually the route 757 noho express will run later on Fridays and Saturdays so it would be possible to use mass transit to see late events at staples or hollywood bowl (to get to staples you take the red line to 7th street and transfer to the blue line which you take for one stop). As it is now, we drive to north hollywood, park our car their and then take the red line, etc.
Jim FarleyApril 25, 2010 at 5:11 pm
I know it is an old example but it was traumatic enough to stick with me. I work all over the place and know the NoHo Arts District and Hollywood well. I really have no desire to go there when I’m not working by any means of transportation. Thanks for the encouragement though.
rosierayApril 24, 2010 at 5:10 pm
I was a regular commuter, Warner Center, Century City, Van Nuys since 1996. There were some “burps” but overall, I would not go any other way. I highly recommend it to all commuters. SC to the valley, valley to SC
drive66April 24, 2010 at 8:27 pm
Wow, do you like to take pictures or what?! How about some graphs!
OlenkaApril 25, 2010 at 12:21 am
This is rock n roll! I love the status marquees. They have those in Rome and they were immensely helpful while I lived there. Loved it.
Robert GardnerApril 25, 2010 at 6:56 pm
$2.8 million for 7% improvement for something less than 1% of our residents use. This would be great if we were San Francisco, but SCV is too spread out. But hey, if they keep up the high density residential building then it will pay for itself by 2030.
Fred ButlerApril 26, 2010 at 5:48 am
We only have one car, so I occasionally ride the bus to work and from work when I am not cycling. I like the bus because I can read and do other similar work related things for about 50 plus minutes. I have also never felt threatened by other bus riders, though there was one time a giant mob of teenagers who had just been let out of class pushed and shoved their way on to the bus and we were forced to wait 30 minutes sweating at a stop in a sweltering bus until a “supervisor” drove up to give a speech to them on what the transit authorities expected from their behavior. Overall the bus folks do a good job coordinating with the sheriff’s department to deal with ruler individuals. That said, the bus ride can take forever. When I ride my bike, I get to work or home at least 15 minutes earlier than when the bus I would be riding drove by my stop. Taking the bus to Wal-Mart, for example, (or Whole Foods if we are going to think Valencia), then having to wait at the stop with my families groceries, only to have to lugged them on a bus that may or may not be crowded, to take another 30 minute ride home, is not worth the hassle when we have a van that can get me in and out in more than half the time it would take to ride a bus. It’s just not worth it, even with all the gadgets and computer stuff. Personal ease and convenience trumps being “enviro-conscious” every time.
CCApril 26, 2010 at 7:25 am
I think these are new tools that will help current riders. While I think this will make it easier, it still doesn’t deal with the fact that my trips happen at all times of the day and I often have side trips to make. Now, if they could get the SCV bus drivers to learn driving courtesy, I might be more inclined to applaud their efforts.
Robert GardnerApril 26, 2010 at 7:59 am
Why didn’t the City “shop local” for this contract? Were they not aware of Moore & Associates here in our own back yard? Way to THiNK Santa Clarita! ND – $2.8M “to manage the contractor” – really? Well spent tax dollars, Not! Again, this town is not setup or designed for mass transit unless you are commuting out of town (or we building high density – which most of us living here moved here to escape!). Nothing beats the Metro, it works and I have used it, but here in town I’ll keep using my car thank you and be more than happy doing so.
Linda StaedtlerApril 26, 2010 at 10:02 am
The contract was awarded at the 5/27/08 council date and the agenda report lists the vendors who submitted proposals on this project. Moore & Associates was not on the list. As Nickeldime said, it looks like Moore & Associates is more consulting while this is technology related. The company doesnt do this type of business.
mikeApril 26, 2010 at 8:07 am
Rob, Do we know if and how Moore quoted on this project? There is a local business discount in city contracts, so maybe they were significantly higher? (I don’t know).
RyanApril 26, 2010 at 2:41 pm
Thanks for the insight for your insightful report! I have question; are the blue busfinder boxes based on real-time info or schedules? Thanks.
RyanApril 26, 2010 at 6:51 pm
Wow! That’s impressive.
rosierayApril 26, 2010 at 5:34 pm
Many daily passengers were impacted by the elimination of the Van Nuys run, and Route#8, and I don’t think the NO Ho run was a valid replacement as it added much more travel time to these dependent riders. I do believe that the former riders are driving, carpooling or lost their jobs because of lack of transportation. It would be nice if we could at least get back the #8 run and possibly combine it with the old Van Nuys route. I am sure we would have the ridership (and this would only have to be 2-3 runs (am and pm)
CoryApril 27, 2010 at 7:51 am
Were these improvements funded through a grant or city transportation funds? There are a lot of outside funding sources available for these types of improvements that are not available for operational costs like providing increased connections over the hill. SC Transit serves many residents who perhaps do not have another means of travel. Take a bus ride through some lower income neighborhoods and you will see some pretty heavy riderships (some times standing room only). Thanks to SC Transit and Metrolink service I have been able to reduce from two vehicles to one. A savings to me of about $800 per month. By combining that savings to what I was already spending on rent I was able to purchase a home last year and the city will see one less foreclosure and bring in more property tax revenue. Those that still sit behind the wheel of their single occupant vehicle had one less car sitting in traffic with them. Transit is good for everybody even if you don’t use it. These types of improvements make it that much easier for folks who are considering reducing their vehicle ownership. For every person that makes the change, the economic benefits compound.