Volusia County Transit
Daytona Beach, FL
Avail Customer since 2004
VOTRAN is currently operating approximately 56 fixed route vehicles, 74 paratransit vehicles and 8 supervisor vehicles.
Avail’s OmniPoint suite of products:
- CommandPoint – Computer Aided Dispatching and Automatic Vehicle Location
- ControlPoint – Vehicle solution including Mobile Data Terminal with single point of log on, automatic passenger counters and automatic annunciation
- DataPoint-Data mining and analysis for operational personnel
- InfoPoint-Real-time service display for customer information
- InterfaceModule – interface to third party fixed route and paratransit scheduling systems
- Trapeze Software - PASS
- Trapeze FX
2004 - Avail Technologies worked with VOTRAN, and their consulting firm, to complete an end-to-end analysis of their existing system and services and to map out a plan for future ITS enhancements for their operation. The plan, completed in early 2005, identified three major focus areas that VOTRAN desired to address: Computer Aided Registration, Scheduling, and Dispatch (CARSD) system, Wireless Communications Infrastructure, and the In-Vehicle Suite of equipment to include MDCs, APCs, and Annunciation / Signage for their fleet of nearly 140 fixed route, paratransit, and supervisor vehicles.
2005 - Avail completed implementation of a 4 channel, 6 talkgroup LTR radio network for voice communications as part of the Wireless Communications Infrastructure. Avail is currently in the process of implementing the CARSD and in-vehicle phase of the project. As part of this phase Avail is adding 2 data channels to the communications infrastructure. The radios installed in the vehicles as part of the voice communications phase will be used for both voice and data in a closed-mic mode in this final phase.
2006 - The paratransit CARSD implementation was completed as phase two and as part of this implementation, two new data channels were added to the communications infrastructure. This phase included the installation of Avail’s ControlPoint which includes an MDC, as well as Avail’s Interface Expansion Box (IEB) that provides connections to the wheelchair lift and covert alarm capability. Phase two also included the addition of PASS-MON to the existing Trapeze PASS paratransit scheduling system which allows the dispatching of trips to the MDC’s in the paratransit vehicles and receiving trip completion information from these vehicles. The covert alarm includes a pushbutton switch to activate the alarm and a covert microphone to allow dispatch to listen in the vehicle during an alarm state, providing security to the operator
2007 - The third and final phase included the fixed route scheduling, CAD/AVL, and passenger information segment of the project. Avail’s CommandPoint dispatching workstations were installed providing dispatchers the ability to monitor schedule adherence, onboard passenger counts, and vehicle location of the fixed route fleet. During this phase, Trapeze FX was installed and integrated with the system for fixed route scheduling. Avail’s ControlPoint (Fixed Route) hardware was also installed in the fixed route vehicles, which includes automatic next stop annunciation, APC’s, covert alarm capability, and an MDC which provides drivers with a single point of logon for the annunciation system, the farebox, and the headsign. The MDC also displays schedule adherence information to the driver helping the driver stay on schedule. The system also includes a transfer connection protection feature to aid passengers in making transfers.
With Votran’s focus on providing passengers the most comfortable experience possible, this phase of the project also included the installation of Avail’s InfoPoint traveler information module. The InfoPoint module included the installation of signage at Votran’s two main transfer plazas. The signs display each route that travels through the plaza, and the estimated departure times of each those routes. In order to provide this same information to visually impaired passengers the signs include an audio capability that announces the next departure time for each route. InfoPoint also includes a website interface that provides passengers route departure information. Using Votran’s website passenger’s can display a map of their route which shows where the buses are currently located on that particular route. They can also click on a particular bus to see if it is running on time or behind schedule, and they can click on a stop to see the next three departure times of the route from that stop. Utilizing InfoPoint Votran can also display and announce public service messages through the signs and the website.
The entire system is collecting vast amounts of data each day and to help Votran make use of all of this data Avail installed its DataPoint analysis software. Data collected each day includes passenger boarding and alighting counts at stops, schedule adherence at stops, vehicle locations, driver and dispatcher actions throughout the day. This tool also provides analysis of farebox data and provides analysis through drill down charts, and operational summary reports on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis.
The installation of this system has allowed Votran to integrate various operations, such as scheduling, dispatching, and planning into one environment, and has provided more efficient, real time control of their operations.
http://www.volusia.org/votran/
For more information regarding this project or to request references, please contact us
