simulation of torsion moment at the wheel set of the railway vehicle ...

REVIEWIvana Olivkova *PASSENGER INFORMATION SYSTEMSIN PUBLIC TRANSPORTThe article deals with establishment of passenger information systems which are comprehensive and not limited to one or more individualoperators or transport modes. The systems should be multi-lingual, disabled adapted, both inside and outside interchanges, and combine static(i.e. timetable) and dynamic data on both public and private transport services.1. IntroductionPassenger information systems in transit applications refer tothe use of technology to provide travel information to passengersin order to assist their trip-making or route choice decisions eitherprior to departure or en route. The information provided may varyfrom static route, schedule and fare information to real-time vehiclelocation and/or estimated arrival time. Real-time information canbe offered to passengers when the passenger information systemis used in conjunction with GPS systems. Furthermore, passengerinformation might be disseminated through the use of transitoperations software such as itinerary planning systems.Passenger information is generally expected to improve thequality of transit service by improving the passenger experience.Passenger information may grant passengers a better sense of controlover their trip-making decisions and/or enable them to take actionto minimize their waiting times at stops, plan their transfer connectionsand thus reduce their overall travel time.2. Categories of information systems in public transportInformation systems may be provided in three categories(Fig. 1):• Pre-trip passenger information systems• In-terminal/wayside information systems• In-vehicle information systemsPre-tripPassenger Information Systemsin Public transportIn-terminalVarious factors affect passenger trip-making decisions, includingservice characteristics such as frequency and coverage. Differenttypes of information (e.g. static or real-time) and differentmethods for accessing that information (e.g. via the internet athome or in vehicle announcements) will likely have different effectson how passengers use different types of service (e.g. high frequencyand low frequency). There is a wide variety of passenger informationsystems that are designed to influence specific passenger behaviorsand decisions. Below, each of the categories of passengerinformation systems listed above is discussed.3. Pre-Trip Passenger Information SystemsPre-trip passenger information systems imparts to the userinformation relevant to the choices that are made prior to departure.These pre-trip decisions include choice of mode, route anddeparture time, thus enabling passengers to choose a course ofaction that best serves their trip purpose.There are two types of pre-trip passenger information:• General Service Information,• Itinerary Planning.In-vehicleFig. 1 Categories of passenger information systemsGeneral Service Information systems offer static information,such as route, schedule and fare information. This information canbe accessed by phone or by consulting maps and timetables thatare posted on vehicles, at stops, or on the Internet.Itinerary planning systems allow passengers to consider a varietyof factors such as travel time, walking distance, cost, and number* Ivana OlivkovaInstitut of Transport, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Technical University of Ostrava, Ostrava – Poruba, Czech Republic,E-mail: ivana.olivkova@vsb.czCOMMUNICATIONS 3/2008 ●69