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| Volume 17, Issue 3 | Fall 2005 |
Technology Plays Vital Role in Transportation CoordinationCoordination of transportation services has become an important goal for many rural and urban transit agencies and non-emergency medical transportation providers on both a local and regional basis.
To date, there have been many obstacles that have frustrated coordination efforts, including political, financial, procedural and infrastructure issues. However, perception does not have to be reality. Increased political awareness and attention, a growing population in need of improved services, and improved provider communication are all factors that are breaking down barriers to transportation coordination. And, there is growing consensus that coordinated community transportation is not a choice, but an imperative for the future. One key obstacle has been removed - and that is technology. Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) have not only become very sophisticated and effective at supporting complex coordination issues, but new transportation technology is now easy to implement and operate at a price point that can fit into any transportation budget. When looking at coordination from a technology perspective, the definition becomes even more focused: coordination is the ability to link systems, data, funding and people to improve the performance and operational efficiency of transportation services. At the core of these definitions is sharing. Whether it is between agencies in different geographical vicinities, a government department and varied funding sources, or a fixed route and demand response service provider, coordination is all about shared objectives, shared power and shared respect coming together towards a common goal. By adopting ITS, the industry can move past manual, "pencil and paper"-based transportation management to automated, computer-driven operations. Simply put, without technology-based automation, coordination is almost impossible. Through the automation of scheduling, routing, dispatching, verification and billing, agency staff and transportation resources can be leveraged and maximized to their fullest extent. Transportation Coordination in Action - A Case Study:RouteMatch Software, a provider of advanced transportation management software and solutions, has helped the state of Iowa's Rural Transit ITS Consortium implement the type of technologies needed to continually improve coordination. The Consortium, which includes twelve regional and three small urban transit systems that provide demand-response transportation service in seventy-seven of Iowa's ninety-nine counties, is looking to achieve the following goals:
Unlike urban areas with centralized operations, rural areas operate in a decentralized fashion on a tight budget. Understanding that each provider has its unique challenges and goals, RouteMatch developed a solution to allow for the coordination and standardization of many processes across the state while speaking to the individuality of each region. Each provider, however, shares the common goal of implementing state-of-the-art transit ITS technologies to increase efficiency, automate processes and enhance capabilities. According to Bob Krause, transit ITS administrator for the Iowa Department of Transportation, managers in the rural systems are by and large advocates of the new ITS technologies and don't feel like they've lost local autonomy. As a matter of fact, they feel that they are getting better data and an improved sense of control. The next step is for different regions to begin implementing automated vehicle locator (AVL) units. As Randy Zobrist sees it, executive director in Iowa's Region 9, the goal is to phase out the paper manifest and perhaps in the future, have all parties - the customer, dispatcher and driver - depend on a Web-driven system. Build Visibility and Market Your Products & Services with DTAA full page ad in a single issue is $800
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Appropriately applied, transportation coordination leads to significant operational improvements and cost reductions, including: lower per trip operating costs; less overall workload; standardized reporting and data management capabilities; maximized relative scheduling and routing efficiency; increased security; increased customer service; and a significant decrease in technology costs.