Smart technologies are being applied almost everywhere, but nowhere are they transforming life more rapidly than in transportation. Public officials and transportation planners worldwide are embracing smart transit as a way to improve customer experience and enhance mobility. That’s very good news for technology firms. Public-private partnerships (P3s) are becoming government’s preferred vehicle for moving smart transit projects forward swiftly, without tying up taxpayer dollars.
Listen up, technology firms, that jingle you just heard was money in your pocket — a lot of it. Smart transit opportunities are more than abundant throughout the United States.
What is smart transit? It’s all the ways of using data, sensors, computers and the Internet to make the best use of transit resources. Electronic toll tags are just one example. They allow government to collect a fee for an expressway or bridge without slowing traffic. They also provide all kinds of data for transportation planners.
Electronic tags allow drivers to whiz through tollways. But, even electronic tolling is problematic because at least seven protocols are in use across the United States. Most of them are proprietary and that complicated interstate travel. But, the development of RFID tags, or “6C” systems, will soon enable nationwide interoperability of toll systems. These systems are already in operation in Colorado, Georgia, North Carolina, Utah and Washington.
A major buzzword in the rail and metro industry is “big data,” which refers to massive volumes of structured and unstructured information. Harvesting the data enables better train communication through wireless signaling that makes crossings safer and more efficient. The constant stream of data lets operators monitor train performance effectively and detect potential problems or maintenance requirements earlier. This reduces time, cost and the disruption of schedules.
Many other smart technology applications are making life simpler and more enjoyable for commuters on roads and highways. In Virginia, I-66 drivers have watched as equipment for a new $38.6 million lane management program was installed and tested. Now, sensors, cameras, computers and signs will advise drivers of traffic problems and lane closures ahead. The Federal Highway Administration has devoted an entire unit to supporting these kinds of projects.
Technology related to ticketing is among the most innovative areas in rail and metro transit. Smart-card systems and apps have overtaken paper tickets in many places. Paperless ticketing will debut on Chicago’s Metra as early as this fall, enabling riders to buy and display virtual tickets on smartphones and pay with a Ventra electronic fare system account, or a credit or debit card.
Digital signage with real-time information about arrivals and departures is another smart transit growth area. A three-story smart transit complex opened recently in Silver Spring, Maryland, bringing together Metro, MARC commuter rail, local and intercity buses.
The next development in rail and metro may be virtual ticketing agents, an at-station computer that offers a combination of ticket office, vending machine and call center services. Passengers using the virtual agent would talk to a real person in real time, but over a video link. This would enable rail companies to centrally locate their staff, yet deploy services across the network and focus staffing on peak hours.
Chicago Transit rail stations are improving the user experience with electronic Train Tracker displays. In Detroit, SMART riders can track the proximity of buses via the agency’s Web site. And along highways in other metropolitan areas, travel signs give commuters the estimated transit time to the next major interchange. Even by cab, commuters can monitor transit times via a smartphone all the way to their pickup point.
Bus systems use big data and analytics also. In fact, “pop-up” schedules are evolving when enough people communicate a desire to move between the same two points. A pop-up service was launched in Boston last year that offers flexibility that citizens appreciate. The buses don’t travel fixed routes; rather, the routes are tailored to meet the travel patterns of customers. A similar system recently began limited service in Washington, D.C.
Perhaps a little farther down the line, but in development today, are smart roads that use solar power and LED to sense weather conditions and clear streets of snow and ice by simply melting it away. Made from super-strong glass instead of conventional asphalt or concrete, a solar-powered roadway has sensors and cells in its surface with the capability of melting snow and eliminating the need for plows or other snow-removal equipment. Electricity generated by smart highways can be used to recharge electric vehicles, as well as power lights and LED warning signs along roadways.
The Internet of Things (IoT) — a relatively new way of connecting everyday objects via the Internet to network connectivity that can send and receive data — will likely accelerate the pace of smart innovation in the transportation industry. It may not be long before our automobiles are essentially very valuable smart devices on wheels. In fact, vehicles may well be the most expensive computing devices we own in the future.
Mary Scott Nabers is president and CEO of Strategic Partnerships Inc., a business development company specializing in government contracting and procurement consulting throughout the U.S.
