Passenger information display system
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A passenger information system, or passenger information display system, is an automated system for supplying users of
public transport Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typi ...
with information about the nature and the state of a public transport service through visual, voice or other media. It is also known as a customer information system or an operational information system. Among the information provided by such systems, a distinction can be drawn between: * Static or schedule information, which changes only occasionally and is typically used for journey planning prior to departure. *
Real-time Real-time or real time describes various operations in computing or other processes that must guarantee response times within a specified time (deadline), usually a relatively short time. A real-time process is generally one that happens in defined ...
information, derived from automatic vehicle location systems and changes continuously as a result of real-world events, which is typically used during the course of a journey (primarily how close the service is running to time and when it is due at a stop, as well as incidents that affect service operations, platform changes, etc.). Static information has traditionally been made available in printed form though route network maps and
timetable A schedule or a timetable, as a basic time-management tool, consists of a list of times at which possible task (project management), tasks, events, or actions are intended to take place, or of a sequence of events in the chronological order ...
booklets at transit stations. However, most transit operators now also use integrated passenger information systems that provide either schedule-based information through a
journey planner A journey planner, trip planner, or route planner is a specialized search engine used to find an optimal means of travelling between two or more given locations, sometimes using more than one transport mode. Searches may be optimized on differen ...
application or schedule-based information in combination with real-time information. Real-time information is an advance on schedule-only information, which recognises the fact that public transport services do not always operate exactly according to the published timetable. By providing real—time information to travellers, they are better able to conduct their journey confidently, including taking any necessary steps in the event of delays. That helps to encourage greater use of public transport, which for many countries is a political goal. Real-time information is provided to passengers in a number of different ways, including mobile phone applications, platform-level signage, and automated
public address system A public address system (or PA system) is an electronic system comprising microphones, amplifiers, loudspeakers, and related equipment. It increases the apparent volume (loudness) of a human voice, musical instrument, or other acoustic sound sou ...
s. It may include both predictions about arrival and departure times, as well as information on the nature and the cause of disruptions.


Issues with passenger information provision

There are four principal considerations for the provision of passenger information (static or real time): * Data availability. Information can be provided only if it is available, and collecting information can be resource-intensive. Also, there may be difficulties with co-ordinating
data sharing Data sharing is the practice of making data used for scholarly research available to other investigators. Many funding agencies, institutions, and publication venues have policies regarding data sharing because transparency and openness are consid ...
between multiple organisations. * Data accuracy. Collecting information is error-prone. Also, prediction algorithms are not perfect and so real-time announcements may be in error. * Getting information to the passenger. A variety of dissemination mechanisms may be used, but it is not always easy to ensure that the correct information reaches the passenger when it is most needed. Information overload must be avoided. * Latency or response time. Information provision must react quickly to a passenger request or a real-world update. There is little point in announcing a service three minutes after it has departed.


Real-time arrival prediction systems

Current operational information on service running is collected from automatic vehicle location (AVL) systems and from control systems, including incident capture systems. The information can be compared algorithmically with the published service timetable to generate a prediction of how services will run in the next few minutes to hours. That may be informed by additional information. For instance, bus services are affected by congestion on the road network, and all services may be affected by adverse weather conditions.


Economic rationale

The capital and revenue costs for traveller information systems can be calculated with reasonable accuracy. However, the derivation of tangible financial benefits is far more difficult to establish and as so there is very little research. That directs the business model for information systems towards the "softer" merits such as traveller confidence. It is worth noting that there must be an actual value, as individuals are willing to pay for systems that give them access to real-time data relating to their journey. The difficulty is establishing what that is for each individual person and perhaps each individual piece of roadside hardware. Even less is known about the long-term effects of access to these types of services. The only long-term study is from 2012.


Communication channels

Information may be delivered via any electronic media, including: *
Mobile phone application A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a phone, tablet, or watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop applications which are designed to run on d ...
* LED displays and screens inside stations *
E-paper Electronic paper, also sometimes electronic ink, e-ink or electrophoretic display, are display devices that mimic the appearance of ordinary ink on paper. Unlike conventional flat panel displays that emit light, an electronic paper display re ...
displays and screens at bus stops and shelters *
Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
through a
website A website (also written as a web site) is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Examples of notable websites are Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Wi ...
*
Telephone A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into e ...
(either a staffed bureau service or an automated answering system) *
Touch screen A touchscreen or touch screen is the assembly of both an input ('touch panel') and output ('display') device. The touch panel is normally layered on the top of an electronic visual display of an information processing system. The display is ofte ...
kiosks for self-service (e.g. in customer offices) Additional considerations include: *How the system presents information for
disabled Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, ...
travellers *Whether the system provides information in multiple languages


Information

The information provided by a passenger information system depends on its location and the technical scope (e.g. the size of the display screen) At a station or stop, it is normal to provide up-to-date predictions of: *Which service is operated by the next vehicle to arrive, including its route and destination. *When the vehicle will arrive. *How closely it is running to timetable. *Similar information for the following few services. *General advice on current travel disruptions that may be useful to the passenger in understanding the implications for their travel plans. On a vehicle, it is normal to provide up to date predictions of: *When the vehicle will arrive at the next station or stop (express or long-distance services). *Advice on connecting services. Personalised channels (web, mobile device, or kiosk) is normally set up to mimic the view from a station or stop, but they may in addition be linked to
journey planner A journey planner, trip planner, or route planner is a specialized search engine used to find an optimal means of travelling between two or more given locations, sometimes using more than one transport mode. Searches may be optimized on differen ...
s. Using such systems, a passenger may (re)plan their journey to take into account current circumstances (such as cancelled services or excessive delays).


Examples


France

In
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
,
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, SIEL indicator systems (abbreviated from Système d’information en ligne) are installed in the RER, the
Paris Métro The Paris Métro (french: Métro de Paris ; short for Métropolitain ) is a rapid transit system in the Paris metropolitan area, France. A symbol of the city, it is known for its density within the capital's territorial limits, uniform architec ...
and on 250 bus routes on the RATP bus system. On the RER, two types of indicators are used. The first-generation model indicates only the termini of trains stopping at a station through the use of square lights beside the words bearing the name of a terminus. The second-generation model includes an LED display above the square lights indicating the terminus and train service. The displays are used only on the RER line A, RER line B and at
Gare de Châtelet – Les Halles Gare is the word for "station" in French and related languages, commonly meaning railway station Gare can refer to: People * Gare (surname), surname * The Gare Family, fictional characters in the novel '' Wild Geese'' by Martha Ostenso Places * ...
station on RER line D. They can be inaccurate at times because of the lack of communication between SNCF and RATP, the two operators of the RER. On the Paris Métro, there are two types of information display systems. The LED numerical display installed in all Métro lines (except line 14) has been in use since 1997. The television display is installed on all stations on line 14. The displays show the time needed for a train (and the subsequent train after it) to reach a particular station. On the bus network in Paris, monochrome LCDs have been used since 1996 to indicate the time needed for a
bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...
on a bus route to arrive at a bus stop, after a two-year trial period on a few bus routes. File:RER A - Gare de Vincennes (3).jpg, 1st generation termini indicator on the RER line A File:SIEL - RER B - Direction.JPG, 2nd generation termini indicator on the RER line B File:Metro Paris - Ligne 11 - station Arts et Metiers - SIEL.jpg, LED indicator on the Paris Métro File:Metro Paris - Ligne 13 - SIEL.jpg, A variant of the Métro's LED indicator used on
Paris Métro Line 13 Paris Métro Line 13 (opened as Line B; French: ''Ligne 13 du métro de Paris'') is one of the sixteen lines of the Paris Métro. It was built by the Nord-Sud Company before becoming Line 13 when the Nord-Sud was merged into the Compagnie du ch ...
utilizing a lighted arrow indicating the terminus of the next train File:SIEL-Ligne 14-Train à quai.JPG, TV screen used on Paris Métro Line 14 File:SIEL - Lignes 42 et 88.JPG, LCD used on Paris's bus system


Germany

Deutsche Bahn AG offers a Travel Information System ( (RIS)). It shows current train times compared to the published timetable, as well as known delays and expected arrival and departure times of the
train In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and transport people or freight. Trains are typically pulled or pushed by locomotives (often ...
s. The information is made available to the
train conductor A conductor (North American English) or guard (Commonwealth English) is a train crew member responsible for operational and safety duties that do not involve actual operation of the train/locomotive. The ''conductor'' title is most common in Nor ...
(via
SMS Short Message/Messaging Service, commonly abbreviated as SMS, is a text messaging service component of most telephone, Internet and mobile device systems. It uses standardized communication protocols that let mobile devices exchange short text ...
) as well as to the passenger via loudspeaker in the
train station A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing s ...
or schedule boards on the internet. The corresponding VRR and VRS information systems also process RIS data. The data can also be queried in real-time via mobile devices like
mobile phone A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whi ...
s. The RIS was started in 2003, and by 2007, it was planned to have 30,000 trains equipped with the necessary train describer (electronic train number). In an accompanying program the older
split-flap display A split-flap display, or sometimes simply a flap display, is a digital electromechanical display device that presents changeable alphanumeric text, and occasionally fixed graphics. Often used as a public transport timetable in airports or r ...
s were replaced by electronic dot-matrix signage. Large stations have
platform display A platform display, destination display or train describer (British English) is supplementing the destination sign on arriving trains giving passengers an advance information. Historically they did only show the next destination and sometimes the ...
s with multiple rows, but the Deutsche Bahn network operator developed the Dynamic Font Indicator ( (DSA)) standard system for smaller stations with a single row. In 2011, a federal funding was granted to equip 4500 additional stations with DSA signage, making for most of the 6500 DSAs by 2015. The federal grant came along with a
Federal Railway Authority The German Federal Railway Authority (german: Eisenbahn-Bundesamt, ) has been the independent federal authority for the regulation of the railways in Germany since 1 January 1994. It is under the supervision and direction of the Federal Minist ...
( (EBA)) order in 2010 to have all stations connected to the travel information system to announce delays with electronic signage or loudspeakers. The Deutsche Bahn operator tried to block that order legally for stations with a very low frequency but lost all lawsuits in 2015. It was given 18 months to equip the remaining stations with DSAs. The DSA system has a
GSM The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is a standard developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) to describe the protocols for second-generation ( 2G) digital cellular networks used by mobile devices such ...
radio module to receive a text message to be displayed in a horizontally-moving
news ticker A news ticker (sometimes called a "crawler", "crawl", "slide", "zipper", or "ticker tape") is a horizontal or vertical (depending on a language's writing system) text-based display either in the form of a graphic that typically resides in the lo ...
style. A loudspeaker may optionally be mounted on top. When there is no delay, the current time is shown statically on its 96×8 LED dot-matrix display.


United Kingdom

National Rail National Rail (NR) is the trading name licensed for use by the Rail Delivery Group, an unincorporated association whose membership consists of the passenger train operating companies (TOCs) of England, Scotland, and Wales. The TOCs run the ...
stations are equipped with visual
platform display A platform display, destination display or train describer (British English) is supplementing the destination sign on arriving trains giving passengers an advance information. Historically they did only show the next destination and sometimes the ...
s and audio announcements, which indicate the next service or services from the platform and warn passengers to stand clear of trains that are not scheduled to stop, not in use or are about to depart. Additionally, concourses and ticket offices have large screen displays that show all of the services available at the station for the next hour or more and, at major stations, the full route of the service and any restrictions applicable (e.g. ticket types, catering services, bicycle carriage). Many smaller and less well-used railway stations have, instead of such systems, "passenger help points", which connect the user by telephone to a control room by pressing an "Information" button. The information is available online at
National Rail National Rail (NR) is the trading name licensed for use by the Rail Delivery Group, an unincorporated association whose membership consists of the passenger train operating companies (TOCs) of England, Scotland, and Wales. The TOCs run the ...
and on mobile devices. Most
London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England. The ...
stations have “countdown” displays on each platform. They are simpler than the national rail displays since most platforms serves only a single line, and there are few or no variations in carriage restrictions and destinations served. Audio announcements are also made regularly. Local authorities and some transport operators provide electronic versions of the bus timetables to the Traveline information service, which covers all public transport modes, and from there to other information services such as Transport Direct, and
Google Transit Google Maps is a web mapping platform and consumer application offered by Google. It offers satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360° interactive panorama, interactive panoramic views of streets (Google Street View, Street View) ...
. The deployment of real-time bus information systems is a gradual process and currently extends to around half of the national fleet and a high proportion of town-centre stops but relatively few suburban and rural locations. The first use of such systems was in
Brighton and Hove Brighton and Hove () is a city and unitary authority in East Sussex, England. It consists primarily of the settlements of Brighton and Hove, alongside neighbouring villages. Often referred to synonymously as Brighton, the City of Brighton and H ...
. The Traveline NextBuses information service provides the next departures from any bus stop in the UK, and some trams as well. The information has the real-time feed that has been connected in; otherwise, the scheduled times are given. The government-sponsored Transport Direct project provided journey planning across all transport modes (including private car) and was increasingly linked to real-time information systems prior to its discontinuation in 2014.


United States

Real-time passenger information was brought to riders in the US by
NextBus NextBus is a public transit vehicle tracking system which uses global positioning satellite information to predict when the next vehicle will arrive at any given transit stop, which attempts to reduce wait times and reliance on schedules. NextBus ...
corporation, a small start-up, in 1999. The first systems were installed in
Emeryville, California Emeryville is a city located in northwest Alameda County, California, in the United States. It lies in a corridor between the cities of Berkeley and Oakland, with a border on the shore of San Francisco Bay. The resident population was 12,905 ...
, and later in
San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
. , both initial systems are still in operation. The Washington Metro installed a passenger information display system (PIDS) in all of its stations in 2000. The system provides real-time information on next train arrivals, delayed trains, emergency announcements, and related information. Metro also provides current train and related information to customers with conventional
web browser A web browser is application software for accessing websites. When a user requests a web page from a particular website, the browser retrieves its files from a web server and then displays the page on the user's screen. Browsers are used o ...
s, as well as users of smartphones and other mobile devices. In 2010, Metro began sharing its PIDS data with outside software developers for use in creating additional real-time applications for mobile devices. Free apps are available to the public on major mobile device software platforms ( iPhone/
iPad The iPad is a brand of iOS and iPadOS-based tablet computers that are developed by Apple Inc. The iPad was conceived before the related iPhone but the iPhone was developed and released first. Speculation about the development, operating ...
, Android,
Windows Phone Windows Phone (WP) is a discontinued family of mobile operating systems developed by Microsoft for smartphones as the replacement successor to Windows Mobile and Zune. Windows Phone featured a new user interface derived from the Metro design l ...
,
Palm Palm most commonly refers to: * Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand * Palm plants, of family Arecaceae **List of Arecaceae genera * Several other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer to: Music * Palm (ba ...
). The system also began providing real-time train information by phone in 2010. The New York City Subway began installing its public address/customer information screens, commonly known as "
countdown A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...
clocks", in its stations in 2007. In 2012, the system began offering SubTime, a website and iPhone app for real-time train arrival estimates for several of its subway services, and the arrival data are shared with outside software developers to support creation of additional apps. There are also PIDS installed on some
MTA Regional Bus Operations MTA Regional Bus Operations (RBO) is the surface transit division of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). It was created in 2008 to consolidate all bus operations in New York City operated by the MTA. , MTA Regional Bus Operations ru ...
routes over the years, but mostly, the MTA offers real-time bus tracking through another website/app called MTA Bus Time. The Boston MBTA Red, Orange, and Blue Lines introduced countdown locks in early 2014, and the Green Line introduced them the following year. The eastern end of the Green Line introduced clocks in early 2016. They reflect how many "stops away" the train is, rather than how many minutes it will take to arrive.
Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada ...
has deployed PIDS throughout the Northeast Corridor. , PIDS are being deployed with
unified messaging Unified messaging (or UM) is a business term for the integration of different electronic messaging and communications media ( e-mail, SMS, fax, voicemail, video messaging, etc.) technologies into a single interface, accessible from a variety of ...
, which can include information streamed to mobile devices, phones and translated directly to voice announcements.
Text to Speech Speech synthesis is the artificial production of human speech. A computer system used for this purpose is called a speech synthesizer, and can be implemented in software or hardware products. A text-to-speech (TTS) system converts normal languag ...
products have been designed to convert PIDS data to speech in a choice of over 20 languages.


See also

* General Transit Feed Specification *
Identification of Fixed Objects in Public Transport IFOPT (''Identification of Fixed Objects in Public Transport'') is a CEN Technical Specification that provides a Reference Data Model for describing the main fixed objects required for public access to Public transport, that is to say Transportat ...
(IFOPT) *
IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems Society The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a 501(c)(3) professional association for electronic engineering and electrical engineering (and associated disciplines) with its corporate office in New York City and its operation ...
*
Journey planner A journey planner, trip planner, or route planner is a specialized search engine used to find an optimal means of travelling between two or more given locations, sometimes using more than one transport mode. Searches may be optimized on differen ...
*
Platform display A platform display, destination display or train describer (British English) is supplementing the destination sign on arriving trains giving passengers an advance information. Historically they did only show the next destination and sometimes the ...
* Real Time Information Group (RTIG), UK organisation *
Service Interface for Real Time Information The Standard Interface for Real-time Information or SIRI is an XML protocol to allow distributed computers to exchange real-time information about public transport services and vehicles. The protocol is a CEN norm, developed originally as a tec ...
(SIRI), technical specifications and standards *
Transmodel Transmodel (formally ''CEN TC278, Reference Data Model For Public Transport, EN12896'') is the CEN European Reference Data Model for Public Transport Information; it provides a conceptual model of common public transport concepts and data structur ...
, CEN European Reference Data Model


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Passenger Information System * Travel technology