Q: Please explain your role as Chief of Information & Electronic Systems, as well as the responsibilities of your team.
A: The Chief of Information & Electronic Systems is responsible for all technology and fare collection capabilities for Transit Services. This includes information technology (IT); electronics and fare equipment on the Ride On fleet which includes the Flash buses as well as the fare validation equipment at the FLASH stations; Ride On Real Time bus shelter plus Flash station hardware and software; managing all technology innovations grants, and incorporating technology to improve transit service operations for the public and internal operations.
Q: What new technologies are planned over the next 24
months?
A: In-process and over the next twenty-four months, there will be numerous technology updates and innovation pilots. The technology updates are:
- replacement of the 20+-year-old computer-aided-dispatch/automatic vehicle location (CAD/AVL) system that was not integrated with the majority of the other electronic equipment on the fleet, with a newer CAD/AVL system that is integrated with the other electronic components on the fleet, as well as providing automatic vehicle monitoring that gives real-time vehicle maintenance status and has the ability to stream video in real-time to central dispatch for improved safety;
- upgrade the communications between central dispatch and the buses from the 20+ voice and data radio system that has very limited data transfer capability (updates once per minute to the newer system, every 10 seconds) by using a cellular router to provide data and then use the County’s new public safety radio for voice communications;
- relaunching and expanding the FLEX service.
Additionally, there are four innovation grants, two from the state of Maryland and two from the Federal Transportation Agency (FTA). The state innovation grants are:
- automating the bus operators and motor pool attendants signing into and out of work versus going to the front desk to check-in, plus learn what bus to take, as well as removing paperwork vouchers and
- using a software tool to utilize automatic passenger counter information in place of farebox data for federally required ridership data that will associate data to routes that previously required manual review and analysis.
- provide an alternative method to electronically pay for fare at medium and small transit agencies that cannot afford to pay to have a standalone smartcard system like the SmarTrip system, by using their smartphone and if do not have a credit card, can add value via cash in a convenient manner to their account and
- crowdsourcing initially
based upon COVID, but also can be used for high capacity routes that will let
in real-time, the riders know bus capacity, as well as central dispatch to add
strategic buses (extra buses) and alternative trip planning.
Q: The Ride On Real Time (RORT) app is a web-based
application. Why is it web-based and not a mobile app?
A: Initially, there was a web-based version and mobile
app. Many agencies have migrated to just providing a web-based version as it
can be pinned to look like a mobile app to activate in one click without
going to the web icon such as Google and then typing in Ride On Real Time. This
was made possible with 4G and now 5G speeds. The cost to constantly change
mobile apps is very high as smartphone vendors are constantly changing their
mobile phones. A web version does not require a change as well as not requiring
multiple versions (web, Android, and iPhone).
Q: Since the pandemic, what has been the usage of the
RORT app?
A: The usage proportionally mimicked ridership and as
ridership has increased, Ride On Real Time usage has increased.
Q: How do you ensure the app consistently provides
accurate information?
A: Ride On Real Time uses the schedule data sent to the
CAD/AVL (tracking system) as the basis to calculate its prediction on when a
bus will arrive. This schedule data was updated prior to the pandemic three (3)
times per year. Each time there is a schedule update, we first check that the
data can be imported to the CAD/AVL system and then monitor the performance of
Ride On Real Time in operation. We use customer comments to assist in this
analysis. At the beginning of the pandemic through the first several months,
the schedule data to the CAD/AVL system was not updated and left at the January
pre-pandemic schedule so the real time information did not reflect bus
operations as bus operations were changed at a rapid rate.
Q: The Flash Stations are unique and have various
features to ensure passengers have a great experience while using the service.
Could you describe some of the technological features at those stations?
A: The Flash Stations have ‘totems’ that have monitors,
like bus shelters, that provide Flash-specific real-time information to the
public. These stations are not only visual but also have ADA capability to
provide audio information plus braille to assist for the audio real-time data.
Several of the Flash stations have kiosks to provide similar real-time bus
information that our system provides. The FLASH system is based upon an “off
board” faring approach like Metrorail. My group has provided SmarTrip validators
using the same display and audio, based upon bus fareboxes for SmarTrip cardholders and Ticket Vending Machines for people that want to pay cash for their
fare.
Q: Metro launched a virtual SmarTrip app for iPhone
users ten months ago and an Android version recently. However, Ride On
customers have not had the opportunity to use these services, because Ride On
has been free since March 2020. What are you doing to ensure our systems are
compatible, and our customers can use those SmarTrip apps for payments on our
buses when fare collection resumes?
A: We have been updating the software on the fareboxes
as WMATA has provided updates, which includes iPhone and Android, throughout
the pandemic and we have increased our vigilance that the fareboxes have been
properly updated since January 2021. We tested the mobile apps prior to even
WMATA launching them.
Q: When fare collection resumes, seniors and disabled
riders will continue to ride free. Will they have to tap their cards on the
farebox or just flash their cards or ID?
A: Like ‘Kids Ride Free’ on the Youth Cruiser
SmarTrip card, we have requested WMATA to update the fare rate on the Senior
and Disabled riders SmarTrip cards to $0 for all times when riding on Ride On
and the Metrobus routes operated by WMATA within the County. This will make it
so that seniors and the disabled always tap their SmarTrip card when boarding
as opposed to pre-Covid to tapping sometimes and flashing their SmarTrip cards
other.
