{"id":791,"date":"2019-11-18T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-11-18T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/smart-public-transport-and-the-mobility-revolution\/791\/"},"modified":"2019-11-18T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-11-18T00:00:00","slug":"smart-public-transport-and-the-mobility-revolution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/smart-public-transport-and-the-mobility-revolution\/791\/","title":{"rendered":"Smart public transport and the mobility revolution"},"content":{"rendered":"

Optibus co-founder and CEO Amos Haggiag talks about the advanced smart technologies cities can use to take the lead on public transport.<\/h2>\n

When people think about the mobility revolution, they usually think about autonomous vehicles, transportation network companies providing on-demand taxi services; or micro-mobility options like scooters and electric bikes. Buses and trains have been around for a lot longer by comparison; and in many ways may seem old fashioned. However, cities have a lot more resources than many of the newer mobility options, and also have a responsibility to serve as the guardians of the public\u2019s need for good multi-modal transportation. Public transport must seize the opportunity of a renewed public interest in mobility to become more attractive to riders both new and old.<\/p>\n

In a world of increasing mobility options, smart public transport is increasingly necessary. But what exactly is smart public transport? In short, it is a public transportation system which incorporates advanced technology to bolster the industry\u2019s ability to withstand the winds of change<\/a>. These technologies can include the use of demand data, optimisation algorithms, distributed cloud computing and Artificial Intelligence (AI).<\/p>\n

Demand data: where do people need to go?<\/h3>\n

Good transit is the lifeblood of any city. The ability to get where you need to go, when you need to go is essential to urban living. However, despite this, our current mobility landscape leaves much to be desired \u2013 sitting in traffic for hours is no-one\u2019s idea of a good time.<\/p>\n

If we want to improve mobility, we need to answer one key question: how can we take a city and move people around it in the most efficient way? One way to answer this question is to create an origin-destination matrix that considers a lot of information related to the demand for public transport, such as where people need to go, when do people need to get there, and how does demand change throughout the day. For instance, this can affect route planning, with smart transport systems using the demand data to ask about the resources that could meet people\u2019s needs: what types of routes do we want to create, how many vehicles do we need; and how many drivers do we need?<\/p>\n

Understanding passenger demand is an important prerequisite to creating a good transportation network. By figuring out where people are heading, transportation providers can figure out where they need to head as well, however this is only the beginning.<\/p>\n

The proliferation of data can revolutionise how mass transport is planned today, allowing better routes and timetables to be planned to depend on variables such as day of the week, time of day and season; and therefore enabling modifications in response to real-time demand. Making fixed service less fixed may well be the next wave of innovation, revolutionising the experience of taking the bus.<\/p>\n

Optimisation algorithms: graphing smart public transport<\/h3>\n

One reason that plotting the demand alone is not enough is that, even with unlimited goodwill, transportation providers face a variety of constraints that limit their ability to meet demand. These may include:<\/p>\n