Why Public Transit Needs a Connected Transit Platform
Over the last 10 years, organizations have made enormous strides in meeting consumers’ needs for fast, convenient options in an increasingly connected world. Mobility solutions powered by modern, cloud-based technology such as rideshare and micromobility applications have raised the bar for consumer expectations. Riders now expect a streamlined digital experience with accurate and actionable information for every trip. The same is true in many workplaces, where employees expect to have access to user-friendly business applications to do their best work.
To date, public transit has largely been shut out of the benefits of modern, connected technology. The bulk of agencies today rely on hardware-laden, on-premise solutions.
In order to thrive in today’s connected world, transit agencies need access to the same modern tools that are already commonplace in other industries. Given the complexity of public transportation, transit agencies need a solution that connects all of their disparate functions – they need a Connected Transit Platform.
We’re hosting a webinar with transit agency leaders who have been on the forefront of championing this new technology. You can register to hear firsthand how agencies are benefitting from a Connected Transit Platform, and read on here for more on the solution.
Public transit has had to rely heavily on technology that was designed in the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s – before the cloud-based technology revolution began. As long as that’s true, transit agencies will struggle to meet rider and staff expectations in today’s connected world.
In particular, the closed nature of these systems presents major barriers for providing the kind of experience that modern riders have come to expect:
Public transit is primed for driving more efficiency and better outcomes across these areas. In most cases, transit agencies haven’t had the ability to change the way they operate because there has been a lack of options for solutions that are built on modern technology systems.
Adopting cloud-based technology may seem daunting, but it presents the best opportunity for agencies to stay connected with their riders, staff, and vehicle fleets. The biggest innovations include:
The defining features of these developments – openness, ease of use, and interconnectivity – are the cornerstone of modern technology more broadly. These types of innovations are particularly well suited to building modern transportation solutions because they can be purpose-built to address the evolving expectations of passengers.
Transit agencies need access to modern, connected technology in order to operate effectively in today’s connected world. It’s the only way transit agencies can meet the evolving needs of passengers and adapt to the constant changes and challenges the industry is facing at large.
Public transit needs technology that is:
Since day one, Swiftly’s mission has been to help cities move efficiently. That’s why we’ve been committed to building the industry’s first Connected Transit Platform – to give transit agencies the technology they need to operate in today’s connected world.
Swiftly’s Connected Transit Platform runs on the industry’s most accurate data for where a vehicle was, is, and will be next. We’ve continued to build upon this common data language to simplify day-to-day public transit operations connecting passengers, staff, vehicles, and partners. With Swiftly’s Connected Transit Platform, agencies can:
Connect with Passengers: Swiftly delivers real-time passenger predictions that are up to 50% more accurate than the industry standard. Share operational changes like trip cancellations, additions, stop closures, and detours with riders immediately when they happen. All real-time information is available in a data rich GTFS-rt feed that flows out to any passenger-facing endpoint.
Swiftly’s impact: Capital Metro Uses Swiftly to Help Improve the Customer Experience and Increase Ridership
Connect with Staff: Swiftly provides agency staff across departments with a common data language to manage real-time operations and improve future planning and scheduling. Historical performance and trends inform automated, customized recommendations for smarter decisions that ultimately improve the passenger experience.
Swiftly’s impact: Comfort Del Gro Australia Reduces Early Departures by 37% with Swiftly; WMATA Improves On-Time Performance by 6.2% Systemwide with Swiftly
Connect with Vehicles: Swiftly connects previously offline onboard hardware, such as APC sensors or AVAS, to the internet to enable smart devices that can be controlled remotely.This allows agencies to deploy seamless over-the-air updates without the need for additional hardware installation, system downtime, service interruptions, or manual upgrades.
Swiftly’s impact: RTA of Central Maryland Uses APC Connector to Get Ridership Data for 100% of Bus Trips
Connect with Partners: Rather than limit access to data, Swiftly standardizes and shares it. All of Swiftly’s rich transit data, such as real-time information, run-times, on-time performance, operator reports, and speed map information, are available through secure and authenticated data APIs. Agencies can connect and share their data with rider applications, consultants, planning and scheduling tools, and even third-party systems that control traffic signals for cloud-enabled transit signal priority (TSP). In every case, the entire transit ecosystem benefits from having access to the public transit industry’s most robust predictive engine and real-time data.
Swiftly’s impact: Remix and Swiftly Partner to Bring Better Transit Data to Cities
With access to Swiflty’s Connected Transit Platform, transit agencies now have an alternative to the legacy hardware-laden solutions they’re used to. They can embrace connected technology that has the passenger experience at heart and can adapt to the changing needs of a connected world.
This article was originally published by Swiftly.
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