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Operational Interfaces: A new integrated public transport dispatching system for the region of Zurich |
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Together with its eight member companies, each of which is financially responsible for its own market, the Zurich Transport Authority (ZVV) organises public transport in the canton of Zurich and a few towns just outside the canton's borders. ZVV's goal is to provide its territory with quality public transport service while operating much as a business would. Under the leadership of the Zurich tram and bus operator VBZ, six of the ZVV companies have implemented a common operations control system. From workplaces specific to their task, dispatchers monitor the movement of over 1000 vehicles. In the trams, trolley buses and fuel-powered buses, and on some 300 displays at tram and bus stops, riders are informed on their journey and on the general state of operations. Information on connections is available to the rider who must change vehicles in the course of his or her trip. The system monitors important connections and, whenever possible, ensures that riders can make them. At over 100 rider exchange points, the system swaps connection information with Swiss Federal Railways (SBB). This data transfer allows connection management and passenger information to extend beyond the VBZ group's trams and buses and embrace SBB's Zurich metropolitan area train network (S-Bahn). The ZVV's territory includes both urban and rural areas. To control costs, the control centre's computer and the vehicles communicate over a dual network. Information exchange occurs over the ZVV's own network in areas with heavy traffic and over the mobile phone network elsewhere.
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