When a passenger plans their day, they consider many factors. What’s their schedule? How’s the weather? Is the bus on time? When is the next bus arriving? Perhaps they want to stop off at a new store or restaurant before heading home, or they’re concerned about meeting up with a child or making an appointment on time. Onboard and online passenger infotainment systems get them what they need to know quickly for a well-informed, stress-free commute.
Dynamic passenger infotainment systems enable transit agencies to communicate effectively with riders. Concise, up-to-the-minute messages keep riders informed and entertained before they board and as they make their way to their final destinations. The enhanced passenger experience makes the journey more comfortable. It also empowers agencies to help build stronger communities of people for whom public transit is crucial to their day-to-day activities.
Compelling and Easy-to-Understand Passenger Messaging, Everywhere
Vontas has teamed up with various companies to deliver a complete infotainment system for transit agencies of all sizes. Vivid, real-time passenger information on current location, upcoming stops, transfer connections, and final destinations keeps them in the know. Arrivals, detours, transfer times, breaking news, weather updates, health advisories, local businesses and travel guidance help them plan ahead and avoid unpleasant surprises.
With industry-leading GTFS-RT technology and a wide variety of visual displays throughout the system, transit agencies can communicate all sorts of information in an intuitive, easy-to-understand way. Passengers know when and how to continue their journey with next connection times for buses. They know how long a trip will take with accurate information updated in real time. They can adjust confidently on the fly when a delay, detour, or disruption affects their route. The result? Satisfied riders who not only appreciate their commute, but recommend bus (or train) ridership to others as a great way to travel about.
At terminals, bus stops, and other wayside locations, dynamically-driven digital signage—mounted on walls, on poles, and elsewhere—creates a seamlessly connected web of real-time information for passengers and visitors as they wait. These vivid displays bring information to life in “made you look!” formats that effectively communicate precisely what riders need to know, plus additional content designed simply to attract attention or entertain. And these transportation solutions include touch screen and button-enabled displays that help riders plan their trips seamlessly.
Operational and Safety Advantages for Transit Agencies, Too
With Vontas OnRoute as one half of the partnership, the passenger experience extends behind the scenes as well. Vontas OnRoute is the only Intelligent Transit Solution (ITS) that is equipped with Intelligent Decision Support (IDS) to give transit agencies up-to-the-second situational awareness of every vehicle in their fleet, along with service restoration tools such as dynamic rerouting and instantaneous route creation tailored to their operations. Awareness and the agility to respond quickly let agencies respond in real time to whatever is happening on the road. Passengers not only understand what’s going on with their commute thanks to the infotainment system on board, they experience fewer interruptions in the first place.
When the Vontas OnRoute system is fully integrated with a transit authority’s mission-critical software, the agency can optimize responsiveness and give passengers the real-time information they crave so they remain fully informed along their journey. And its onboard mobile data terminal interface is intuitive, so drivers can stay focused on driving while remaining fully aware of service changes.
The Vontas OnRoute solution with an infotainment system also plays an important role in passenger safety. Transit agencies can enhance security using the onboard video surveillance feeds they already have in place to create a more secure environment for bus passengers. Improved visibility via camera integration reduces accidents. Response time and accuracy during emergency situations are easier to manage thanks to GPS location and real-time disruption management capabilities. And critical information can be conveyed to passengers instantly through digital signage, which enables quick and reliable content management.
With real-time data, advanced display technology, incomparable connectivity, and customizable information delivery, Vontas enables transit agencies to deliver the information that matters most to riders in a timely, intuitive and compelling way.