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INIT at IT-TRANS in Karlsruhe

Image: INIT offers various options for quick and easy introduction of cashless payments. © Nottingham City Transport

Update: IT-TRANS 2020 will be held as an exclusively digital event. For more information, visit the IT-TRANS website.

Karlsruhe, 22 October 2020.

As the world's leading provider of integrated planning, dispatching, telematics and ticketing systems, INIT will be presenting its latest solutions at IT-TRANS, which will take place from 1 to 3 December 2020 at Messe Karlsruhe, Germany. Visitors to INIT’s stand (1F3) will learn how digital innovations can help them manage the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic while still keeping an eye on the future of mobility.

Physical distancing and contactless payments

COVID-19 has changed a lot of things – including the way that customers choose to pay. Contactless has become the preferred payment method in the retail sector since the lockdown period began. Public transport passengers now also demand this payment option – and operators have been keen to respond. With this additional step towards digitizing ticketing, transport operators can not only increase the safety of their drivers and passengers, but also reduce expensive cash handling costs and speed up boarding times.

Various concepts are possible and can also be implemented in stages: from the simple avoidance of cash payments and e-ticketing in accordance with standards like VDV-KA, ITSO and Calypso, to smart ticketing. Visitors to the INIT stand will receive detailed information about the options available to them for introducing cashless payments quickly and easily. In addition to the short-term objective, customers should also consider which option best suits their existing infrastructure and their long-term goals.

EVENDpc3, the latest generation of combined ticket printer and on-board computer supports all the above-mentioned options, including contactless payments. Various older devices can be upgraded for this purpose. In addition, INIT has quickly responded to the changing needs of its customers and developed an external card reader. PROXusb can be connected to the ticket printer with just one cable and can also be easily mounted outside the driver's cab. This automatically maintains the distance between the driver and passenger. The tried and tested PROXmobil passenger terminal is also a suitable solution for customers who are taking the current changes as an opportunity to consider card-based or account-based e-ticketing systems to quickly enable contactless payments.

Image: For quick introduction of contactless payment options: the external PROXusb card reader. © INIT

Physical distancing – controlling occupancy levels

One of the biggest challenges public transport is currently facing is ensuring that buses and trains are not overcrowded. This is the only way to regain passengers' trust in the safety of bus and rail transport. With the help of the MOBILEguide passenger guidance system, INIT is breaking new ground and offering a step-by-step solution that traffic operators can use to influence their vehicle capacity.

Providing passengers with information about occupancy levels, e.g. via apps, is an important means of control. This enables passengers to select a less crowded service. Initially, information about occupancy levels can be fed into the system using prior knowledge. As a short-term alternative, drivers can be requested to report when maximum threshold values are being exceeded. In a later stage, MOBILEguide takes into account real-time passenger count data as well as historical data on typical boarding and alighting behavior at individual stops. In a unique process patented in the USA and Europe, the expected car load is determined after passengers alight. In addition to real-time count data, historical data and a self-learning algorithm (AI) are used. This allows passengers to see with the highest possible accuracy in which vehicles there is the most space available. In rail systems, this information can also be supplied for every individual car and used to ensure passengers are spread evenly across platforms and cars by means of appropriate display systems.

In addition to influencing passenger behavior, INIT customers can also intervene directly using the Intermodal Transport Control System MOBILE-ITCS. If a vehicle's occupancy level exceeds a certain threshold value, dispatchers are alerted by the system and can initiate dispatching measures such as additional trips or temporarily switching a vehicle to the "Drop off only status.

Image: MOBILEguide, INIT's system for passenger guidance, enables occupancy levels to be provided in the passenger information, e.g. through apps. © INIT

Novelty: Barrier-free travel assistance

For the first time in Europe, INIT will be presenting its assistance system for passengers with visual, hearing and mobility impairments at IT-TRANS. The ASSISTIVEtravel app will offer needs-based support at every stage of the journey. First, users define their specific needs in their profile settings. Based on these settings, the app activates various functions and adapts the user interface accordingly. Navigation is simplified for visually impaired users and optimized using text-to-speech functionality. In addition, the visually impaired profile triggers external vehicle announcements at the desired boarding stop. For hearing-impaired passengers, the internal announcements in the bus informing passengers about the next stop are transmitted to their hearing aids.

The approach of including bus drivers in the assistance system is unique. Before each stop, their on-board computer shows them whether passengers with special needs wish to board or alight and what restrictions they have. This allows them to inform passengers with reduced mobility about whether the wheelchair space is available and also means they can assist with boarding or alighting.

The app was developed in the MAVIS test project in Singapore together with LTA Singapore and SG Enable, an organization dedicated to the integration of people with disabilities.

Comprehensive solution for electric buses

As a pioneer of an integrated electromobility solution for the public transport sector, INIT offers an IT suite that encompasses all operational processes for use in electric buses. The planning and simulation system eMOBILE-PLAN determines the effects of various parameters on resources and overall costs, covering e-bus specific requirements of block building.

The MOBILE-ITCS Intermodal Transport Control System constantly monitors the state of charge of electric vehicles, alerts the dispatcher when a critical state of charge is reached and checks the remaining range before carrying out dispatching measures. This is all based on a reliable range forecast (MOBILErange), which is becoming more and more precise thanks to machine learning.

The charging processes themselves can be controlled and monitored in the MOBILEcharge intelligent charge management system. A close connection with the MOBILE-DMS depot management system ensures that the current state of charge, available charging capacities and planned exits are taken into account.

And that's not all: The MOBILEefficiency assistance system records energy consumption and provides drivers with real-time feedback – allowing them to adapt their driving style immediately. This integrated system covers all the operational requirements of e-mobility.

Visitors can obtain comprehensive information about new technologies, concepts and possibilities at the INIT trade fair stand (1F3), enabling them to successfully shape the future of mobility. They will also learn more about how innovative IT solutions can help master the challenges of pandemic management.

Contact

Andrea Mohr-Braun

Head of Department Corporate Marketing
INIT worldwide
Phone: +49 721 6100 113
Fax: +49 721 6100 399

Get in touch
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