Passenger information delivered in just a few clicks

New tool for optimised dispatching, passenger information and documentation launched at Wuppertal, Germany

WSW mobil’s passengers in buses and suspension railway receive perfect information on events and dispatching measures all the time. (Photo: © WSW mobil)

Karlsruhe, Germany / Wuppertal, Germany, 15 June 2021

With just a few clicks from one central system, Wuppertal public transport provider WSW mobil GmbH can now inform passengers about current service in real time and simultaneously across multiple channels – whether in vehicles, at stops or online. The traffic information system Verkehrsinformationssystem (VIS), developed with INIT, has recently gone live. VIS enables dispatchers to deal with disruptions more efficiently and take advantage of previously implemented templates to generate precise passenger information, largely automatically. The same efficient approach is adopted for messages about planned events and actions. In addition, reports are automatically generated.

The new multi-channel information system transmits messages to passengers across all chosen channels with one click. Text is specifically formatted for each media type: dynamic passenger information displays, WSW’s website, the region-wide cross-company real-time platform, and social media on Facebook and Twitter. It is even possible to transmit text-to-speech announcements to the buses via mobile radio.

Interaction of multiple INIT solutions

WSW mobil’s new system optimizes dispatching, passenger information and documentation of operations – the control center’s essential tasks. To achieve this, dispatching measures and passenger information are carried out in a structured manner using the workflow and incident management tool, MOBILEforms, which is integrated into the Intermodal Transport Control System, MOBILE-ITCS. MOBILEforms sends data to INIT’s editing and publication system, INFOpublisher, where text templates with placeholders for various scenarios are stored and passenger information is generated by combining them with metadata and real-time information inserted by the ITCS. Dispatchers just have to add context-specific information.

In this way, passenger information regarding disruptions is generated almost automatically from the control center’s dispatching measures. Moreover, since these processes are managed together in one system, passenger information is created quickly, efficiently and in a manner suitable for all media types. The planning and marketing departments also have the opportunity to publish messages, for example about upcoming events, by accessing the system from a web browser. Using VIS, staff can even publish their own texts directly across all media instead of relying on templates. Messages about disruptions may be published sequentially as main and final information, and planned events also as preliminary information. New scenarios can be added in the system easily. This makes VIS the ideal tool for dealing with disruptions and managing events.

In addition, MOBILEforms automatically documents all operational incidents. And there is a lot to document and report: After all, WSW mobil is among the most successful public transport providers in Western Germany with approximately 90 million passengers per year. They operate a modern bus fleet with 10 hydrogen buses and their world-famous suspension railway.

Concentration on the essential tasks

Automatically populated text templates and the system’s ease of use enable WSW mobil to save time and enhance the quality of their passenger information. VIS enables dispatchers to concentrate on their essential tasks: monitoring and controlling operations.

By using VIS, we rely on a solution that simplifies all important processes in the control center. So, in the future our dispatchers will have to spend substantially less time on documentation and passenger information and can concentrate on their main task, which is operations control. Furthermore, our passenger information has reached a new level of quality. The large amount of positive feedback given by our passengers shows us that the decision to implement VIS was the right one.

Dr. Christian Kindinger

Operations manager for the suspension railway at WSW mobil

Contact

Armin Fettinger

Key Account Manager
INIT GmbH
Germany

Get in touch

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This article was published in our customer magazine INITiative, issue 2/2021. If you want to receive the magazine regularly per e-mail, we kindly ask you to subscribe.

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