SURTC will be active in the upcoming Transportation Research Board’s 91st Annual Meeting, January 22-26 in Washington, DC. Director Jill Hough will be involved in the Rural and Intercity Bus Public Transportation Committee and the Rural and Intercity Bus Conference Planning Subcommittee, and researcher Jeremy Mattson will be giving three presentations at the conference, as shown here:
Effortless Passenger Identification System to be Studied
Jan 13, 2012
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A new SURTC study will evaluate the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to track transit passengers. The technology is referred to as the Effortless Passenger Identification System (EPIS).
The RFID tags used by EPIS can be read at longer distances than the contactless or proximity cards currently used in the industry. This characteristic allows passengers to be identified and counted as they board and alight vehicles without requiring them to physically present their card within a short distance of an on-vehicle reader. Use of the technology, which has already found a market in pupil transportation, will improve the accuracy of ridership data collection while making it easier and less time consuming for riders to pay the fare. Many transit agencies, applications, and rider segments are expected to benefit from deployment of EPIS.
The technical feasibility of the system will be tested in Southern California and North Dakota where EPIS will be evaluated under real-world and controlled conditions for different transit rider segments. A full-scale field test will be conducted with university students. Controlled testing will be done to investigate EPIS effectiveness when used by different transit rider segments. The economic feasibility of EPIS will also be evaluated by conducting a thorough cost-benefit analysis for various agency and ridership scenarios.
For more details, contact Del Peterson at del.peterson@ndsu.edu.
SURTC Winter Newsletter Published
Jan 6, 2012
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The Winter 2012 issue of the Transit Lane Brief has been published and is available online. This issue features articles on a new advanced transit management course being developed by SURTC, coordination pilot projects in North Dakota recently launched by SURTC, a new study on effortless passenger identification systems, a completed study on the importance of vehicle supplier attributes, a recently completed workshop on diversity, and an upcoming SURTC webinar on tribal transit funding. The current and previous issues can be downloaded from the SURTC website.
Student Paper Competition Announced
Dec 13, 2011
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Graduate and undergraduate students have the opportunity to enter a paper competition for an upcoming conference. The 20th National Conference on Rural Public and Intercity Bus Transportation is scheduled to take place in October 2012 in Salt Lake City, Utah. To encourage student participation in the conference, undergraduate students are offered the opportunity to participate in an essay competition and graduate students have the opportunity to take part in a research paper competition.
Two essay winners will receive cash prizes as well as travel funds to attend the conference.
Essay Winners: 1st place $500 and 2nd place is $250
Two winning student research papers will be awarded and the authors will receive cash prizes and travel funds to attend the conference.
Research Paper Winners: 1st place $1,000 and 2nd place is $500
More details are available on the conference website.
Coordination Pilot Projects Proceed in North Dakota
Dec 8, 2011
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In early October, the North Dakota Department of Transportation gave SURTC the go-ahead to proceed with a 15-month project aimed at implementing coordination-related recommendations in two North Dakota pilot regions. The project’s task list centers around recommendations developed by SURTC in response to a mandate enacted during North Dakota’s 2009 legislative session. See the project web page for more details. Tasks include the provision of responsive transit services within individual communities and counties, increasing coordination among the regions’ transit service providers, increasing public awareness regarding the availability of local transit services, and promoting overall operator effectiveness and efficiency. Jon Mielke will serve as the regional coordinator for the 7-county west central region, and Keven Anderson will serve as the coordinator for the 12-county south central region. The project’s final work product will be a corresponding report for the 2013 Legislature. Contact Jon Mielke at Jon.Mielke@ndsu.edu or Keven Anderson at keven.anderson@ndsu.edu for more information.
Transit Roundup
Dec 2, 2011
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- A new Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Report, TCRP Synthesis 94: Innovative Rural Transit Services, highlights rural public and intercity bus service responses to changing rural community transportation needs, with an emphasis on innovative and entrepreneurial spirit.
- A new report from the Transportation Research Board’s Innovations Deserving Exploratory Analysis (IDEA) Program, Transit IDEA Project 58: Google Transit Data Tool for Small Transit Agencies, describes the development of a tool that enables small transit agencies to enter, export, and host the transit data needed to put their transit information on Google Transit.
- The U.S. DOT awarded $15 million in grants through the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Tribal Transit Program. The funds will go to tribes in 25 states for 67 separate projects. (FTA Press Release)
SURTC Fall Newsletter Available Online
Dec 1, 2011
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The Fall 2011 issue of the Transit Lane Brief has been published and is available online. This issue features articles on a new tribal transit management course developed by SURTC and a recently completed tribal transit assessment study, as well as updates on other projects and recent staff changes. The current and previous issues can be downloaded from the SURTC website.
SURTC to Conduct Webcasts of Public Input Meetings
Nov 15, 2011
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SURTC will be conducting webcasts of public input meetings for the Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan Council of Governments (Metro COG). Metro COG is hosting public input meetings Nov. 15 and 16 for its Main Ave, TH 10, TH 75, Center Ave corridor studies. The objective of Metro COG’s study is to identify existing conditions along the corridor, establish planning conditions, identify and analyze issues and needs, and develop and analyze alternatives. Those unable to attend the meetings can view the live webcasts. Webcast participants will be able to submit questions and comments online. Afterwards, recordings of the webcasts will be posted on Metro COG’s website that can be viewed at any time. SURTC is conducting the webcasts as part of its Transit, Technology, & Public Participation Project to test the use of webcasting technology for increasing public participation in transportation planning.
The webcasts will take place Tuesday Nov. 15 and Wednesday Nov. 16 at 6:00 pm and can be viewed at the following link:
Developing Input to “Best-Value” Vehicle Procurement Practice: An Analysis of Supplier Evaluation and Selection in the U.S. Public Transportation Industry
Nov 10, 2011
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A new SURTC study conducted by Marc Scott titled “Developing Input to ‘Best-Value’ Vehicle Procurement Practice: An Analysis of Supplier Evaluation and Selection in the U.S. Public Transportation Industry” has been published and is available online.
This research studies vehicle procurement decision-makers at public transportation agencies to determine which criteria, or supplier attributes, they perceive to be the most important when evaluating vehicle suppliers. Results indicate that the top five attributes are quality, reliability, after-sales support, warranties and claims, and integrity. The order of these top five attributes changed according to the type of supplier being evaluated, i.e., conventional fuel vehicle supplier versus alternative fuel vehicle supplier. The reason for this change was explained as being due to the increased engineering and technological expertise required of alternative fuel vehicle suppliers.
The full report can be downloaded at the following link: SURTC Research Completed Reports
Transportation Seminar: Giving Effective Presentations
Nov 10, 2011
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Carol Wright will present a seminar Nov. 15 on Giving Effective Presentations for UGPTI’s Transportation Seminar Series.
At one point or another, each of us is called upon to give a presentation. It might be in front of a college class, at a business meeting, at a conference, or at a research forum. One of the most highly sought after skills is the ability to stand on your feet in front of an audience, say what you want to say, and be effective in the way you present your material. A person who can stand in front of a group with poise and confidence creates the perception of competency.
Regardless of the setting for your presentation or your public speaking experience level, this seminar will provide you with strategies and techniques for building upon your existing skills, as well as tips for improving your performance and stepping up your confidence the next time you give a presentation.
A recording of the seminar will be made available online shortly after it is completed.
