Volvo Buses already has the market’s best telematic system for its customers, ITS4mobility. New innovations will further reduce costs and increase availability.
ITS4mobility is a telematic system developed by Volvo Buses based on the company’s collective knowledge of the needs existing in the public transport industry. The system has existed for nearly 20 years and has been continuously developed over the years and is now the best in the market.
The system comprises three parts, which, independently and combined, provide the absolute best prerequisites for controlling traffic, real time information to passengers and monitoring drivers and vehicles, which contribute to reducing costs for operators.
The basis for ITS4mobility is that buses are equipped so that each bus is able to wirelessly communicate with traffic control centers and the operators’ operations centers and workshops.
The first part, Traffic Management, provides the possibility to monitor and control traffic. At the traffic control center, it is possible to see on a computer screen the exact location of each vehicle and compare with the timetable.
For passengers, the system is also invaluable. In many different ways, they are able to receive real time information about the expected arrival time of the bus at the bus stop.
The other part of the system, Fleet Management, is for the operators. This provides them with major opportunities to monitor each vehicle and driver and utilize this information to find ways to reduce costs.
In this part of ITS4mobility, a number of different data are registered, such as average speed, fuel consumption, vehicle weight and distance driven, etc. It provides among other things the operators with information about the fuel consumption for each vehicle and driver. With than information they can find ways to lower the consumption.
During 2011, a third part of ITS4mobility will be introduced, Vehicle Management, and this will assist operators in planning and managing vehicle maintenance in the most cost-efficient manner.
The electrical systems in today’s buses are not only for driving the bus. They also provide invaluable information about the status of the vehicle.
Already today, this information is used in workshops, where, through more than 2,000 codes, information is provided on measures that are required. In ITS4mobility, this information is now available wirelessly to the operators as support in planning service appointments.
“We have created a computer program that continuously reads the information from the electrical system and can calculate in advance when various measures must be implemented on the bus,” says Emil Christiansen, Manager Soft Products at Volvo Buses.
This information will give operators the absolute best prerequisites to plan, in ample time, when each individual bus should be serviced.
“On one hand, all measures are implemented at their most optimum and on the other, it provides workshops with the prerequisites for ordering spare parts in ample time, which will reduce the time that the bus is at the workshop.”