The future of public transport
is here and now
Journey combination is the future of public transport. Adequate
service standards have to be guaranteed despite continually
rising costs. Operations also have to remain cost-effective
and environmentally friendly.
That’s more than enough to be going along with.
MobiRouter: dependable journey combination management MobiRouter is a user-friendly and reliable system. The customer places an order by telephone with the dispatcher, who enters the order into the system. MobiRouter combines, schedules and formulates routes for incoming orders, selects free vehicles and sends the route plan to them. When planning routes the software allows for time limitations, special customer requirements and vehicle capacity.
Service lines
Service lines may have fixed stops at which they call either regularly or alternatively only to order. They may also have stops at which the vehicle calls, for example, only at certain times. There may also be optional addresses where the vehicle calls between these stops.
A service line may also operate from just one fixed stop, with the vehicle moving in the surrounding district as ordered.
All of these arrangements are merely examples, however. MobiRouter enables service lines to be designed according to the specific needs of the partner.
Combining individual rides
MobiRouter will also manage orders as desired using unrestricted routing. As orders are entered into the system, it automatically identifies those that are near to one another in terms of scheduling and geographical location. MobiRouter then constructs a common route for the orders within the confines of specified rules of optimisation and combination. This route can then be covered by a taxi, for example, with more than one passenger conveyed at various stages of the ride.
Combining service lines and unrestricted routing
Service lines and unrestricted routing may also operate together. When an order arrives, the system initially endeavours to allocate it to an existing service line. If this cannot be done, then the order is transferred to unrestricted routing.
New generation wireless data transfer
MobiRouter provides several optional arrangements for data transfer between vehicles and the dispatching centre. The route description may be sent to the vehicle terminal using the public mobile telephone network, for example via GPRS transmission. Route planning can almost occur in real time when satellite positioning is used. New passengers can notify the service line and the route description can be updated just a few minutes before the time of collection.
Routes can be transmitted directly to the taxi system where this is permitted by the taxi dispatching system. A telefax terminal can also be adapted for automatic data transfer and, for example, automatically generated e-mail messages and mobile phone text messages are also possible transmission methods.
MobiRouter enables drivers and transport businesses to select their in-vehicle hardware from several alternatives available on the market. MobiRouter Vehicle software provides intelligence and communications components for in-vehicle devices.
Orders can also be placed on the Internet
Using an Internet-based ordering module an institutional user, for example, can be provided with a direct channel for placing and monitoring orders. This reduces the load on telephone lines and there is no longer any need for orders to be entered into the system at journey combination or transport service centres. Although typical institutional users are generally hospitals and various local authority day centres, for example, Internet-based booking can also be expanded to include private individual customers.
Dependability: the fruit of advanced expertise
One important aspect of journey combination, particularly in the public sector, is ensuring the reliability of the system. MobiRouter incorporates several supervisory mechanisms to make sure that the system is dependable. The software supplier maintains a continuous direct link to the system for maintenance purposes, enabling a swift response to problem situations.
The MobiRouter journey combination system
Mobisoft’s MobiRouter journey combination system is a tool that enables cost management of on-call public transport while conserving the desired standard of service. MobiRouter can be used to direct both on-call transport service lines and freely routed taxi-type transport. The system is also suitable for directing transportation of small goods consignments. In all cases MobiRouter’s advanced parameters provide a wide range of implementation options.
The most advanced system on the market
The technical superiority of MobiRouter is based on Mobisoft’s long experience of practical research and development work. Mobisoft was one of the first partners in European Union collaboration projects to create new solutions for on-call public transport. This extensive practical experience has led to a highly adaptable system of unsurpassed reliability. Thanks to its readily customisable functions and advanced routing and combination algorithms, this system permits extensive adaptation to meet the special needs of individual users. The MobiRouter journey combination system incorporates all of the most important new features of on-call public transport. Management of customer information is facilitated by a comprehensive customer database including both ordinary individual and address data and details of the customer’s travel rights and special requirements.
MobiRouter solutions are built to customer specifications
MobiRouter installation projects are always based on consultation. The software parameters are set at the installation stage to match the partner’s needs and desired service standards.
A Mobisoft consultant is always involved in the project to ensure that the systems analysts fully appreciate the needs of the customer. This guarantees an outcome that truly corresponds to the customer’s expectations: a functional, reliable and highly cost-effective system.
Hatanp n valtatie 26, FIN-33100 Tampere, Finland, tel: +358 3 277 8800, fax: +358 3 277 8899, e-mail: [email protected], www.mobisoft.fi
Technical features in brief: • Cartographic user interface
• Customer database complete with profiles • Capacities and equipment
• Monitoring of travel rights • Order entry
• Order combination
• Routing, scheduling and optimisation • Unrestricted routing and service lines • Integrated vehicle communications • Links to other systems
• Vehicle database • Reports and statistics • Alarms and notifications • GPS positioning
• Internet booking
• Management of groups and group journeys • Advance planning of school transportation
Mobisoft - the professionals for wireless data transfer
Mobisoft Oy is a Finnish software company specialised in developing wireless data transfer applications for passenger transport. The solutions that it provides are based on in-house R&D and on close collaboration with end users. Mobisoft is based in Tampere, Finland and in Oxfordshire, UK. The company has supplied systems to customers in Finland, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark.
