The Milestones of mass transit

1. The Milestones of mass transit communicate2Me CS 410 Blue Group

2. A Brief Overview • The Problem • Our Solution • Evaluation Plan • Four Phases • Staffing • Costs • What is being provided and what is not • Risks and their mitigation • Funding/Budget • Conclusion CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

3. Meet the Team CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

4. Overarching Problem   Passenger needs are not addressed by mass transportation systems. CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

5. The Wait Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) routes can have passengers wait anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour in suburban areas such as Chesapeake or Virginia Beach. Source: http://www.gohrt.com/faresandinformation/busroutes/busroutes.html CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

6. Inclement Weather & The Chase On average there is precipitation 115 days a year in Virginia. Passengers not waiting in the designated bus stop areas are often overlooked by the bus driver. Source: http://www.met.utah.edu/jhorel/html/wx/climate/daysrain.html CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

7. Heavy Passenger Loads & Bus Bunching In July, there are currently at least 55 festival events in Norfolk. Routes like the Net in Norfolk and the Wave in Virginia Beach have buses running as close as 6 minutes apart. Source: http://www.festeventsva.org/calendar/current-events/ CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

8. Missing the Bus • Causes: • Bus is Off Schedule • Passenger Late Arrival to Stop • Unaware of Real-time Schedules • Driver Unaware of Awaiting Customers • Effects: • Schedule Problems  • Lower Passenger Appreciation • Less Passengers • Less Revenue CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

9. Regional Transit Need is Increasing • Hampton Roads has a population of 1.5 million • By 2025, Hampton Roads is projected for 2.5 million • Annual Ridership on HRT: 18.5 million • Buses in the HRT System: 343 • Average bus capacity is currently only at 15% • Severe congestion is expected on 1,221 lane miles in Hampton Roads in 2026 Source: http://www.hrtransit.org/pdf/hrtbrochure/HRT_Brochure.pdf http://www.gohrt.com/pdf/strategicplan/Strategic%20Plan%20Final%20--%20November%202008.pdf CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

10. A Proposed Solution: communicate2Me Increase coordination of passengers and drivers by providing real time bi-directional information CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

11. The Solution • Real-time information for the driver such as: • Prioritization of stops • Number of commuters waiting at the next stop for their route • Accessible and convenient to end users • Reasonable cost for transportation companies CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

12. communicate2Me - The Solution CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

13. A Feasible Implementation • Passengers will be provided with methods to: •  Allow Stop Reservations via: • Personal Computer and Web Site • Cellular Phone / Short Message Service(SMS) Texting • Have notifications of changes in schedule • SMS notification service • Email • Result: • Increases Coordination between driver and passenger CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

14. Benefits • Passengers: • Better Service • More Interaction • Greater Satisfaction • Bus Drivers: • Warning of Waiting Passengers • Increased Awareness of Future Loads • More Efficient Routes CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

15. Time Measured against baseline project plan Cost Measured against budget plan per phase Scope Measured against requirements document Quality Measured by customer and end user satisfaction Evaluation Plan CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

16. {phase 0} - concept (60 days) Milestones Problem Area Development Feasibility Research Milestone Scheduling Website Development SBIR Proposals Acceptance Criteria Review Board Acceptance CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

17. {phase 0} - organizational chart CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

18. {phase i} - prototype (130 days) Milestones Prototype Specifications Test Plan User Manuals Proposal Prototype Construction  Demonstration Acceptance Criteria Review Board Acceptance CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

19. {phase i} - prototype components CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

20. {phase i} - financials CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

21. {phase i} - hardware requirements CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

22. {phase ii} - critical design (1 year) Milestones Web Interface Web Message Algorithm SMS Gateway Development Algorithm Development Algorithm Testing Transit Interface Interface Test Acceptance Criteria Interfaces with Google Transit Receives SMS Messages Passes Tests Connects with Transit Authority's Systems CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

23. {phase ii} - organizational chart CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

24. {phase ii} - major components CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

25. {phase ii} - financials CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

26. {phase ii} - hardware requirements CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

27. {phase iii} - production & beyond Milestones Support Current Installations Improvement:     Modifications to Interface     Improvements to Algorithm Acceptance Criteria Market Penetration Market Acceptance Profitability CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

28. {phase iii} - organizational chart CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

29. {phase iii} - financials CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

30. Service to set up and maintain: Short Messaging Service gateways Web servers Application servers Algorithm to communicate between end users and bus drivers in the box CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

31. Buses Wireless communication between buses and Transit Center Tracking system for buses (GPS, RFID) not in the box CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

32. who is the customer? Initial customers:  Transportation • Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) • Metropolitan Transportation Authorities Future customers (Phase III+)  Shipping • United States Postal Service (USPS) • United Parcel Service (UPS) Other Services • Cable • Utilities CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

33. price point Costs: Yearly Cost to Customer: $400,000 • Customer ROI: • Increases fuel mileage by 3%, saving $200,000 a year • Increases choice ridership, leading to more customers CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

34. current competition CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

35. risks & pitfalls • Interoperability problems • Latency Issues • Abuse of the system • SMS message costs • Phone incompatibility • Transit operator ignoring system • Down Time CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

36. risk mitigation • Interoperability:  • Direct Communication with each Transit Authority's technicians • Latency: • Optimize Incoming SMS Processing Time • Synchronize Driver Updates based on Position • Abuse of the System: • No way to mitigate without tracking passengers • Transit Operator Ignoring System: • Education • Tracking of Requests to Pickups CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

37. Funding Source: Department of Transportation SBIR – Phase 1: $100,000 SBIR – Phase 2 : $650,000 SBIR –Phase 3: Small Business Loan/Venture Capatilists http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do;jsessionid=MgLfJcyflkGLZ3tLyF7Rj6GTJrn0PfTyyFvzsQtD1TNF10WzQqWS!-802466050?oppId=46140&flag2006=false&mode=VIEW http://www.gohrt.com/pdf/budget/Budget_2009.pdf budget CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

38. cost to develop • Phase 0: •  Free • Phase 1: • Hardware Resources - $4,300.00 • Personnel Resources - $14,525.00 • Phase 2: • Hardware Resources - $44,000.00 • Personnel Resources - $443,114.00 • Phase 3: • Hardware Resources - $37,200.00 • Personnel Resources - $286,860.00   Total - $829,999.00 CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

39. breaking even CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

40. closing statements Current Systems are One-Way:  • Informing the passengers, not Interacting with them. communicate2Me promises to: • Connect Passengers with Drivers, and Vice Versa Each phase is feasible in terms of: • Cost • Requirements • Staffing let's do it! communicate2Me CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009

41. Any questions? CS 410 Blue Group Spring 2009