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HaCon equip leading Swiss bus company with vehicle management system

Posted: 24 September 2013 | HaCon Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH | No comments yet

HaCon will equip PostBus Switzerland Ltd with its award-winning vehicle management system HAFAS Smart VMS…

True plus for passengers: HaCon technology delivers real-time data on the current schedule situation (Photo: PostBus Switzerland Ltd).

True plus for passengers: HaCon technology delivers real-time data on the current schedule situation (Photo: PostBus Switzerland Ltd).

After a Europe-wide tender process, HaCon qualified for providing PostBus Switzerland Ltd with HAFAS Smart VMS. Besides ÖBB Postbus GmbH, the Danish timetable information service Rejseplanen, the Eurostar Group and DB Regio Bus successfully use HaCon’s vehicle management system that has already been rewarded by the VDV (Association of German Transport Companies) for its innovative power.

By the end of 2013, the software will be installed on Android tablets in the buses. In a first step, 120 vehicles in Central Switzerland are being equipped with HAFAS Smart VMS clients – then subsequently, the entire fleet of currently more than 2,000 buses will follow. The driver app gathers real-time information on vehicle locations that can be fed immediately to all output channels for passenger information systems. This way, the HaCon software guarantees comprehensive, up to the minute timetable data.

True plus for passengers: HaCon technology delivers real-time data on the current schedule situation (Photo: PostBus Switzerland Ltd).

True plus for passengers: HaCon technology delivers real-time data on the current schedule situation (Photo: PostBus Switzerland Ltd).

Moreover, HAFAS Smart VMS also performs the data administration, the processing and archiving in the control center: Here, the dispatcher has web-based access to an interactive live map, on which he can follow the current positions of the vehicles. Based on the transmitted real-time data, he can immediately detect deviations from the schedule and can react fast accordingly to secure reliable connections.

HaCon’s central data hub is another major component of the PostBus solution: It collects all (real-time) data and passes these on to various outbound systems. The VDV standard (VDV 453/454) and the coordination via one single interface enable a seamless exchange of information between different data providers and consumers.

Raimund Frick, Head of the Competence Center Passenger Information System at PostBus Switzerland Ltd, considers the introduction of HAFAS Smart VMS an important milestone in the corporate development: “Every day, we carry more than 350,000 commuters and other travelers, so we constantly strive to improve customer satisfaction even further. HAFAS Smart VMS on mobile tablets is a very flexible way to get real-time data. We have partnered with HaCon, a successful and experienced software specialist, and look forward to an excellent cooperation between Hannover and Bern.”

Michael Frankenberg, Managing Director at HaCon: “We are very happy about the trust shown in us. With PostBus Switzerland, we were able to convince another major bus operator in Europe of the quality of our systems. For the first time, HAFAS Smart VMS will directly communicate with other components in the vehicles via Wi-Fi – this will make our solution even more flexible.”

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