Ready for e-mobility: INIT at InnoTrans 2018

At InnoTrans 2018, one of the world’s leading provider of planning, scheduling, telematics and ticketing systems will present numerous innovations in e-mobility, which support all operational processes within public transport companies.

In ticketing, INIT is presenting not just its multifunctional back-office ticketing system – MOBILEvario – but also new technologies for vehicles, bus stops and platforms. The company strongly believes that passengers today should be able to pay any way they wish – whether by credit or bank card, smartcard, Samsung Pay, Google Pay or Apple Pay. 

Another innovation will improve passenger flow on platforms and help reduce boarding times.

It would be fair to expect that an IT solutions provider that integrates all operational processes into a single closed-loop system would have a comprehensive solution to master the significant challenges of e-mobility: INIT has risen to this challenge. Many of the numerous requirements relating to e-buses, such as planning, ITCS and depot management, have already been integrated into existing systems. New software applications are also in development, such as MOBILEcharge, the smart charging management application that allows simultaneous, carefully controlled and automated charging by connecting charging points, energy supply and operational information systems. MOBILErange predicts the remaining energy requirements at any time in the block and the remaining battery range using data provided by MOBILEefficiency. This application records actual energy consumption alongside numerous other influencing factors, such as vehicle type, topology and weather conditions. Finally, MOBILEvhm monitors the entire vehicle during operation. This is particularly useful in helping to prevent unplanned outages of e-buses as there is currently a lack of existing data on how they operate in real-world conditions.

Hardware and software ticketing solutions

Bremen, Nuremberg, Turku, Portland, Sacramento and Birmingham are just some of the regional public transport systems that have taken a decisive step forward with the rollout of MOBILEvario. Metrolink will soon be added to the list. The contract was signed in July 2018, covering the back-office system MOBILEvario, 155 new VENDstation ticket vending machines and installing all ticket counters with the necessary hardware.

People attending InnoTrans can visit the INIT stand to take a closer look at MOBILEvario and its numerous modules and functionalities. MOBILEvario also supports ID/account-based ticketing. In these cases, the customer account is linked to a unique ID that specific to the ticket medium, e.g. a smartcard or smartphone. All other information is stored solely in the back-office system, where it is processed and updated in real time.

MOBILEvario enables transport companies to offer their customers the freedom to use their preferred payment method and ticket medium while integrating additional sales channels via open programming interfaces, known as APIs.

The rollout of MOBILEvario in Portland has been very successful. As of summer 2017, passengers using TriMet, C-TRAN and Portland Streetcar have been able to use the new Hop Fastpass to purchase tickets.

But MOBILEvario is not the only impressive product on show at InnoTrans this year. VENDmobil, the new in-vehicle ticket machine with a contactless card reader and capacitive touch screen will also be on display.

Better crowd management with INIT’s MOBILE-APC

Populations in large metropolitan areas continue to grow, which is accompanied by increasingly overloaded transport networks, especially during peak times. The large crowds that assemble at connection points and unbalanced occupancy rates across carriages make efficient crowd management a must.

INIT’s automatic passenger-counting technology, MOBILE-APC, displays information on the vehicle’s current occupancy rate in real time on carriage or platform screen doors. MOBILE-APC stands out from the crowd with its impressive precision: it also considers the estimated car load (ECL) by calculating the probability of passengers boarding and disembarking at the next stop as a percentage based on historical data. This means the passengers are told not just how full the train is when it arrives, but what the occupancy levels are likely to be once passengers have departed from the train. Accurate real-time information on current free capacity improves not just the quality of service enjoyed by passengers, but also operational efficiency, by reducing boarding times.

E-mobility, smart ticketing, a new passenger counting system and a wide range of other new hardware and software solutions – INIT has many innovations for attendees to discover at InnoTrans 2018. Once again, the company demonstrates that it has state-of-the-art solutions ready to meet both current and future challenges.

Visit INIT at InnoTrans 2018. Find us in Hall 2.1, Stand 308.