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Trapeze supplies bus operations control system to Thun

Posted: 13 July 2012 | Trapeze | No comments yet

Trapeze is supporting Verkehrsbetriebe STI AG to fulfil its operating requirements with higher efficiency and lower resource utilisation…

Trapeze Bus

Day in, day out, from early in the morning to late at night – and in any weather – Verkehrsbetriebe STI AG makes a significant contribution to public transport in the Bernese Oberland. In the future, it supports the traffic control system from Trapeze.

Trapeze Switzerland GmbH with headquarters in Neuhausen is supporting Verkehrsbetriebe STI AG, a public urban transport company based in the Swiss town of Thun, to fulfil its operating requirements with higher efficiency and lower resource utilisation than ever before. The global technology company is supplying and installing a state-of-the-art computerised public transport operations control system to Thun, a Swiss tourism region. This integrated solution can help STI achieve efficient fleet management with higher on-time services and optimal vehicle deployment. Passengers can benefit from more accurate transfers and dynamic real-time information.

Trapeze Bus

Day in, day out, from early in the morning to late at night – and in any weather – Verkehrsbetriebe STI AG
makes a significant contribution to public transport in the Bernese Oberland. In the future, it supports the traffic control
system from Trapeze.

Day in, day out, from early in the morning to late at night – and in any weather – Verkehrsbetriebe STI AG makes a significant contribution to public transport in the Bernese Oberland. Its 332.5 kilometre network of routes covers the towns of Thun, Spiez and Interlaken as well as communities around the Lake of Thun and extends up to the gates of the Swiss capital of Berne. Every year, some 80 modern buses move more than 15 million passengers on 24 regular fixed and 7 night-time routes with 369 stops. This makes STI the region’s most important public transport provider apart from the railways, helping alleviate the road traffic situation in the town and region of Thun.

Added services call for new technologies

Over the past few years, STI has continuously been adding to its scheduled services. As its timetable improved and became more packed, its passengers’ expectations also increased. Today, they expect continuous and up-to-the-minute information on trip times and transfers. At stops and in buses, displays provide dynamic real-time information on departure times, train connections and operating trouble. The additional services have also brought about a change in the requirements of station masters and dispatchers. STI has therefore opted for a comprehensive ITCS operations control system from Trapeze. After all, extensive and accurate passenger information is a crucial success factor for any modern public transport company. This holds all the more true for STI, which operates in a tourism region visited by many foreign-language customers.

Order awarded to Trapeze

In early June 2012, STI entrusted the Trapeze technology company with supplying, installing and commissioning a trend-setting solution for controlling public transport operations. It comprises all core competencies of Trapeze and includes operations control, passenger information and business management systems. The Swiss company is applying the core solution that has already proven its worth over the past years in the public transport agencies of Basel, Berne, Lucerne, Zug and Zurich.

New operations control system and new on-board computer

In an initial step, the most advanced Trapeze operations control system will be installed in Thun, and the 80 or so mostly new buses are to be equipped with extensive on-board systems. These solutions is expected to help the dispatchers in the operations control centre in Thun to have permanent real-time control over what is happening throughout the agency’s network as well as showing them the current operating status. In regular operation, the new system automatically protects transfers and provides passenger information. Intervention by the station master is only required in exceptions. Moreover, it enables drivers to communicate with the control centre through voice and data connections. It also allows informative operating reports and business intelligence. Thanks to efficient fleet management and the use of the latest integrated radio communications via VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) and data transmission technology, this public transport company stands to benefit greatly from the new installation.

Benefits for passengers and transport agency alike

By installing this new system, STI aims at ensuring customer-friendly, high-performance and efficient public urban transport services. In this, the focus is always on passengers – they are to benefit from improved information and greater convenience. Another focus of STI is on dynamic passenger information. In addition to information via the web, SMS or passenger information displays at stops, the Trapeze MFD G2i multifunction display also offers a highly integrated solution for use on board vehicles. Besides the common route displays, it can also show transfer information on vehicles serving other routes or on other transport carriers plus messages transmitted from the control centre. The second screen displays news and local advertising.

The project launch is scheduled for August 2012, and the entire execution time is estimated at 16 months. The new system is expected to be up and running in time for the STI’s centenary in 2013. This additional order enables Trapeze to further strengthen its powerful position in Switzerland.

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