Prototype Development of the Open Mode Integrated Transit System

The open mode integrated transit system (OMITS) is proposed to use state of the art technologies in wireless communication, global positioning system (GPS), data exchange and management system to combine availability of public transit system, taxi system, a carpool system, and emergency service system to provide dynamic, efficient, economic, and reliable transportation service in metropolitan areas. A novel device, namely cPhone, will communicate between riders, drivers, and the database server so as to exchange realtime and accurate transit information while serving as a GPS to give routing direction for a driver. A routing and dispatching system will match a driver and riders timely to enable dynamic carpooling, trace and confirm the success or failure of a carpooling match, and provide a consistent algorithm for GPS and the database servers to define the best/shortest route for drivers. A well designed membership management system and user operation system will ensure the security, credibility, and operational reliability of the whole system. The advantages of the OMITS are clear when compared with static transit systems (such as traditional car-pools and scheduled buses and trains) because it allows for dynamic matching of riders with transit options that best suit their needs and incorporates routing information that is adaptable to existing traffic conditions. Furthermore, the OMITS provides benefits over even dynamic ride-share programs because it incorporates multiple modes of transportation thus allowing users to transfer between transit modes when advantageous. In total, the OMITS will integrate a dynamic car-pooling system with public transportation systems and private transportation systems to provide a robust, stable, reliable, and economical solution for the current overloaded and inefficient urban metropolitan transportation system. It will result in new understanding of the critical urban transportation system currently and unsustainably over congested. The success of this system will greatly increase ridership in public and private vehicles, significantly reduce the number of cars in traffic peak time, and thus help to alleviate traffic and parking problems in metropolitan areas. Broad impacts will be produced on gas saving, greenhouse gas emission and transit cost reduction. For demonstration, this proposed project would develop a small prototype system for about 100 residents in northern Bergen County, New Jersey, who are working in New York City. Once the concept of this system is proved, the technology will be immediately transferred to industry partners and transit agencies and be extended to the other parts of New York metropolitan area and other cities.