THE TRI-COUNTY METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION DISTRICT OF OREGON (TRI-MET) PROVIDES TRANSIT, PARATRANSIT AND RIDESHARING SERVICES WITHIN MULTNOMAH, CLACKAMAS AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES IN THE PORTLAND METROPOLITAN AREA. FOR THE PAST TWO DECADES, TRI-MET HAS BEEN INVESTIGATING WAYS TO USE NEW TECHNOLOGIES TO IMPROVE THE COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SERVICES IN FAST-GROWING SUBURBAN AREAS.

SEVERAL PUBLICATIONS HAVE REPORTED THAT CITIES AND COUNTIES IN GERMANY THAT HAVE INSTALLED NEW COMPUTER-TELECOMMUNICATIONS "SMART-BUS" SYSTEMS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION RIDERSHIP IN LOW-DENSITY SUBURBAN AND RURAL AREAS. THIS REPORT DESCRIBES THE HISTORY OF THE FLEXIBLE OPERATIONS COMMAND AND CONTROL SYSTEM (FOCCS) AND HOW IT IS BEING USED IN GERMANY TO INTEGRATE FLEXIBLE-ROUTE BUS, MINIBUS AND MICROBUS (I.E., TAXI) SERVICES WITH FIXED-ROUTE BUS, RAIL AND FERRY SERVICES.

THIS REPORT ALSO DESCRIBES HOW NEW TELEPHONE-BASED INFORMATION SERVICES CAN BE USED TO ENHANCE THE COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF FOCCS AND OTHER GERMAN "SMART BUS" CONCEPTS FOR USE IN THE UNITED STATES. FOR EXAMPLE, TOUCH-TONE TELEPHONES (AUDIOTEX) AND COMPUTER TERMINALS (VIDEOTEX) CAN BE USED TO DEVELOP SINGLE-TRIP CARPOOLS OR PARATAXIS TO FEED FIXED-ROUTE TRANSIT LINES, TO BACK-UP CONVENTIONAL CARPOOLS AND VANPOOLS, AND TO PROVIDE LOW-COST TRANSPORTATION SERVICES FOR SUBURB-TO-SUBURB TRAVELERS.

">THIS REPORT ALSO DESCRIBES HOW NEW TELEPHONE-BASED INFORMATION SERVICES CAN BE USED TO ENHANCE THE COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF FOCCS AND OTHER GERMAN "SMART BUS" CONCEPTS FOR USE IN THE UNITED STATES. FOR EXAMPLE, TOUCH-TONE TELEPHONES (AUDIOTEX) AND COMPUTER TERMINALS (VIDEOTEX) CAN BE USED TO DEVELOP SINGLE-TRIP CARPOOLS OR PARATAXIS TO FEED FIXED-ROUTE TRANSIT LINES, TO BACK-UP CONVENTIONAL CARPOOLS AND VANPOOLS, AND TO PROVIDE LOW-COST TRANSPORTATION SERVICES FOR SUBURB-TO-SUBURB TRAVELERS.

">KEYWORDS:


RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OR R&D, TRANSIT MANAGEMENT/FLEET MANAGEMENT, REGIONAL MULTIMODAL TRAVEL INFORMATION, ADVANCED PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS OR APTS

THE TRI-COUNTY METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION DISTRICT OF OREGON (TRI-MET) PROVIDES TRANSIT, PARATRANSIT AND RIDESHARING SERVICES WITHIN MULTNOMAH, CLACKAMAS AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES IN THE PORTLAND METROPOLITAN AREA. FOR THE PAST TWO DECADES, TRI-MET HAS BEEN INVESTIGATING WAYS TO USE NEW TECHNOLOGIES TO IMPROVE THE COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SERVICES IN FAST-GROWING SUBURBAN AREAS.

SEVERAL PUBLICATIONS HAVE REPORTED THAT CITIES AND COUNTIES IN GERMANY THAT HAVE INSTALLED NEW COMPUTER-TELECOMMUNICATIONS "SMART-BUS" SYSTEMS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION RIDERSHIP IN LOW-DENSITY SUBURBAN AND RURAL AREAS. THIS REPORT DESCRIBES THE HISTORY OF THE FLEXIBLE OPERATIONS COMMAND AND CONTROL SYSTEM (FOCCS) AND HOW IT IS BEING USED IN GERMANY TO INTEGRATE FLEXIBLE-ROUTE BUS, MINIBUS AND MICROBUS (I.E., TAXI) SERVICES WITH FIXED-ROUTE BUS, RAIL AND FERRY SERVICES.

THIS REPORT ALSO DESCRIBES HOW NEW TELEPHONE-BASED INFORMATION SERVICES CAN BE USED TO ENHANCE THE COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF FOCCS AND OTHER GERMAN "SMART BUS" CONCEPTS FOR USE IN THE UNITED STATES. FOR EXAMPLE, TOUCH-TONE TELEPHONES (AUDIOTEX) AND COMPUTER TERMINALS (VIDEOTEX) CAN BE USED TO DEVELOP SINGLE-TRIP CARPOOLS OR PARATAXIS TO FEED FIXED-ROUTE TRANSIT LINES, TO BACK-UP CONVENTIONAL CARPOOLS AND VANPOOLS, AND TO PROVIDE LOW-COST TRANSPORTATION SERVICES FOR SUBURB-TO-SUBURB TRAVELERS.