Deployment PR Ocess Design: Science Shop For Innovative Mobility Solutions For Mobility Challenged Europeans Inmosion

Project Logo
Science Shop for Innovative Mobility Solutions for
Mobility Challenged Europeans
InMoSion
SPECIFIC SUPPORT ACTION
044645
Deployment Pr ocess Design
Deliverable No. D3.3
Workpackage No. WP3 Workpackage Title Deployment Process Design and

Documentation
Authors
Status (F: final; D: draft; RD: revised D

draft):
File Name: D.3.3 Deployment Process Design.doc
Project start date and duration 01 J anuary 2007, 30 Months

InMoSion: Deployment Process Design
Table of contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS......................................................................................................................2
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...................................................................................................................4
1 INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................6
1.1 THE INMOSION PROJECT .....................................................................................................6

1.2 PURPOSE AND LAYOUT OF THIS HANDBOOK ..............................................................................6
2 INITIAL EVALUATION ..............................................................................................................9
2.1 AREA PROFILE ....................................................................................................................9

2.2 DEFINITION OF STAKEHOLDERS.............................................................................................10
2.2.1 Users.......................................................................................................................10
2.2.2 Operators................................................................................................................11
2.2.3 Government ............................................................................................................11
2.2.4 Drivers/Employees...................................................................................................11
2.2.5 Local market & Touristic businesses.........................................................................12
2.2.6 Competition: other Transportation Service Providers................................................12
2.3 EXISTING TRANSPORTATION SERVICES IN THE AREA ....................................................................12
2.4 EXISTING PUBLIC ORGANIZATIONS AND TRANSPORT ORGANIZATIONS ..............................................13
2.5 LEGAL STRUCTURE ............................................................................................................14
2.6 SUMMARY OF THE INITIAL EVALUATION ..................................................................................14
3 DELINEATION OF THE PROPOSED TRANSPORT SCHEME .......................................................16
4 USER SURVEY DESIGN ..........................................................................................................21
4.1 DESIGN OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE ...........................................................................................21

4.1.1 Part A‐ User Characteristics .....................................................................................22
4.1.2 Part B‐ Trip Characteristics: .....................................................................................23
4.1.3 Part C‐ Transit System Characteristics:.....................................................................23
4.1.4 Part D‐ Paratransit System Characteristics and Preferences:.....................................23
4.1.5 Part E‐ Technological Aspects ..................................................................................24
4.1.6 Part F‐ Perception Assessment.................................................................................24
4.2 USER SURVEY IMPLEMENTATION AND DATA PROCESSING / ANALYSIS ............................................25
5 SYSTEM DESCRIPTION ..........................................................................................................27
5.1 FUNCTIONAL NEEDS ..........................................................................................................27
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5.2 FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION..................................................................................................28

5.2.1 Functionalities Concerning System Users..................................................................28
5.2.2 Functionalities concerning the System application. ..................................................31
5.3 BASIC ARCHITECTURE: SOFTWARE ELEMENTS ..........................................................................33
5.3.1 Communication Element..........................................................................................33
5.3.2 Interface Element....................................................................................................34
5.3.3 Database Element ...................................................................................................34
5.3.4 Core Algorithmic Element ........................................................................................35
5.4 BASIC ARCHITECTURE: HARDWARE ELEMENTS .........................................................................35
5.4.1 Application hardware for conventional application needs ........................................35
5.4.2 Communication Hardware.......................................................................................35
6 SYSTEM SIMULATION ...........................................................................................................37
7 PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION.................................................................................................39
7.1 EVALUATION DESIGN .........................................................................................................39

7.2 SYSTEM PILOT APPLICATION AND CONSEQUENT DATA ANALYSIS ...................................................40
7.3 ACTUAL SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION ................................................................41
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Executive Summar y
As provisioned in the InMoSion Project Work Package 3 deliverables, this
handbook is intended to be used by anyone in need of advice on how to set out or
improve a paratransit transport scheme, either in urban, suburban or rural environment. It
aims to assist in the design, operation and evaluation of such systems, and it gives
recommendations of a general nature, based on existing paratransit system examples and
conclusions, as well as expert knowledge collected from InMoSion Project members.
The content of this Handbook is organized in accordance with the Phases
necessary for the deployment of a new paratransit system. These Phases and steps are
analyzed to the full extent, so as to facilitate in the decision, design and implementation
process.
In Chapter 2, the Scheme’s Initial Evaluation is being described, including the
choice of an appropriate area for the system set up, the definition of the Stakeholders
involved, the description of existing Transport Services, the recording of the Transport
Organizations already operating as well as other public organizations related to
transportation, and, finally, the Legal Issues involved with the onset of a new transport
scheme.
In Chapter 3, having finished the Initial Evaluation, the scheme is delineated in
terms of Goals and Objectives, Scheme structure, Organizational and licensing, Staffing,
Technology, Budget and Marketing.
In Chapter 4, the necessity for recording transport user needs and customer
potential appreciation of the propose system is established. Moreover, guidelines for
creating a questionnaire are given, along with instructions on how to implement a User
Survey and how to analyze data gathered by this Survey.
In Chapter 5, the proposed System is simulated via appropriate software, so as to
establish certain operating parameters, the System’s behavior in various demand and
service quality scenarios, and viability or profitability or the scheme.
In Chapter 6, a Pilot Application for the System is described, along with what
conclusions need to be derived from it. Moreover, the System begins operation, where the
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handbook focuses on evaluation design and objectives, before and during actual system
operation.
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1 Intr oduction
1.1 The InMoSion Pr oject

The overall aim of this project is to accommodate a University based Science Shop
(called InMoSion) and to develop all necessary expertise and knowhow for assisting
communities with the deployment of an innovative transportation system to meet the
mobility needs of elder and mobility challenged Europeans. The system is a flexible,
technologically advanced demand based paratransit system. The InMoSion project is be
lead by the University of Thessaly in Volos, Greece and will support at first a Greek
Capodistrian Municipality, the Municipality of Philippi, to deploy a paratransit system in
order to enhance the mobility in the area. After that, the InMoSion project will help
communities across Europe and elsewhere that wants to investigate the potential
deployment of such a demand based paratransit system. The Science Shop develops all
necessary know how through this initiative and is creating a core group of students and
researchers that can support free of charge communities through the whole process: from
conception, feasibility analysis needs analysis, requirements analysis, system design,
yield management, deployment, evaluation and maintenance.
It is a well known fact that Europeans are rapidly aging, mainly due to the low
birthrate and the increase in people's lifespan; new technologically advanced and flexible
transportation solutions must be developed in order to address their constantly growing
mobility challenges. Older people are usually unable to drive but prefer to live in low
density suburban locations. The transportation systems in these areas are often quite
inadequate, which creates serious mobility problems, especially for elderly and disabled
people. While the elderly and disabled are the target customers for the proposed Science
Shop, such a service may be expanded to any potential traveler in the future, given that
the system will be broadly available, to meet their needs.
1.2 Pur pose and Layout of this Handbook

This handbook is intented to be used by anyone in need of advice on how to set out
or improve a paratransit transport scheme, either in urban, suburban or rural environment.
It aims to assist in the design, operation and evaluation of such systems, and it gives
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recommendations of a general nature, based on existing paratransit system examples and
conclusions, as well as expert knowledge collected from InMoSion Project members.
The content of this Handbook is organized in accordance with the Phases
necessary for the deployment of a new paratransit system. These phases consist of a
number of steps, and are namely the following:
1. Phase One Initial Evaluation
1.1. Area Profile
1.2. Stakeholders
1.3. Existing Transport Services
1.4. Existing Transport Organization
1.5. Legal Structure
1.6. Scheme Delineation
2. Phase Two User Needs Survey
2.1. User Survey Design
2.2. Questionnaire Design
2.3. Survey Implementation
2.4. Survey Data Analysis
3. Phase three System Design Description
3.1. Functional Needs
3.2. Functional Description
3.3. Basic Architecture Software Elements
3.4. Basic Architecture Hardware Elements
4. Phase four System Simulation
5. Phase five Pilot Application
6. Phase six System Implementation
7. Phase seven System Evaluation
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These Phases most of the times will overlap, and are formulated in order to provide
a roadmap for the creation of new paratransit system, not a timetable for it.
In Chapter 2, the Scheme’s Initial Evaluation is being described, including the
choice of an appropriate area for the system set up, the definition of the Stakeholders
involved, the description of existing Transport Services, the recording of the Transport
Organizations already operating as well as other public organizations related to
transportation, and, finally, the Legal Issues involved with the onset of a new transport
scheme.
In Chapter 3, having finished the Initial Evaluation, the scheme is delineated in
terms of Goals and Objectives, Scheme structure, Organizational and licensing, Staffing,
Technology, Budget and Marketing.
In Chapter 4, the necessity for recording transport user needs and customer
potential appreciation of the propose system is established. Moreover, guidelines for
creating a questionnaire are given, along with instructions on how to implement a User
Survey and how to analyze data gathered by this Survey.
In Chapter 5, the proposed System is simulated via appropriate software, so as to
establish certain operating parameters, the System’s behavior in various demand and
service quality scenarios, and viability or profitability or the scheme.
In Chapter 6, a Pilot Application for the System is described, along with what
conclusions need to be derived from it. Moreover, the System begins operation, where the
handbook focuses on evaluation design and objectives, before and during actual operation
All of the above mentioned phases and steps will be analyzed to the full extent, so
as to facilitate in the decision, design and implementation process.
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2 Initial Evaluation
2.1 Ar ea pr ofile

A general rule of thumb for the area location where the system should be deployed
is finding an area underserviced by current transport schemes, such as a suburban setting,
an area with sparse villages, or a housing area with abnormal terrain and stip, narrow
roads.
The area covered by the service must be clearly delineated. The needs of the
residents and potential passengers should be the deciding factor when identifying the area
that the new services will cover. Political and organizational borders such as
municipalities, districts and provinces will often form the boundaries for operation and
financing of the public transport system. Nevertheless, access should be provided to other
local centers and points of interest, which are important destinations for public transport
users. It is also important to choose areas without, or with very limited, alternative public
transport solutions, otherwise the new service will add unnecessary competition to the
current providers and operators. New service areas should complement those already
covered.
It is also important not to overextend by including too many dispersed destinations
and overstretching the service area under consideration. Trying to serve too many areas
and too many people by using an extensive number of vehicles is a common mistake in
these cases which may lead the system to an early breakdown. The new service should
start with a few essential destinations and gradually add more as it becomes established
and successful.
Also, the demographic and socioeconomic profile of the area should be studied,
e.g. population structure, age profile, unemployment rates, car ownership rates. Good
sources for this data are usually the national and regional statistical services. In an area
with high car ownership, people without access to a car are usually either young or old. In
an area with low car ownership other target groups can be found.
For a general overview national statistics might be sufficient, but for detailed
information the use of specific household surveys is recommended. Information on the
modal split, dependence on public transport, destinations, trip characteristics, access to
telephone etc is crucial for the successful design of the new or improved services. A more
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thorough explanation of the necessity and specific aspects of this user survey will follow
later on. Focus groups can further reveal local needs and inadequacies, which may also be
done by monitoring the mobility patterns of a family or a group of people for a specific
period of time.
Another important task is the delineation of the dispersal of population and distance
(e.g. in terms of travel time by car) from main services. A list and display on a map of the
location and profile of basic essential services (health, financial, social, commercial,
educational, employment, recreation and schools) will be useful in establishing most
frequent travel destinations. Sorting destinations according to usual/typical trip
frequencies (e.g. school and work = daily, shopping = weekly, local administration =
monthly) would also add to the greater picture.
2.2 Definition of Stakeholder s
The difficulty of employing paratransit systems in most cases has proven to be the
balance that should be achieved between the involved stakeholders. Those are all the
entities affecting the operation of the system, and those entities that have a direct or
indirect interest in its operation. The stakeholders identified are summarized below, along
with the role they play in the deployment of a paratransit system.
2.2.1 Users
The potential users of the paratransit system could be categorized into different
groups based on occupation, age, gender, etc. The attitude of each user plays an important
role and is affected by their mobility needs, financial situation, whether they own private
means of transport, trip purpose and origins/destinations. Students, housewives, elders,
disabled and retired people appear to be more willing to use such a service, while tourists
appear to constitute a special category of users. The paratransit system may accommodate
their mobility needs providing transportation solutions of better quality and cost. The
users are obviously the most critical stakeholders and their perception of the paratransit
system will determine the market share attracted by such a system. The most important
parameters determining the market share are the cost and the level of service. The users’
perception needs to be more thoroughly analyzed through a structured questionnaire so as
to broadly quantify the parameters determining the market share.
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2.2.2 Operators
The operator is responsible for the efficient operation of the paratransit system.
Additionally, he is responsible to take all the decisions related to the level of service and
the pricing policy. The operator may be a municipal entity, a private entity or a Public
Private Partnership (PPP). The objective of the operator is obviously to ensure the
financial viability of the system and depending on its corporate structure, to increase
profit or social benefit. The operator will be responsible for designing, deploying and
maintaining the system. The general impacts of the system on land use, environment and
socioeconomics are of interest from the point of view of negotiating tax breaks,
subsidies and costsharing schemes. The operator is probably the second most important
stakeholder, as he can determine the pricing policy and level of service that affects users’
perception and ultimately market share.
2.2.3 Government
Local governments are potential stakeholders as they can be the operator or
participate in a PublicPrivate Partnership (PPP) and of course they have to represent the
people in general. In addition, they are also responsible for the compliance with state
regulations and for any potential subsidies of the system. Finally, local governments are
interested in serving their constituency, especially the old and disadvantaged that have
mobility problems. Paratransit can positively impact environmental problems and have
important implications on land use and the economy. The system may need to be
subsidized through taxation or participation from the local market, which also involves
the local, regional and central government.
In most cases, because the implementation of a paratransit system requires a large
amount of money to be invested, the participation of the local or national government in
subsidizing the system would constitute a viable solution especially for the first years of
the system’s operation.
2.2.4 Driver s/Employees

Deploying a paratransit system influences all the employees responsible for its
efficient operation such as drivers, system operators and administrators. Employees may
be either private employees, owner operators or even taxi drivers that can participate in
the operation. The employees of the system will also be responsible for the quality of the
provided services.

2.2.5 Local mar ket & Touristic businesses

Local market includes all the public and private organizations like schools,
hospitals, commercial markets, hotels etc. These entities may benefit from the increased
mobility (in addition to any latent demand) and the flexibility & convenience provided by
the system. The increased economic activity is of interest to these entities and they may
be asked to participate in sharing the cost of the system.
2.2.6 Competition: other Transportation Service Provider s
Other transportation service providers may be the official public bus system that
operates in the area, or taxis. The introduction of a new transport system will undoubtedly
affect them. Additionally, because the desired service quality of the paratransit system is
roughly equivalent to taxis’ while the cost remains at lower levels, comparable to those of
buses, it is expected that these operators will oppose to the implementation of such a
system. There is also a case, however, that the paratransit system accommodates the
mobility needs of passengers in favor of the public bus system. Paratransit may be a
valuable tool to increase the efficiency of the public bus system and this depends on the
type of relationship that will be established between them. On the other hand, paratransit
may also collaborate with taxis. It may form contracts with taxis in order to use them in
cases where the existing infrastructure cannot satisfy the requests in the system.
2.3 Existing tr anspor tation ser vices in the ar ea

Existing transportation services in the area should be profiled and assessed, along
with details of local transport providers. All kind of services provided by public agencies,
private operators (bus/taxi), volunteer services, community services etc. should be
included. Other important issues would be already existing contracts, cost, revenue and
profitability analyses (wherever available).
Also, the number of public transport runs day and the stops they make should be
displayed on a map giving details of routes operated. This would help establish a better
perspective of underserviced areas, or areas where there are adequate itineraries. Not only
is the distance to the nearest bus/train station important, but it is also the number of runs
per day that defines the quality of the service. Finally, distinguishing between private or

public operators and taking tendering processes and different types of contract into
account is very useful.
In most countries, it is appropriate for new public transport services to supplement
the existing ones, not to compete with them. Comodality, which in this case would mean
that the new public transport would provide a good feeder service to those already
existing, greatly improves accessibility.
Another step in the same direction is to profile and assess use of existing transport
services, i.e. identify transport needs/patterns for different groups in your area (e.g.
commuters, children, youth, older people and disabled people.) This is a very critical step
in the process, for this knowledge is important for future work with the upcoming
transport scheme. If the new service does not meet the needs of the target groups, this
could result in insufficient demand. Problems could even arise from cultural resistance
among the target population to components of the service (e.g. mixing of different kinds
of passengers such as the general public and school children).
2.4 Existing public or ganizations and tr anspor t or ganizations

Existing community groups, public agencies, contractors/providers must be
identified, along with the organizational structure within the different groups and
agencies. A very important element of the initial face planning is the identification of
Stakeholders, who were analyzed earlier.
It could be that, by law, the region is legally responsible for public transport, but
local municipalities actually feel responsible in terms of securing basic social needs for
their citizens where financing of a new rural transport service is concerned. Also,
organizations or private companies could appeal against the new service or at least
prevent its implementation, if they fear competition as a result (e. g. other public transport
operators or taxioperators in the region) or feel that their interests may be violated (e. g.
parents organizations). Therefore it is indispensable to identify the local situation of
stakeholders and existing public transport agreements at an early stage of the project and
to involve the people concerned in an intensive networking process in order to find a
balance of interests.

2.5 Legal str uctur e

The legal frameworks and rules put to power for public transport in the area under
question need to be inspected. Moreover, one should make clear if there are special rules
and regulations for licensing. An important question is the opportunity of a small, perhaps
new, operator to access the public transport market. Questions to be addressed in this
context are:
Ø Is the market very regulated, are there other competitors?
Ø Is it necessary to obtain a route license?
Ø Is there a tendering process for obtaining a license?
Ø What are the preconditions for obtaining a license (financial, equipment,
education of staff)?
Ø Is the necessary license based on fixed routes or is route diversion allowed?
Ø Is the license limited in time?
In most cases, other legal questions also have to be resolved, because innovative
services often do not fit into the conventional legal framework. It may be necessary to
check whether all components of the service comply with legal requirements (e.g.
engaging volunteer drivers, mixing of different types of passengers etc.). In some cases
those obstacles can, probably, only be resolved with special regulations. Getting legal
advice beforehand if the intended service does not seem to fit into the existing legal
structure would be a wise step.
2.6 Summar y of the initial evaluation

The final step of action for the initial evaluation is to summarize the findings and to
have them presented to the Stakeholders, so as to check if anything is missing and if data
needs to be added to the initial evaluation. When presenting the results to representatives
from all relevant stakeholders, getting feedback is obligatory, and, even better, contacting
stakeholders other than those initially identified.
The problems found and the inadequacies must be detailed, and at that point comes
the time to decide whether or not to continue with the analysis or if there is no need to
change the current transport situation in the area. The essence of the decision is whether
the new, proposed system would add to the overall level of public transport service,

therefore being necessary and useful, or not. If so, then the usefulness of the new system
should be quantified by means of a User Survey, as analyzed further on.

3 Delineation of the proposed transpor t scheme
After the initial evaluation is complete, the next logical step would be to decide on
which of the transport issues identified in the previous steps are going to be addressed, or
which groups’ needs the new transport scheme will be linked to. The services offered
should be tailored to match the needs that emerged in the initial evaluation. For example,
one can decide on implementing a transport serviced based on small, ondemand vehicles
in specific time periods and in lowdemand regions, that would complement the already
existing regular bus service.
The scheme’s delineation should include the following:
Ø Goals and Objectives
Ø Scheme Main Structure
Ø Scheme Organization – Legal Permission / License
Ø Plan of Action
Ø Staffing Needs
Ø Appropriate Technology and Equipment Cost
Ø Budget / Contracting Services
Ø Marketing Plan
In more detail, the new, allegedly improved, service need have specific goals and
objectives. The objectives under definition should be clear, realistic and achievable, and
each objective’s goal should not be overambitious. For example, it is definitely easier to
extend operating hours, trip frequency or service characteristics, than to cut it down later
due to financial or funding reasons. Moreover, the existence of numerous groups of
stakeholders entails the appearance of different levels of expectations for each objective.
Bearing in mind the transport needs to be addressed and objectives defined earlier
on, the main characteristics of the service, which is the main structure of the scheme,
are ready to be defined. In simple terms, the different stakeholders can now agree on how
the new system will work and what the service attributes will be. Comodality and
integration with already existing services is essential. For example, a taxi, a school bus or

a health transport vehicle can also be used as a public transport vehicle. This strategy
avoids investment in additional vehicles and equipment and makes the transport solution
affordable in the long run. Moreover, the service level and service area should be kept on
a small, local scale at first, in order to avoid unforeseen expenses. Extensions can easily
be made once the service is already running smoothly. For the same reasons, the scheme
customers should be limited to local demand and operating at regional level should be
avoided, but one must make sure that the transport system coincides with regular bus or
rail services in order to provide regional connections.
To be more explanatory, the type and scale of transport services under plan must be
explained in detail. Description of the proposed services should include:
· operating hours
· booking hours
· type of service (demandresponsive, social car scheme, fixed route, etc.)
· information regarding the proposed service (schedules and frequencies)
· nature and numbers of potential passengers
· fare structures
· types of vehicle to be used (owned, borrowed, contracted in, passenger capacity,
level of access for people with reduced mobility, garaging and maintenance
requirements)
· Routing of services / area of coverage
· Scheduling and coordination of the services
Another important course of action is to define how the intended public transport
service will be organized. As a first step, change is not an end in itself, so the scheme
would better off cope with the existing legal and organizational framework. Categorizing
the service as a pilot demonstration may help allow exceptions. That is, if arguments for a
good transport solution are strong, higher authorities may convince lower ones to allow
exceptions. When the structure of a new public transport service differs from the standard
legal organizational structures, it is highly recommended to clear any potential legal
problems beforehand, and apply for appropriate legal permission and license.
An outline of the plan of action regarding the organization will act as a road map,
before and during the operation of service. This plan should also be followed by a

timetable, on a monthtomonth basis, so as to form boundaries for system design,
deployment and operation. The work to be done must be thoroughly detailed, and time
planning must start at an early stage, since a number of different steps can take time, e.g.
delivery of buses, changing of laws, legal exceptions and permit.
Another issue is the manning / staffing of the transport scheme strategic and
operational organization. On the Board of Management expertise and experience is
needed in the following sectors:
· management of transport projects
· financial management
· IT expertise
· community development
· local knowledge
Essential staffing requirements include a manager or a managerial board,

administrators, dispatchers and drivers. Training needs are bound to emerge, not only for
drivers and operators. This is another important issue that should be dealt with, for it is
not sufficient to design the system’s operation, but it has to be.
Next, it is necessary to identify the appropriate technology that will assist in
fulfilling the scheme’s objectives. Hightech solutions are useful as long as devices and
equipment are already in place and can be used at low additional cost. Phones, for
example, exist almost everywhere and can be handled by volunteers, taxi drivers etc.
without any special qualification. Also, the availability of mobile /cell phones and the
existence of internet connections is needed, if they are going to be used for ordering and
delivering of services. Moreover, it would be beneficial to investigate if travel dispatch
centers which could be used already exist in the area.
Cost for any technical equipment should always be in an acceptable ratio to its
benefit (e.g. number of passengers transported). Potential users of the public transport
system must be able to use the system. If, for instance, computer availability is low it is
not appropriate to implement internet booking. Costs of operating a high tech system are
not to be underestimated. Realtime information systems are not only expensive to set up,
but there are also ongoing operating costs in ensuring that the information is provided in a
consistent, accurate and uptodate manner. Funding is often available for the capital

costs of setting up a system, but less readily available for the costs of operating the
system on a daytoday basis.
The managerial body should now be ready to calculate expenditure and income
(budget) at a general level. Expenses can be divided in administrative, capital and
operational costs:
v Administrative costs entail advertising and marketing, board expenses, capital
expenses, personnel recruitment, training and salaries, office expenses and
consumables.
v Capital costs entail vehicle acquisition/renting/contracting, technology equipment
purchase and maintenance.
v Operating costs entail drivers’ wages, vehicle leasing, fuel and maintenance
/consumables, insurance and cleaning.
If contracting ser vices are going to be used, for examples if vehicles will not be
bought but local taxis will be used instead, the tendering process for these services must
be determined. A budget should be specified for each different service, and one should
ensure that the notice of the tender is widely available to all potential bidders, and that
some of the existing operators/suppliers can meet the tender requirements, so that they
can compete for the contract. Procedures for submitting the bid and the evaluation of all
bids must be clear to all potential bidders and to the bid evaluation committee.
On the other hand, sources of income could be fares, service contracts, public
subsidy, onboard advertisements. Longter m financing is crucial. National funding
programs, for example, sometimes tend to provide start up financing only, but longterm
financing must be secured. Subsidies for rural systems are often a problem because the
cost per trip is very high. It is essential to gain political or market support in order to
ensure the longterm operation of the new transport service. The benefits of the service
must, therefore, be emphasized in a comprehensible way to gain support from, preferably,
all political parties or social groups, which helps avoid any discontinuation of the support
after elections.
Finally, a very important aspect of the whole procedure is that of promoting the

proposed service. Mar keting needs time and has to be a permanent process. It often takes
time for the target group, the potential customers of the scheme, to get familiar with the
new service (this is often due to operating details, such as tripbooking in the case of

demandresponsive services.) and for general acceptance to grow. Marketing has to be
focused on the target group of the service, as well as lobby groups (e.g. policy makers
and organizations which can promote the new service to the target group), not to mention
the stakeholders as a total.

4 User Sur vey Design
The most important issue that should be taken into consideration in deploying a
paratransit system is the perception of the users. The most obvious reason for that is the
level in which the users feel satisfied by currently operating transport systems. In case
that the users cannot see the need for the introduction of a new system or they have not
completely understood the advantages and the disadvantages it entails, they would be less
likely to use the new system. This proves that it is crucial to identify the market potential
of the area in which the new system is going to be deployed.
In addition, if the results of a survey like this are positive, then the paratransit
system will be easier to deploy in terms of financial support by the local government or
private entities. But mostly, the purpose of this survey is to capture all the critical
elements that need to be taken under consideration in the designing phase and define
some crucial steps in the phase of deploying a paratransit system. Moreover, all these
issues are of interest to the stakeholders in their decisions to deploy or not a paratransit
system because, after all, the viability of the system depends on these elements. Apart
from that, and taking as a fact that the decision to implement a new transport scheme has
already been taken, the survey will clarify the exact extent of the area to be serviced (both
in terms of geographic boundaries and of consumer target groups).
In many countries where paratransit systems have been already deployed, surveys

were usually conducted only after the system was in operation. Thus, they wanted to
capture the perception of the users in terms of enhancing the existing paratransit system
and provide services of better quality. The majority of these questionnaires were
conducted onboard or even by phone. Additionally, many questionnaires have been
presented that deal with the issue of transportation of handicapped persons and how the
paratransit system can be adapted in order to provide quality services and easy access to
disabled.
4.1 Design of the questionnair e
The most widely used method in order to identify the market potential is to conduct
a survey by questionnaire. While some of the studies on DRT provide results of survey
analysis, few provided the full survey questionnaires. A representative yet thorough set of

parameters from different DRT survey analyses is collected and can be used to create the
questionnaire to be used. This questionnaire is applicable in all cases, whether the survey
site is an urban or a rural area.
The questionnaire includes six parts:
· Part A User Characteristics
· Part B Trip Characteristics:
· Part C Transit System Characteristics:
· Part D Paratransit System Characteristics and Preferences:
· Part E Technological Aspects
· Part F Perception Assessment
The last part is aimed to assess the first perception of the system through the
scenario and possible differences after detailed questions on system characteristics. This
part even includes the repeat of some basic questions and concepts from previous
sections.
The parameters that affect the success of DRT systems and surveys are listed below
with brief explanations and a proposed questionnaire is presented in the following
sections.
4.1.1 Part A User Characteristics
The first part includes questions about the participant characteristics such as age,
occupation, employment status, etc. A question about the Zipcode of the respondent is
added to see spatial distribution of the potential users later. Age and gender information is
collected, and age groups intervals are decreased in the survey to understand attitudes of
different age groups to the transit system. The respondents are asked about their
employment status to find out patterns of their workbased trips. Education level of the
respondent is also an important parameter generally affecting income level and
technology use, which are also asked in the first part of the questionnaire.
Even though the inverse relation between level of income and transit ridership is
commonly observed in other studies, collection of income level of the participant is
needed for further studies of DRT demand market segmentation. In order to capture the
total number of trips for a household in the second part, the household size is asked in
this part.

Also, the respondent’s familiarization with information technologies is included

so as to determine the level of service and design of the scheduling section of the new
paratransit system. This question is also aimed as a control parameter about questions on
scheduling options in the last part of the questionnaire. The special needs of elderly and
disabled people are also taken into consideration and asked as a separate question.
4.1.2 Part B Trip Characteristics:

The second part of the questionnaire deals with usual/habitual household trips of
the respondents. A weekly household trip plan may be proposed instead of an individual
respondent. The main motivation behind this is to capture a) diversity of trip purposes, b)
trip chaining behavior and c) total number of travelers in each trip so that costs
calculations and total potential can be performed more accurately. First of all, the
available to the costumers modes of transport are inquired, which can be customized for
the survey region.
If the respondents are asked about household trips instead of personal trips, the
number of travelers taking a trip is asked. Secondly, the cost section is made more
specific by asking if there are extra costs in the trip such as parking costs, which can be
crucial for urban regions. Thirdly, if the mode used by a household is not desirable to
them, their desirable means of transport are asked. Then, the specific trips the respondent
undertook in a specific past time period is asked, along with a separate question about
average (weekly usually) travelling habits.
4.1.3 Part C Transit System Characteristics:
The third part should contain questions about transit system characteristics such as
frequency of the use of public transport system, perception of the existing public
transport system and the reasons to use public transit. The respondents are asked about
their acceptable waiting times for public transit. Since willingness to wait is correlated to
willingness to use a transit system (Anspacher et al, 2004), this may in return affect the
total demand. The distance to the nearest transit stop should also be asked, which is an
important factor affecting willingness to use transit services, especially in the case of
disabled people (Golledge et al, 1996, Anspacher et al, 2004).
4.1.4 Part D Paratransit System Characteristics and Prefer ences:

In the fourth part, the new transit –in this case the proposed paratransit system
must be explained to the participant. That includes clarification of the way the costumer

may reserve a trip, the proposed levels of service (but not in strict detail, since at this
point they can’t have been specified to the full extent), the available means of payment
and the cost of a trip (again, a rough estimation of it). Then, the desirability and
perception of the system is sought through some questions that include level of
willingness to use and pay the proposed paratransit system, acceptable number of stops
during the ride, inadvance scheduling requirements, and even qualities of
drivers/operators. As willingness to use and pay for trip change with distance (and travel
time), the users’ preferences should be asked for short trips (i.e. less than 5 km) versus
longer trips (i.e. 515 km) separately.
4.1.5 Part E Technological Aspects
The fifth part is included to represent parameters that would affect and depend on
the design of the paratransit system under consideration as well the user characteristics in
the region on focus. It researches for technological availability and users' ability to use
these technologies. The respondents are asked about which technologies should be made
available in this system for scheduling their trips, and for notification about their pickup.
Then, their opinion about benefits of this system is asked.
4.1.6 Part F Per ception Assessment

Finally, they should be asked again if they use this system to check if they have
changed their mind at the end of the survey, which, taking into consideration that the
actual operation details are explained throughout the questionnaire, is very likely to have
happened. Furthermore, a general and aggregate perception of the system should be
sought through two questions: expected benefits to a) the user and b) the society.
The above mentioned proposed parts of the questionnaire are a more general and
more complete form of questionnaire which is applicable to both urban and rural places.
But as the length and easiness of survey questionnaire is important to the success of such
an analysis, some parts of the proposed questionnaire can be left out or combined for a
specific location. But if such modifications are done over a more general, standardized
questionnaire, it may still be possible to compare survey results from different locations.

4.2 User Sur vey Implementation and Data Pr ocessing / Analysis

For the survey to be implemented, one must decide on the sampling method (which
in most cases, as mentioned earlier, is likely to be a questionnaire) and then focus on the
sample population details. First of all, the representation of the whole population in the
survey must be guaranteed, so as to have a better understanding of all the area’s
inhabitants. In that direction, sampling errors and sampling bias must be minimized, if
not eliminated.
The population groups, whose representation in the survey needs to be proportional
to the members bearing the groups’ characteristics, are:
· Sex
· Age
· Occupation / attribute (i.e. student, housewive)
· Residence location (Suburbs, town, small village)
· Special needs / mobility disabilities
Next, one must decide on the sample kind (simple random sample, stratified
random sample, cluster random sample, systematic sample). Having ensured that this
sample is representative of the whole population, the next important task is to make sure
the recorded data are accurate. That means that the personnel conducting the survey has
to have the necessary knowledge of the procedure and of the system design so as to guide
people under interview into understanding the questions they are responding to and
answering accordingly. The same people, the survey conductors, are responsible for
minimizing the sampling error and bias.
When the survey has been conducted, it is very important that the information
gathered from the survey be stored in a database for easier processing. At this point, it is
very important to accurately convey the recorded answers from the questionnaires to the
database, for any mistake at this point may alter the conclusions to be drawn from the
processing of the data.
Data analysis should focus on the some or all of the following issues, concerning

the population’s transportation habits:
· Nature of trips (work, education, healthcare, shopping, leisure)

· Frequency per kind of trip
· Trip dependency on sex (male, female)
· Trip dependency on vehicle type
· Trip dependency on date and time
· Trip dependency on subjects profession
· Trip dependency on markets
Graphic representation of the above data can significantly improve managerial
insight in potential target groups for the transport system.
When it comes to the proposed transport scheme, the following issues, concerning
the population’s willingness to replace its current means of transportation in all or some
of its trips with the new system, should be analyzed:
· Ticket price, in relation to existing means of transport
· Reservation interval (how soon ahead would they be willing to place a
reservation)
· Waiting time before the trip begins
· Travel time, again in relation to existing means of transport
The above analysis will specify how the various user target groups perceive the
proposed transport scheme, and how would the system’s components and variables affect
their willingness to use it. Again, this analysis is made in conjunction with the
population’s sex, age and properties. This will transform a general willingness to use the
system’s services into actual traveler numerical projections.
The challenge is to estimate the demand for service and service rates, which vary
across markets (types of passengers carried) and geographic settings and are affected by
vehicle size, operating strategies, and service quality. There is also daytoday variation
in demand for service and in operating conditions that makes the problem even more
complex. Furthermore, the demand experienced will be a function of actual service
quality, and thus there is an ongoing equilibrium process

5 System Descr iption
Having delineated the scheme and analyzed the potential customers’ appreciation
towards it, it is now time to describe the system in terms of needs should be covered by it
(functional needs) and by which functionalities these needs will be covered. Moreover,
the systems architecture, in terms of both software and hardware, is described
5.1 Functional needs
In the following, all the needs that ought to be covered by the ondemand
paratransit system under implementation are presented:
· Trip Booking. Because of the absence of fixed routes, customers will need to book
for a trip. Various Booking procedures should be offered to the users. For example, web
interfaces, a live operator, cell phone short messages or even automated phone services
should be provided to the users. Booking procedures should be easy to use and always
available.
· Definition of pickup or deliver times. The proposed system should offer users the
ability to either choose the time they want to depart or the time by when they want to
have arrived at their destination.
· Definition of Maximum Ride Time. Maximum ride time is a critical parameter
concerning the user satisfaction. The proposed system should offer the ability to select it.
If operational reasons render this impossible, the system should inform the users of the
worst case scenario, i.e. the maximum time their trip will last.
· Definition of specific transportation needs. Specific features should be offered on
demand by the application in order to satisfy user needs. One shouldn’t forget that people
with disabilities or elderly people will by default be among the system’s users.
· Notifications. Because of the system concept, users don’t know in advance the
precise time of vehicle pickup and deliver time. That problemuser need should be
addressed with by a notification system. Notification system is responsible to notify users
about pickup times, delivery times and other relevant issues

5.2 Functional Descr iption

In this section we define all the appropriate functions that should be offered by the
system in order to satisfy the aforementioned needs and services. In general, we
categorize those functions in the following two function categories. This categorization
is necessary in order to define system functionalities from different views.
5.2.1 Functionalities Concerning System Users
In the first category we describe all functions that the system should offer to system
users. As such we may define:
· Customers
· Operators
· Administrators
· Other Users with specific needs (for example vehicle drivers or vehicle owners)
5.2.1.1 Customers' Functionalities

In this paragraph we define all functions that should be offered by the system to
customers.
· Trip Booking. Customers should be able to book a specific tip. That functionality
should be provided by the use of various communication means. Human operators can be
used to get all trip demands orders. Additionally, mobile phone and web services should
be provided in order to offer that functionality to more technologically educated users.
An IVR (Interactive Voice Response) can be used also in order to provide that
functionality at the times where operator is not available or the web services are difficult
to use (by elderly people, for example). The process should be easy. At the time of
booking procedure, the customer defines origin and destination, pickup and deliver time
windows and some specific requests concerning the trip itself. The system responds
within few seconds about the acceptation or rejection of that trip request. Furthermore, it
should return to the customer a unique number that corresponds to that trip request, or
another method of trip identification that should be used for the confirmation process.
· Trip Cancellations. Customers should be able to cancel a trip. Cancellations use
the same communication means as the trip booking. Customers provide to the system (via

operator or web) the previously given confirmation number and the system cancels the
appropriate request.
· Location information. Location info is critical due to the necessity of knowing
where each vehicle is located. That functionality is offered by the system through GPS
trackers. Each vehicle should be equipped with a GPS tracker/terminal and its position
should constantly be projected on maps, so as for the vehicle fleet to be managed
effectively.
· Notifying Messages. Notification is a critical factor of the system operation. The

lack of fixed routes creates the necessity to have a notification system that is responsible
to notify customers about the vehicle approaching time. Mobile phones SMSs (due to
extensive use of mobile phones by the general population), prerecorded voice mail, web
mail or even live operators (though that would entail a major investment in maintaining
the necessary personnel) may be used in that case. When a vehicle approaches the
predefined pickup or deliver point, all customers engaged to that specific point must be
notified.
· Payment. Payment services should be offered to the customers via standardized
procedures. For every trip, a customer may pay to the driver. Alternatively, the customer
could pay an accumulated amount over a period of time he used the service. Other
methods should be considered in order to provide more flexible ways of payment .
5.2.1.2 Administrative Functionalities
system administrators.
· System User s Handling (all system users including operators). The system should
allow the creation of users and the assignment of specific tasks to every user. All users
are created by the System Administrator, who is the default user. Users can be
categorized by the assigned tasks (for example, Operators or Vehicle Owners).
· Vehicle Handling. The administrator should be capable to handle vehicles on every
aspect. For example to add, remove and alter the characteristics of vehicles on the system.
That ability is crucial because the administrator has the responsibility to provide the
system with the vehicles fleet necessary in order to constantly satisfy customer needs.

· Customers Handling. The administrator should be capable to handle customers on
every aspect. Technically speaking, customer handling is the Operator’s responsibility,
but the administrator has the final responsibility for customer database, plus specific tasks
concerning the pricing policy for every customer.
· System Parameters handling. The administrator is responsible for the

modification of system parameters. By the term system parameters we mean those
parameters that heavily affect the system, such as maximum user ride times, maximum
user allowable deviation from the shortest paths etch.
· Monitoring Functions. Monitoring functions are activated and deactivated by the
administrator. Due to security reasons, the administrator should have the ability to
activate monitoring on specific (or all) vehicles.
· Notifying Functions. Notifying is the way that the system communicates with the
customer. The type of communication and the frequency of communication should be
specified by the administrator.
· Itinerary Handling. Administrator should have the ability to change the itinerary

for specific reasons (for example when a road is unavailable etch)
5.2.1.3 Operators Functionalities
In this paragraph we define all functions that should be offered by the system to the
system operators. System operators are the live link/interface between customers and the
system. Basically, the operator receives all customer requests concerning trips, answers
questions and runs the system, which produces routes for the same or next day operation.
· Trips Handling. The operator – by the use of different communication means –
receives all customers request, responds to the customers for the tickets availability and at
times may negotiate with customers in order to find more satisfying solutions. Finally, he
provides customers with the appropriate information in order to use the system.
· Routes Handling. At the end of the day (or, in an online system version, at the
same time), the operator should produce the itinerary for the next day and disseminate it
to the vehicle drivers.
· Customer Handling. During system operation, the operator should have the ability
to add and change a customer’s information.

5.2.1.4 Specific Users Functionalities
other system users, like drivers and system owners.
· Vehicle Handling. Drivers – vehicle owners should have the ability to add a
vehicle, to change vehicle operation times and many other parameters concerning the
vehicle they own or drive.
· Routes. Every driver – vehicle owner has the ability to get the itinerary that
concerns his vehicle.
5.2.2 Functionalities concerning the System application.
In this category we define what kind of functionalities the system must have at the
application level. Four different application elements can be identified and are necessary
for the application’s operation. Each one cooperates with the others in a vertical and
horizontal way of action.
· Operating Web Interface
· Mapping Functions
· Reporting Functions
· Algorithmic Functions
5.2.2.1 Operating Web Interface
The application for the system should be a web application. The access to the
application should be made possible from every point where there is an available internet
connection. The web application should provide functionalities such as:
· Secure Entry. Securing the entry point to the application is a critical point. Users
can enter the system using a unique and identifiable combination of a login name and a
password. This combination contains all the appropriate information concerning the
access rights and the available road networks that the user is granted to use.
· Networ k Selection. The application should be designed to support unspecified
number of instances in different situations. Every system instance is another road network
together with features that characterize it.

· Configurable Menu Operations. The application menu should be fully

configurable depending on who is accessing the application. That functionality is
necessary due to the need of different user entries. For example, an operator should
handle all menu items that are relative to operator jobs.
5.2.2.2 Mapping and Road Networ ks

The application may use commercial free maps in a very extensive way, instead of
implementing a tailormade GIS system. As commercial free maps we define maps
provided to the public via a major provider such Google maps and Microsoft maps. Those
maps can be used as reference in order to construct road networks, as a projector for
itinerary routes and as a background for monitoring services. The following paragraph
gives a detailed description of specific mapping functions:
· Use of non Commercial Maps as a r eference. Currently maps are offered for free
at least from two vendors (Google & Microsoft). Those maps are under continuous
update. The application may use those maps and the provided API’s in order to use them
as a reference. The term reference means that one can use those maps to create road
networks via a simple procedure.
· Use of maps as route projectors. During operation, application produces
itineraries for all vehicles. In order to provide users with a visual perspective of the
appropriate route, the application should provide the necessary functionality by projecting
routes on maps.
· Use of maps for monitoring purposes. Another important issue of the system
application is the monitoring process. Monitoring is a main concern for administrators,
vehicle drivers or even single users (like parents). The application should offer that
functionality based on maps.
5.2.2.3 Reporting Functions
Reporting functions are a necessity for every application. The most important
reports that could be produced by the application are described in the following table:
· Customer Reporting. Reports concerning customers:
1. Customer booking frequency
2. Customer historical data
3. Customer behavior (cancellations, no shows etch)

These reports could prove to be valuable during the study of user behavior for
future system adjustments.
· Vehicles Reporting. Vehicles Reporting includes reports concerning:
1. Vehicles Usage
2. Vehicles dependence on other factors
· Trips Reporting. Trips Reporting includes reports concerning:
1. Total operating Duration in order to determine the necessary service operating
period
2. Total Distance covered by vehicles fleet. What is the total distance covered in
order to satisfy all users
3. Total operation costs for a specific time Period
4. Profits(loss) for a specific time Period
5. Service Quality factors such as deviation percentage from the shortest path
6. Cross reporting factor (Service Quality Vs Price)
5.3 Basic Ar chitectur e: Softwar e Elements

The necessary software elements are: Communication Element, Interface
Element, Database element, Algorithm element.
5.3.1 Communication Element
The Communication element contributes to the system within the necessary
functionality concerning all communication procedures. The proposed paratransit system
is bound to be heavily depended on communications. Because of its concept – no fixed
routes, no fixed bus stops – every interaction between a customer and the system is going
to be through communication systems. All customer demands for a trip will go through a
land line, a cell phone or the internet to the system. On the other hand, the system should
notify customers when the vehicle on which they will board approaches. That shows the
vital role the communication system plays.

Communication subsystem connects directly with the interface and database

elements. Any information that is delivered to the interface element from other elements
such as database or algorithmic elements should be transferred to the Communication
element. For example, during trip operation, when the vehicle approaches pickup or
deliver point, every customer related to that point may be notified via SMS or by other
means of verbal communication.
5.3.2 Inter face Element

This element contributes to the system within the necessary functionality
concerning all interfacing procedures. The term “interfacing” includes all the information
interchange procedures at the point where a demand is made to the system. Interface
interacts with the communication element, the database element, and the algorithmic
element. Many events produced by the communication element will be guided to the
interface element.
The Interface element just activates or deactivates the algorithm execution, without
providing any information to the algorithm or viceversa. When the algorithm is activated
by the interface, it needs data. Those data come through the database. The database
provides the algorithm with vehicle number and types, the road network, and the trip
demands. When the algorithm finishes, it returns the proposed route/itinerary to the
database.
5.3.3 Database Element
This element contributes to the system by offering the storage procedures to the
system. Storage procedures are critical in order to support all data processing needs. The
system should be reliable and adaptive enough in order to support all necessary storage
needs.
Database is fed by the Interface. Every customer demand is stored to the database,
and whenever the interface needs to inform users or the operator with the appropriate
information, it is fed by the database. Moreover, when the algorithm is activated by the
interface, it needs data. Those data come through the database (p.e. vehicles number and
types, the road network, and the trip demands). When the algorithm finishes, it returns the
proposed route/itinerary to the database.

5.3.4 Core Algorithmic Element
That element contributes to the system by offering the necessary intelligence that is
required in order to always produce optimized solutions. That element is completely
hidden to users and operators. Operators just activate or deactivate the algorithm in order
to get the appropriate solutions.
5.4 Basic Ar chitectur e: Har dwar e Elements

In this section all the appropriate hardware elements that are necessary to setup the
system will be described. Hardware is separated into two different categories. The first
category includes necessary hardware for conventional application needs, while the
second category includes hardware for the application’s communication needs.
5.4.1 Application hardware for conventional application needs
Required hardware for the system application should be selected in order to provide
maximum functionality and maximum usage of every available resource. The main
conventional application hardware elements are:
· A Server, to provide for all system services. The Server should be fast enough, very
reliable and well modularized in order to support all application functions for large time
periods without malfunctions and with minimum downtime.
· Data storage units, which should be extremely reliable and tolerant to failures
because they are used continuously by the application (trips handling, reporting
procedure, continuous use of the road network). Moreover, there should be adequate
provision for multiple backup units, for emergency system recovery after a failure or for
offline recovery.
· Fast Internet Connections, due to extensive usage of commercialfree maps (which
are a cheap and reliable alternative to building a tailormade GIS system).
5.4.2 Communication Hardware
Communication hardware is the necessary hardware to be used for the appropriate
demand insertion and notifying communication procedures between the system and its
customers. The Application should use well known types of communication for
notification purposes in order to avoid extra infrastructure dedicated to the system.
Mobile phones with GSM and GPRS connections, along with GPS functions should be
supported also in order to provide notification and monitoring procedures. In detail:

· Mobile phones can be used as the gateway between the application and the
customers. Due to various system states, messages may need to be sent to notify users.
Mobile phones should be selected for that use because of their extensive use by the
general population and network availability provided by various phone companies.
· GPS devices will be used as application agents to keep constant track of the present
situation of the vehicle fleet. Monitoring procedures that will be offered by the
application to customers, operators, drivers etch will be available through the use of GPS
devices. Invehicle terminals with GPRS or 3G connection, along with GPS guidance
capabilities, will also be necessary for route dissemination between the operator and the
drivers. Whether the system will be online or the routes will have been decided the day
before, the driver still needs to be informed of his itinerary. Another option may be to
alert the driver of current traffic conditions and give him alternate directions.

6 System Simulation
After having designed the system in terms of functional properties and having
specified its operational parameters, it is now time to simulate its actual operation, using
tailormade software. This software implements the very same system core algorithms
that will be used in the system’s actual operation.
A simulation model synthesizes the characteristics of trip requests that are then
assigned to vehicles. The number of vehicles is increased until all trips are served,
producing the tradeoff between vehicle fleet size and trips carried. Varying design
parameters (e.g., hours of service, vehicle size, types of riders served, and use of
computerized vehicle scheduling) will assist in exploring alternative service designs in
support of planning decisions.
Having estimated demand for service and service rates (by means of analyzing the
survey data), which vary across markets (types of passengers carried) and geographic
settings and are affected by vehicle size, operating strategies, and service quality, the goal
is to actually establish a relationship between the system’s operating parameters and the
resources necessary to support them. There is also daytoday variation in demand for
service and in operating conditions that makes the problem even more complex.
Furthermore, the demand experienced will be a function of actual service quality, and
thus there is an ongoing equilibrium process that defines the required fleet size. Stated
differently, fleet size can be expected to evolve as service is delivered and experienced
and as demand responds to that service.
Inputs required for the conduction of the simulation may probably include the
following:
· Definition of the area to be served, with exact location of population centers and
distances between them
· Definition of the types of riders (e.g., senior citizens, individuals whose mobility
is limited, or the general public);
· Capacity of the DRT vehicle to be used;
· Daily hours of service;
· Service quality requirements and parameters (waiting time, maximum or average
trip duration, standalone or in accordance with existing means of transport)

· Pricing policy
· Daily trips to be carried.
In general, there is a strong positive correlation between trips demanded and fleet

size. Other factors of importance are service area size and trip duration, which tend to
increase fleet requirements as they increase (positive correlation). Two more important
factors are population (trip) density and vehicle productivity (related to many factors
including types of riders carried), which tend to reduce the size of the fleet needed as they
increase (negatively correlated).
For all operators of demandresponsive service, the tradeoff between quality and
cost, when cost is largely driven by fleet size, represents a key decision variable. There is
no optimal fleet size, and spending more resources to increase the fleet size will either
serve a larger fraction of the market or serve the same market at a better service quality.
Another important goal of the simulation is to illustrate the possible viability or
profitability of the scheme. For a community/state run organization, it is complicated to
establish a specific point of optimum operation, for it is not clear what this optimum
would qualitatively be, and therefore quantifying this optimum would probably entail a
number of local (in conjunction to the simulation parameters) optimums.
Privatesector forprofit services use similar strategies for fleet sizing, and the same
factors are important. However, private firms tend to view vehicles as profit centers, and
thus they are less constrained by budgets and a desire to minimize fleet size. Furthermore,
they tend to develop very reliable estimates of vehicle service rates, which help ensure
the accuracy of their fleet planning process.
In conclusion, the system simulation is performed in order to:
· Identify critical operation points (service quality vs. price)

· Identify number and type of vehicles
· Identify initial running costs, possible income, profitability and viability
· Examine the system’s performance under specific trip demands

7 Pr oject Implementation
7.1 Evaluation design
Before the system is ready for operation, Indicators (data to be collected) linked to
scheme objectives must be defined. This will prove to be useful for the evaluation of the
system’s pilot and actual application, both of which will follow the system simulation.
Having a few relevant indicators of good quality is certainly better than attempting to
quantify every possible aspect of the system’s operation. At this point comes the
appropriate choice of methods for monitoring and evaluating the performance of the
service and the time schedule, recurring or not. One must decide which
objectives/indicators need to be evaluated on a short term basis (e.g. monthly) and which
to evaluate on a long term basis (e.g. annually).
The task of the monitoring and evaluation is to measure the performance of the
transport service, to gain knowledge about success and failure and to be able to adapt and
improve the service. Monitoring is ongoing and should be considered as part of the
implementation/operation process. Evaluation looks at the extent to which objectives
have been met, as well as the financial performance of the scheme. It is important to
compare the situation in the service area before and after the implementation of the new
public transport measures. The information collected after the implementation of the
service must therefore fit with the data collected in the initial evaluation. Indicators which
measure and describe impacts on the objectives of the transport scheme must be tested.
All groups of stakeholders should be taken into account during evaluation. Each of
the groups has to be questioned to find out how well their objectives were fulfilled by the
service. Qualitative or quantitative analysis can be used, depending on the indicators and
availability of data and information. It is appropriate to perform quantitative analysis
frequently (e.g. monthly). Quantitative data include transport data such as number of
trips, vehicle kilometers, and number of bookings. Since data collection for qualitative
analyses demands a greater effort, it is appropriate to carry these out less frequently.
Qualitative data include satisfaction levels among users, operators and public agencies,
and can be obtained through questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups. The field of
the evaluation’s implementation is the pilot application (whose necessity will be
established in the following section) and the actual system deployment

Data collection conducted after the service has been implemented should aim to
assess the extent to which the service is meeting the requirements identified earlier, to
explore passenger attitudes and opinions regarding the service provided and to identify
changes in travel behavior. Data should be collected before and after implementation of
the new service in order to compare the two situations. The size and composition of the
survey samples must be as consistent as possible in both survey periods. It is essential
that a set of clear and realistic objectives are identified at the outset against which project
success will be assessed. If the implementation design is altered after the user survey, the
system simulation or the pilot application, than the evaluation data must be adjusted
accordingly.
7.2 System Pilot Application and consequent Data Analysis
After having simulated the system’s operation, and before launching the scheme’s
formal operation, the way the system is actually formulated and the simulation
projections must be confirmed. This can be accomplished by running a Pilot Application
of specific duration.
A pilot operating phase will provide the organizational body with a first approach

concerning the system’s behavior, along with the users’ acceptance towards the scheme.
Moreover, it will define if the predetermined operation times are realistic or if they need
to be adjusted to actual demand.
Of utmost importance is the fact that the pilot application will identify specific user
needs, improve system functionality and correct unforeseen design or operation errors.
Also, issues concerning passenger pickup and drop off at destination hubs may arise and
therefore be dealt with.
For all the above to be realized, the scheme’s organizational body must be ready to
accept increased customer feedback for the pilot application period. This means that the
operation center must be accordingly staffed (probably more than expected for everyday
actual operation) so as to be able to accept all inquiries, complaints and suggestions that
will come from potential or actual system users. Moreover, user feedback must be
collected from pickup and dropoff locations, even onboard. This feedback is probably

the most valuable, for it reflects real system appreciation, not assumptions about how the
users will perceive the system’s operation.
The principal elements to be analyzed following the pilot application include the
following:
· Resources/Fleet size, drivers, reservation agents
· Scheduling agent, types of vehicles
· Number of calls attended, capacity of the system, training practices
· Major operating costs
· Frequency of service
· Operational problems
· Dispatching and scheduling method
· Steps towards improvement
7.3 Actual System implementation and evaluation
The System should be implemented according to the action plan, the functions and
the architecture described in the design phase. So, the final implementation should
include the following:
· Setup the appropriate software and hardware
· Setup all facilities concerning operators
· Setup transportation means (vehicles contracts etch)
· Start the service offering
Data for monitoring service performance, according to indicators and the
evaluation plan, should be collected continuously. The short term evaluation should also
be carried out.
An important task is to check if any new barriers occurred during operation, and try
to overcome them. Timely intervention to overcome barriers is essential in order to
ensure uninterrupted operations. It is crucial to guarantee a continuation of the service

(e.g. after initial subsidies have been spent). On the one hand, this may make it easier to
convince possible financiers and on the other hand, it is important to avoid the negative
effects on (potential) users if a service has to be suspended. Being flexible as possible and
ready to make changes if necessary (e.g. timetable, information) is always necessary.
In the same context, returning to the design phase to redefine the scheme or alter
the service provided may also be necessary. If the service is not running according to its
principal characteristics, the scheme’s operational organization may need to troubleshoot
or implement adaptations, even during the first few days of the systems operation. That
means that poor control over the first days of operation may have a severe impact and
impose an early termination.
On a long term basis, operation results need to be fed to the evaluation method, so
as to analyze the actual impacts of the service and consider if it has met its objectives.
Also, procedures need to be evaluated, again so as to identify the causes of barriers, their
context and the solutions required to overcome them.
Finally, the evaluation results, along with experience gained from operation, must

be presented to the Stakeholders. Since the evaluation is made to improve, not close the
operation, its results must be used to make operational improvements, such as running
times and marketing material.


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Project Logo

Workpackage No. WP3 Workpackage Title Deployment Process Design and

Status (F: final; D: draft; RD: revised D

Project start date and duration 01 J anuary 2007, 30 Months

1.1 THE INMOSION PROJECT .....................................................................................................6

2 INITIAL EVALUATION ..............................................................................................................9

2.1 AREA PROFILE ....................................................................................................................9

4.1 DESIGN OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE ...........................................................................................21

5.1 FUNCTIONAL NEEDS ..........................................................................................................27

5.2 FUNCTIONAL DESCRIPTION..................................................................................................28

7.1 EVALUATION DESIGN .........................................................................................................39

1.1 The InMoSion Pr oject

1.2 Pur pose and Layout of this Handbook

6. Phase six ­ System Implementation

2.1 Ar ea pr ofile

February 2008 10 UTh

2.2.4 Driver s/Employees

February 2008 11 UTh

2.2.5 Local mar ket & Touristic businesses

2.3 Existing tr anspor tation ser vices in the ar ea

February 2008 12 UTh

2.4 Existing public or ganizations and tr anspor t or ganizations

February 2008 13 UTh

2.5 Legal str uctur e

2.6 Summar y of the initial evaluation

February 2008 14 UTh

February 2008 15 UTh

February 2008 16 UTh

February 2008 17 UTh

Essential staffing requirements include a manager or a managerial board,

February 2008 18 UTh

Finally, a very important aspect of the whole procedure is that of promoting the

February 2008 19 UTh

February 2008 20 UTh

4 User Sur vey Design

In many countries where paratransit systems have been already deployed, surveys

February 2008 21 UTh

February 2008 22 UTh

Also, the respondent’s familiarization with information technologies is included

4.1.2 Part B­ Trip Characteristics:

4.1.4 Part D­ Paratransit System Characteristics and Prefer ences:

February 2008 23 UTh

4.1.6 Part F­ Per ception Assessment

February 2008 24 UTh

4.2 User Sur vey Implementation and Data Pr ocessing / Analysis

Data analysis should focus on the some or all of the following issues, concerning

February 2008 25 UTh

February 2008 26 UTh

February 2008 27 UTh

5.2 Functional Descr iption

5.2.1.1 Customers' Functionalities

February 2008 28 UTh

· Notifying Messages. Notification is a critical factor of the system operation. The

February 2008 29 UTh

· System Parameters handling. The administrator is responsible for the

· Itinerary Handling. Administrator should have the ability to change the itinerary

February 2008 30 UTh

February 2008 31 UTh

· Configurable Menu Operations. The application menu should be fully

6. Phase six System Implementation

4.1.2 Part B Trip Characteristics:

4.1.4 Part D Paratransit System Characteristics and Prefer ences:

4.1.6 Part F Per ception Assessment