Public Transit Safety

Since the arrival of technology 25 years ago that enabled ITS to be applied to public transit, safety has been revolutionized. In the case of public transit buses, for example, there was previously no contact apart from a radio voice connection between driver and controller. The first Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) systems included the installation of a button- or pedal-triggered silent alarm system that, in the case of an incident, enabled the driver to send an alert to the control center and open voice communication via ambient microphone, enabling the controller to hear what was happening inside the vehicle in real time. This system has been kept in the current CAD systems, albeit reinforced with other more advanced systems, such as onboard video surveillance (CCTV).

CCTV systems have a long track record as safety elements in buildings and other facilities. However, a series of idiosyncrasies has hindered an effective rollout in vehicles until the last 10 years. These idiosyncrasies include:

• When the driver activates the emergency button in incident situations, a real-time image must be sent to the control center. The use of mobile communications makes bandwidth crucial. Today’s 4G networks now enable stable, high-quality video streaming, but the fact that the vehicle is moving means that certain drawbacks still have to be dealt with, such as dropped signal, loss of bandwidth, etc., so these systems need to be able to adapt to those changes.
• Fitting the equipment onboard the vehicles requires special certification for vibration resistance, electromagnetic compatibility, temperature range, anti-vandalism, etc. These certifications are especially strict in the case of rail transportation.
• In the case of the cameras, it is also necessary to meet a series of requirements related to size (small), high dynamic range to adapt to changing light conditions and a wide field of view. Today’s camera manufacturers now have an ample catalog of specific in-vehicle cameras for buses and trains.
• Onboard direct video recording (DVR) systems, which initially were mere adaptations of traditional analog DVRs, have now become highly specialized for ITS use, incorporating SSD disks and able to be integrated with IP-networks together with the cameras. In some cases, such as GMV’s own REC30, this DVR equipment also incorporates CAD and CCTV functions in a single device.

Today’s public transit fleets now include these systems as standard ITS input equipment, ensuring the safety of passengers and drivers. Their most notable advantages include continuous recording of what is happening inside the vehicle, real-time transmission of any incident, all duly referenced to vehicle, line, route, and current position.

GMV was a pioneer in installing CCTV systems. Its first project dates back to 2007 on TUVISA’s nighttime “buho” buses in Vitoria. Now, we have fitted over 4,000 vehicles, including buses, subways, trains, and trams.

Author: Isidro Prieto Valderrey