Mobility Management

Intelligent Transportation Systems

Transportation technology has undergone a significant transformation with the rapid proliferation of services, modes, and business models that would have scarcely been considered possible a decade ago. These advancements have made a huge impact on the delivery of transportation services at the agency, regional, state and national level and it will continue to do so even more rapidly in the future. If the idea of integrated mobility solutions and smart cities are to be realized, Intelligent Transportation Systems of the future will play a huge role. Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) as a broad area consists of electronics, communications, or information processing systems used singly or in combination to improve mobility, safety, and travel time reliability.

As the transit service providers continue the push for seamless mobility solutions across the region with increased focus on the regional collaboration and interoperability, Transportation systems management and operations (TMSO) strategies help them maximize the efficiency, safety, and utility of existing and planned transportation infrastructure. Regional TSMO Vision coupled with Reginal ITS Architecture provide tools by which regional stakeholders can develop a forward-looking, multimodal, multi-agency roadmap for TSMO that positions their regions to accelerate the impact of transformative technology while managing the risks associated with its deployment.

We are Niti Systems understand that future transportation systems would heavily rely on autonomous vehicles, massive data consolidation/crunching, machine learning algorithms, crowd-sourcing and real-time information exchange with integrated systems. Niti Systems team has global experience in ITS systems assessment, planning, operations, systems engineering, system integration, and program delivery. Our team has worked directly with numerous transit agencies, state and local DOTs, metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), and other transportation management agencies for their end to end ITS deployment needs. We can help you with the regional ITS architecture development, concept exploration, Concept of Options (Coops) development, technical and functional specifications development, system design, testing, system validation and operation and maintenance of the ITS projects.

The Niti Systems team has supported the requirements definition, specification development, evaluation and selection process for projects that include Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD), Automatic Vehicle Locator (AVL), Real Time Passenger Information (RTPI), Computer Based Train Control (CBTC), Transit Signal Priority (TSP), Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Communications Systems, Passenger Information Systems (PIS), Surveillance and Safety Systems and other for many agencies including Los Angles Metro, New York City Transit, MARTA, Jacksonville Transportation Authority, SEPTA, VIA (San Antonio), South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, BART and others.

Our Intelligent Transportation Systems services include:

• ITS Architecture
• TSMO Strategies
• ITS Planning/Strategies/Framework
• ITS Implementation
• ITS Operation and Maintenance
• Systems Engineering
• Systems Engineering
• Systems Integration

Electronic Fare Payment Systems

With over 15 years of Fare Payment and Fare Collection Systems implementation experience with over 15 agencies across North America, the NSC team has the right experience to help agencies of all sizes with their Fare Payment Systems implementation. Our expertise with emerging technologies and its application to the fare collection industry, couple of with our understanding of real-world operating environments allow us to help each of our clients with their unique systems needs in the most efficient manner. We have experts in the area of an account-based, open payment fare collection system implementations including goal and objective development, funding needs and cost analysis, scope and schedule development, vendor negotiations, facilitation of meetings and communications, design review support, system and equipment testing, implementation planning, staffing planning and assessment, fare policy development, equipment needs assessment, technology assessment, and risk assessment.

Our team is intimately familiar with various fare collection technologies and business processes and is actively involved in in industry associations and organizations to help shape the future trends. Our staff experience goes beyond the academic and theoretical, and has been enhanced by an understanding of the unique needs of transit agencies including budgetary, political and regulatory pressures. Whether you are looking for ways to reduce cash, increase efficiencies, improve regional interoperability, capture accurate ridership data, support flexible fare policy or improve customer experience; our experts have proven experience to help you attain your business goals.

We can help you with the following Fare Collection needs:

• Account Based and Card Based Fare Collection Systems
• Branding and Marketing Support
• Closed Loop and Open Loop Fare Collection Systems
• Communications and Change Management Support
• Fare Policy Analysis and Development
• Clearing and Settlement
• Ridership Analysis
• Business Intelligence and Analytics
• Specifications Development
• Employer Programs
• Procurement Support
• Retail and 3rd Party Network Setup
• Design Review
• Fare Media Management
• Project Management

ITS Architecture

National ITS Architecture was developed by USDOT in response to the growing needs to standardized approach and common framework for implementation of ITS projects. The National ITS architecture can be used as a blueprint for the development of regional ITS architecture development. Each agency in the region would need to follow this architecture for common interoperability goals of the regional while specifically tailoring the architecture components (views) to meet their specific needs. The latest version – Architecture Reference for Cooperative and Intelligent Transportation (ARC-IT) is a major upgrade to the National ITS Architecture that covers all of the scope and content from both Connected Vehicle Reference ITS Architecture (CVRIA) Version 2.2 and the National ITS Architecture Version 7.1.The architecture is comprised of 4 views:

• Enterprise View – Describes the relationships between organizations and the roles those organizations play within the connected vehicle environment
• Functional View – Describes abstract functional elements (processes) and their logical interactions (data flows) that satisfy the system requirements
• Physical View – Describes physical objects (systems and devices) and their functional objects as well as the high-level interfaces between those physical objects
• Communications View – Describes the layered sets of communications protocols that are required to support communications among the physical objects that participate in the connected vehicle environment

Service Packages, which are the part of the Physic View, address specific services or project need. In most instances a Service Packages can directly translate to an ITS project – such as Transit Signal Priority. The Service Packages from ARC-IT can be tailored for each region/agency’s specific needs.

The Niti Systems team in-depth experience with ITS systems deployment using the National and Regional ITS Architectures. We have also helped regions with development of their Regional ITS Architectures. Our consultants worked with the National Transit Institute (NTI) to develop and deliver multiple training courses including one for Regional ITS Architecture. This two-day course covers a wide range of topics including an overview of various transit systems, Regional and National ITS architectures, ITS Standards, Integration Approach and strategies for implementing these systems.

Our ITS Architecture Services Include:

• Develop ITS Strategic Plans
• Create Regional Baseline Inventory
• Regional ITS Architecture Update
• Identification of Pilot Concepts
• ITS/TSMO Deployment Guide
• Technological Assessment Strategic Deployment Plan
• Stakeholder Engagement and Communications Strategy
• Data Governance Best Practices
• Develop ITS Standards
• Develop and apply the Systems Engineering Process to ITS Projects

Mobility-as-a service

Per one estimate around 30% of the Americans are willing to give up the car ownership now in favor of convenient mobility options. The challenge is, there are not many that can substitute the flexibility of the car ownership, unless you live in large metro areas. Mobility as a Service (MaaS), an emerging trend that integrates multiple modes of transportation into one platform and provides the users with a single, unified mechanism for planning, booking and fare payment for their service would provide riders with a convenient and cost-effective solution. In a Netflix meets Amazon Prime model, the riders will be able to select a plan that fits their life-style and with priority access to Public Transit, Bikeshare, Carshare, Carpooling, Taxis, Transport on Demand, Smart Parking, Tolling Lanes, Taxi Services, Electric Vehicle Infrastructure and more. An integrated mobility solution would be based on a “Network the system” approach with the customer at its center.

A successful MaaS service brings new opportunity for Public Transit Operators and State/Local Governments. Following a “Hub and Spoke” based System Integration approach, the agencies can build the MaaS solution around their core services and integrate additional components as needed. In this approach the “Hub” solution can be custom developed around the core transit systems or implemented based on a white-label solution. The integration between various systems will be based on the standards, where they exist or defined by the Joint Interface Agreements (JIA) defined by the agency.

Niti Systems can help you with your MaaS vision. Our solid experience with technology systems integration allows us to help you conceptualize, explore, design and implement these solutions. Our experience with ITS Architecture and our efforts to help develop integration standards for data exchange would be a key differentiator for agencies looking to implement or participate in MaaS deployments. We can help the agencies develop a common platform that the customers can use for purchase tickets/benefits, trip planning, account maintenance and other functionality. Our Big Data Analytics experience will allow the agencies to process and analyze the large volume of data generated by multiple applications in real-time to get insight into rider preference/patterns, congestion, movement, trips, traffic and all aspects that impact the regional flow.

Services:

• Concept of Operations
• Solution Design and Requirements
• Systems Integration
• Interface Definitions
• Systems Architecture
• Third Party Aggregator Services Setup
• Clearing and Settlement of Funds
• Business Intelligence/Data Analytics

Multi-Modal Transportation

As cities continue to reorient their transportation priorities toward people from cars, the focus shifts away from road/highway infrastructure to all modes of transportation. With the goal of improved regional and long-distance connectivity between modes including Public Transit, Commuter Trains, Bus Rapid Transit, Streetcar, Ferry Services, Intercity Bus Service (Greyhound) and other, the Multi-Modal Transportation systems are the key to improving the mobility for the passengers. An advanced Multi-Modal Transportation solution would integrate additional services such as Parking, Tolling, Carpooling and other public infrastructure.

Niti Systems can help the agencies implement an ideal multi-modal transportation solution that fits your vision and your regional infrastructure. We can help with careful analysis, concept exploration and project management. Our consultants can leverage our expertise with transit and city planning,coupled with deep understanding of technology systems and integrations to create custom solutions for unique needs.

Zero Emission Strategies

As the market for Electric Vehicles (EVs) continue to grow, Public Transit agencies across the world are realizing the benefits of zero emission vehicles.  The adoption of Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV); along with Hydrogen Fuel Cell vehicles is slowly becoming reality in North America.  The NSC team is at the forefront of this trend and supporting agencies with assessment, strategies, roadmap and implementation of zero emission strategies for their fleet.

As governments and policymakers continue to shape the future mobility solutions, reducing the carbon footprint for public transit remains a top priority. This presents a drastic change from the prevalent vehicle procurement policies for over 75 years.  Procuring the new breed of zero emission vehicles require careful assessment and planning for vehicles as well as the charging infrastructure hardware and software solutions that can continuously monitor the vehicle data to maximize the efficiencies.

The NSC team has helped multiple transit agencies with their zero emission strategies and can support our clients with:

• Zero Emission Policy Development
• Needs Assessment
• Feasibility Study/Assessment
• Competitive Market Assessment
• Zero Emission Vehicles Lifecycle Cost
• Technical Specification for the Vehicles
• Charging Infrastructure Design and Policy
• Route Simulation and Optimization
• Environmental Impact Analysis
• Electric Bus Pilot Monitoring and Development