Major order for ticketing systems

Issue , June 
The IVU Company Newsletter for Public Transport
2
3
5
Hamburger Hochbahn on the
fast track to becoming a
national transportation group
Record-setting attendance
at the Public Transport User’s
Forum
AVL is alive and well.
BON at RegioBus Hannover
th customer for MICROBUS® in Italy
The ARPA bus company in Chieti has ordered the best-selling
planning and scheduling system for public transport service
7
“We have a lot of practice
with major events.” BVG is
preparing for the World Cup
The Italian public transport company ARPA has chosen
the MICROBUS system from IVU Traffic Technologies
AG. Headquartered in Chieti, a city in central Italy, ARPA
will use MICROBUS to plan the deployment of its vehicle, drivers and vehicle blocks as well as schedule drivers and buses. IVU’s Rome office was commissioned to
introduce the system, a process that should take less
than six months to complete.
ARPA (Autolinee Regionali Pubbliche Abruzzesi) has ordered the
complete MICROBUS system covering all aspects from timetable
planning through vehicle schedules to driver rosters, and in future
this will be used in Chieti to organise the operation of more than 500
vehicles and more than thousand
drivers. Another feature to be
utilised allows the integrated planning of duty rosters and vehicle
deployment. This has been special-
Project news
Chieti – picturesque location in the Abruzzen
ly developed for regional public
transport companies running crosscountry routes and services to outlying areas, and it makes it possible
for driver schedules and vehicle
blocks to be planned in one step.
IVU won the Europe-wide bid in
December, and the contract was
signed just a few days ago. According to ARPA’s management, the
public transport company chose
… continued on page 8
Major order
for ticketing systems
IVU equips  vehicles in Lübeck
Stadtverkehr Lübeck has ordered on-board computers with printer functions,
wireless devices and cash tables from IVU Traffic Technologies AG. In the
future, the systems from the Berlin software company will enable passengers
to purchase tickets directly from the bus driver at a standard tariff for the
state of Schleswig-Holstein. The order is worth a total of € 2.2 million.
“With IVU, we can buy all the systems we need for planning and operations from a single source, which is
a primary reason why we chose the
IVU product,” said Willi Nibbe, managing director of Stadtverkehr
Lübeck. Lübeck already uses the BON
vehicle monitoring system and the
MICROBUS planning and scheduling
system. “Now that Stadtverkehr
Lübeck has also ordered our ticketing
system, it is clear that our platform
strategy – offering systems for all the
requirements of a public transport
company – is the correct approach”,
said Dr. Olaf Schemczyk, member of
IVU’s executive board.
Stadtverkehr Lübeck expects the
investment to further improve cus-
In March 2005, the Canton of Ticino became the first
operator in Switzerland to use MICROBUS-map. The
canton has been working with MICROBUS since 1998.
Its two PostAuto Ticino branches – Autopostale Sottoceneri and Autopostale Sopraceneri – are the first of
eighteen public transport companies in Ticino to
input and maintain their network data with
MICROBUS-map. Operating 230 buses on 73 routes,
PostAuto Ticino transports seven million passengers
a year over a total distance of 931 kilometres. These
routes, along with all their stops and other network
points, must be registered and located using
MICROBUS-map. Canton Ticino plans to use
MICROBUS to manage all its public transport companies.
Driver information system
for Norgesbuss, Oslo
Norgesbuss has been operating its virtual depot in
real time since April, giving the public transport company’s 500 drivers online access to the latest information on duty schedules, rosters, vacation time and
much more. Personal and operating information can
also be posted via the system. Initial experience has
shown that the drivers are highly satisfied with the
system and would like even more information to be
shared. A system upgrade is therefore already in the
planning stage.
tomer service. In the future, passengers will be able to purchase tickets
directly on the bus at the new
Schleswig-Holstein tariff. Up to
now, this was possible only at vending machines and ticket counters.
The new price has been in effect
since 1 April for bus and rail service
in Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg, using standard tickets.
The i.box printer on-board computer from IVU helps make this innovation possible. The most advanced
on-board computer on the market
comes with an integrated ticket
printer and complete ticketing functions. In the future, the system will
handle all on-board computer functions in Lübeck buses by communi-
MICROBUS-map gets off
to a good start in Switzerland
cating with the control center and
controlling all connected equipment in the bus. Stadtverkehr
Lübeck GmbH operates public transport service in the city of Lübeck and
its immediate vicinity as well as ferries. The service will be distributed
to 24 routes, 17 of which will be
operated by the Lübeck company
itself.
Successful completion of first
international railway project
On 1 May, the MICROBUS railway application MB-rail
was placed in regular service by Citypendeln in Stockholm. The project remained on schedule and within
budget. The system, which is based on German standards, turned out to be fully compatible with Swedish
requirements as well. The Swedish version of the user
interface was delivered in only three months.
Issue , June 
2
Hamburger Hochbahn on the fast track to
becoming a national transportation group
Günter Elste has a look of confidence about him. “Am I afraid of privatisation? No, that’s not something that concerns me”, says the president
of VDV, who has been the CEO of Hamburger Hochbahn AG for the past
nine years. “We prepared ourselves for competition at an early stage
and are now one of the most successful public transport companies
in Germany.” Of course, Hochbahn does still suffer some losses – the
figure was roughly 63 million euros in 2004. This gives the company a
cost recovery ratio of 84 percent, while the average in Germany is
around 70 percent.
Following the liberalisation of the
transport market, Elste instituted
a policy of consolidation and
expansion. Hochbahn and its partners now operate routes in
Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony,
Mecklenburg-West Pomerania,
Brandenburg and Hesse – and all
these subsidiaries are operating in
the black. “We will continue to
grow”, he announced. To do this,
the company needs capital.
Because there are no plans in the
Senate for partial privatisation,
Elste wants to take a different
approach. He plans to set up a
holding company later this year,
one in which private lenders can
invest. “The holding company
would bundle all rail projects outside Hamburg”, says Elste. “A number of investors have already
expressed an interest.” At the
moment, the rail transport market
is especially competitive. Public
calls to bid are being gradually
made for more and more routes.
This year, for example, there is the
lucrative Hamburg-Lübeck connection, where Elste expects to
see stiff competition. “We will participate in the bid, probably
together with one of our partners.”
This could be Nordbahn, in which
Hochbahn holds a 50 percent
stake. Over the medium term,
Hochbahn wants to grow rapidly
on the market. It is an ambitious
goal, considering the fact that
Bahn AG still controls a 90 percent
share of the market. “We want to
become the leading public transport company in the North”, says
Elste. The prerequisites were set in
place in the late 1990s, when
Hochbahn pursued a strict restructuring program that included
wage cuts, extra work and efficiency-boosting measures. “It was
hard on the employees”, says Elste.
Today, however, Hochbahn is in a
solid position and offers secure
jobs.
Interview with Günter Elste, CEO of Hamburger Hochbahn AG, on the public transport market in  – years
“We succeeded in overcoming the most difficult obstacles.”
Günter Elste
What developments in the German public transport market do
you anticipate over the next few
years?
We are already transitioning
to a free and open market.
Whether its structure will
change depends on politics on
the European and German levels. At the moment, tight publicsector budgets mean that more
and more transport service contracts are being awarded
through competitive bidding.
We will begin to see a concentration on the supply side of the
market – which has already happened in other EU countries.
What alternatives are there for municipal public
transport companies in this situation?
Anyone who wants to be competitive and independent in the future market, must pursue additional restructuring efforts, particularly by improving cost structures; service cutbacks by operators
make this process more difficult due to the associated cost lags. Compared to their counterparts in
other European countries, German public transport
companies have achieved a good cost recovery ratio
of 70 percent. Hochbahn has done even better with
84 percent.
How did you manage this?
Hochbahn began restructuring at a very early stage
and overcame its most difficult obstacle in accordance with its collective-bargaining partners. This
process is based on four key areas: competition-oriented cost structure improvements, improved earnings related to passenger volume, profitable expansion and strategic corporate control.
You have received criticism for your expansion.
The criticism is quite unfounded. As a company
with restructuring experience, Hochbahn usually
expands along with regional and local partners and
without dominating them. A network of partners is
essential for achieving comparable advantages
over the German subsidiaries of large international transportation groups.
Who will be the players in the German public
transport market 5 to 10 years from now?
It’s likely that 70 to 80 percent of the market will
be controlled by a total of five large transportation
groups. Deutsche Bahn will be one. Hochbahn
wants to be another, especially in the North.
Can you use government subsidies to implement this
strategy?
In general, public funding must be aimed primarily at
passengers and especially at certain target groups
like trainees, the disabled, etc. The minimised payments to public transport companies in competitive
bidding, on the other hand, are buyer’s fees. In principle, Hochbahn participates only in those bids that
promise a reasonable profit margin. Of course, our
partner does not provide funds for expansion operations we have gained through competition.
Where do you get the capital for acquisitions?
Like other commercial enterprises, we finance our
investments mainly through loans, with the usual
equity as security. The equity employed for expansion
earns a return that is substantially higher than the
market interest rate.
Is this approach the only choice for German public
transport companies?
To hold out against global players in the free market
and remain independent, ongoing restructuring
efforts and profitable expansion within a network of
partners are the right approach. Otherwise, the only
way to survive the competition is to operate in niche
markets or as part of a large transportation group.
Interview: Gerd Henghuber
Issue , June 
3
Record-setting attendance
at the Public Transport User’s Forum
in February
At this year’s User’s Forum, organised by IVU,
over 220 participants converged on the Hilton
Hotel in Berlin to exchange ideas and find out
more about IVU’s IT systems. The participants
especially enjoyed the wide range of presentations by other customers, which conveyed a
good impression of practical applications.
The record-setting participation reflects the
growing number of customers as well as the
fact that more and more customers are choosing multiple products from the IVU platform.
Nearly all of our Swiss MICROBUS customers
gathered for the first time this year in Berlin.
A special user group was set up during the forum:
the Rail User Group. Railway customers for the
MICROBUS software agreed to exchange information on a regular basis with each other and with IVU
in order to help shape the future development of
the planning system for rail service.
The traditional evening entertainment on the first
evening of the meeting, when the attendees gathered at the Museum of Communications, put everyone in the right mood. In addition to an outstanding candle-lit buffet, the participants enjoyed a private tour of the Blue Mauritius and other rare
treasures from the world of communications. Once
the User’s Forum is over, it’s time for IVU to prepare
for the next forum, which is scheduled for February/March 2006. Official invitations will go out this
summer.
Issue , June 
4
Transportation & beyond
Success for the Contour Web transport logistics system
Stadtwerke München will use the system in the future to control its entire field service
Stadtwerke München (the Munich public works utility) employs a staff
of over 1,000 in its field service. These employees are responsible for the
maintenance and upkeep of the supply network and its equipment as
well as for metering, reading, disconnecting and placing consumption
stations into service at 1,300,000 delivery points. With Contour Web, all
order scheduling processes are largely automated with the goal of
improving the efficiency of schedulers and field service staff as well as
documenting all orders electronically. In addition to processing standard
orders, Contour Web also ensures that emergency situations are handled
centrally on the basis of the daily deployment schedule with different
levels of escalation.
The various orders are optimised, taking into
account parameters such as geographical location,
resource availability, employee qualifications, deadlines and economic conditions. The entire optimisation process is carried out automatically in several different stages even for large order volumes.
Current parameter changes are accounted for in
real-time by ad-hoc planning.
Contour Web is connected to Stadtwerke München’s existing back-end landscape (SAP R/3 in particular) for importing master data and exporting
the data collected by the field service (meter readings, disconnection notes, collection data, time
stamps, etc.). Both offline and online connections
are set up to the mobile devices in order to send
order data to the field service employees and to
receive messages on the order status and results
from the field service more or less in real-time. A
Integrated duty and vehicle
optimisation pays off.
Savings potential in planning vehicle and crew
deployment in regional public transport service
As part of the integrated duty and vehicle scheduling module (IDU)
developed for regional service, two new optimisation components –
combined optimisation (RS-OPT) and integrated optimisation (IS-OPT)
– are available in MICROBUS. With either process, a single operation is
required to fully plan trips as vehicle blocks and services compliant
with rules, taking into account all vehicle and duty scheduling guidelines. While combined optimisation (RS-OPT) is a duty optimisation
function that simultaneously generates blocks (driver = vehicle or duty
duration = block), the new integrated process (IS-OPT) optimises and
synchronises blocks and duty schedules.
By Oliver GrzeThe existing MICROBUS vehicle optimisation process
gorski and
(VS-OPT) and the subsequent schedule optimisation
Uwe Loeschmann function (DS-OPT) based on it, were combined into a
single operation in the integrated optimisation
process. Through control over blocks as well as the
necessary duty schedules during scheduling, the
integrated scheduling process makes it possible for
the first time to directly achieve an optimised degree
of efficiency (timetable quantity/schedule quantity).
With this range of functionality, the new IS-OPT
process developed in a research project, is at the
forefront of optimisation components available
today.
The main application of integrated optimisation is
regional transport service, where very few or even no
relief opportunities exist outside the depot, compared to urban service. In sequential scheduling of
blocks and duty schedules, unsolvable problems can
arise when scheduling breaks in the duty roster.
When creating the blocks therefore, attention must
be paid to their later serviceability, for example by
returning vehicles to relief points on time. To achieve
this, the dead runs that collectively are the most
advantageous for vehicle and duty scheduling must
be selected. The integrated scheduling module
makes it possible to optimise this co-ordination. An
important consideration in practice: The existing
MICROBUS rules can be used to automatically provide duty schedules with preparation and completion times, such as on-vehicle printer setup and AVL
wireless registration.
Another, perhaps even more interesting, area of
integrated scheduling is the joint scheduling of inhouse and contractor services in a single optimisation step, which planners can now also accomplish
with MICROBUS. Programmable duty mix and capacity specifications allow the number of in-house vehicles and schedules to be controlled and the remaining service to be distributed among the contractors.
The efficiency of “in-house” blocks and schedules
can thus be controlled via productivity specifications
on the basis of the duty mix in order to achieve optimum utilisation of the company’s own drivers. With
the previous system of sequentially optimising inhouse and external services, highly compact inhouse services can result in cost-intensive scheduling of the remaining services to contractors. The
integrated scheduling of in-house and external services ensures a defined level of productivity in the
company’s own services, taking the resulting overall
costs into account.
variety of data transmission technologies (GPRS,
UMTS, WLAN) is used for this purpose. The software
for the mobile devices was developed by Aventeon
GmbH in Munich.
Integrated optimisation can also help companies be
more competitive in bids. Due to increasing cost and
competitive pressure in public transport bids, companies more and more frequently must offer new
services and review existing once to ensure optimum scheduling of crew deployment and vehicle
resources. The demands placed on scheduling mainly involved reducing paid working hours and the
resulting better utilisation of schedule capacities on
passenger trips. Integrated optimisation enables
planners to develop multiple options with different
specifications in daily business and for bids and compare them to determine operating feasibility and
efficiency. Depending on the volume of trips to be
scheduled, this calculation can be carried out in just
a few hours using commercially available desktop
computers. Planners can thus focus more intensively on strategic and economic aspects.
The integrated optimisation function was tested by
DB Stadtverkehr in 2004 and is currently in pilot
operation. Its use has produced very promising
results, which are listed below.
Companies:
■ Reduced personnel requirements
■ Increase in driving segment of paid time
■ Improvements in overall efficiency
■ Reduced vehicle requirements
Drivers:
■ Increase in paid time per shift
■ Fewer unpaid breaks
Uwe Loeschmann is the managing director of RVS and BRN
as well as chairman of the decision-taking group of DB Stadtverkehr.
Oliver Grzegorski is a project manager with IVU.
Issue , June 
5
AVL
is
alive
and
well.
BON at RegioBus Hannover
By Wolfgang Schlieske
■ The on-board computers in the vehicles had to be
able to reliably provide the primary AVL functions
without any contact between the vehicle and a
control centre.
■ Due to its size, the service area was divided into
six regions, each of which was controlled by a separate control centre. Each of the control centres
needed to have the data of the entire RegioBus
company at its disposal.
■ Because it was not possible to staff all control
centres 24-hours a day, each centre had to be able
to take over the workload of the other centres.
■ Wherever possible and economically feasible, the
subcontractors had to be integrated into the system.
The RegioBus AVL system that met these requirements was accepted in 2002. At this point, everyone
avoided using the word “completed”, since our experience has shown that an AVL system is never actually “finished”. Instead, it must be viewed as a system
that requires continuous further development. There
are two reasons for this:
▼
■ Rapid technological developments in hardware
and software make it necessary to customise a relatively complex AVL system – like the one operated by RegioBus – to the changing (technological)
situation.
■ Once AVL users realise the support they gain from
the system – or the support they could receive
with functional enhancements – they immediately
want more in the form of additional operating
requirements.
… continued on page 6
RegioBus Hannover GmbH has been responsible for bus
service in the Hannover region since 1998/99. With
250 vehicles of its own (and another 150 buses operated by 30 external subcontractors) and 650 employees,
RegioBus provides connections between cities and
municipalities as well as the state capital of Hannover
at the heart of Lower Saxony. RegioBus is one of the
twelve largest regional bus companies in Germany’s
public transport system. In 2004, the company transported nearly 30 million passengers. Since its founding
seven years ago, RegioBus has reported a steady
growth in passenger volume.
In recent years, RegioBus has concentrated on improving service and comfort for its customers, modernising
its fleet by adding new low-platform buses, implementing the latest technology and making internal procedures more efficient. The company has been using an
AVL system since its early days, making RegioBus one of
the first regional public transport operators to use this
technology. Due to the structure of its service area,
RegioBus Hannover GmbH had to take certain special
requirements into account in setting up the AVL system:
Interview with Dr. Helmut Bergstein, head of IVU’s Aachen office and responsible for operations systems
“We are experiencing a renaissance in AVL”
It appears that the number of calls for
bids on vehicle monitoring systems is
growing. Is this also your experience?
Yes. We are indeed seeing an interesting trend, especially in Germany.
Planning systems have reached a
certain saturation point, but
demand has increased for AVL systems, particularly in the areas of
passenger information and ticketing. We are experiencing a renaissance in ops systems.
Does this mean that IVU’s takeover of
the former TTi in 2001 was the right
move after all?
Initially it was a financial disaster.
Dr. Helmut Bergstein
The takeover nearly ruined the joint
company – IVU. But in terms of technology, the move
is now beginning to pay off. The old IVU had enormous
expertise in planning systems, while the old TTi had
BON, its successful AVL system, and the innovative
i.box on-board computer. Together we have a unique
platform that meets all public transport requirements,
and it is doing better all the time.
Could you give us a few concrete examples?
I could mention two orders that we received in the
early months of this year: Wolfsburg, which became
IVU’s first MICROBUS customer in 1986, ordered a large
vehicle monitoring system this year. The city of Lübeck
has been using MICROBUS and BON for many years,
but just a few weeks ago Stadtverkehr Lübeck ordered
a new ticketing system based on our i.box printer and
other monitoring systems.
Why this sudden renaissance in AVL systems?
Mainly it is because both large and smaller public
transport companies want to provide real-time passenger information – in other words, information on
when the next bus or train will actually depart. Last
year, we implemented a system for Berlin’s BVG that
provides real-time ops data for each of the over 9,500
bus and light rail stops in the German capital – via displays at the stops, on the internet or even directly to a
mobile phone through SMS.
What do public transport companies get out of
this investment?
Their passengers appreciate it. The system helps plan
departure times more efficiently, shortens overall
travel times and provides a sense of punctuality,
thereby increasing passenger satisfaction. In a
nationwide customer survey last year, for example, our
customer Stadtwerke Münster (the Münster public
works utility) found that ratings of timetable infor-
mation at stops rose substantially after electronic
information columns were introduced. Satisfied passengers are the key to increasing revenue for public
transport companies.
How do you help public transport companies improve
passenger satisfaction?
A complete AVL system – such as our BON product –
combined with a good on-board computer naturally
offers the most monitoring and scheduling functions.
Yet customers can have whatever they want and
upgrade later on, if necessary. An AVL light system, if
you will, with a pure monitoring function, vehicle-independent operation or simply IBIS operation. We also
provide a number of wireless data transmission
options as well as our i.box platform, which enables
customers to more or less customise the functions of
“their” on-board computers and coordinate them with
the AVL system.
Do you still use the term AVL?
Yes. I don’t quite understand why automatic vehicle
location systems are suddenly now called ITCS: Intermodal Transport Control System. The term was recently proposed by the VDV (Association of German Public
Transport Companies). If this becomes the established
term, we will use it, of course, no matter how hard it
will be for me to get used to it.
Issue , June 
6
AVL at RegioBus Hannover
… continued from page 5
Commentary
Particulate emissions:
A challenge and opportunity
for public transport companies
By Dr. Olaf Schemczyk
A new debate is playing out across
Germany – without giving due consideration, it seems, to the underlying facts. We all know that public
transport motorbuses emit particulate matter. Improvements will
need to be made in this area if the
politicians do what the public
wants.
In addition to various minor functional enhancements to the on-board computer software, support
for passenger counting equipment and the addition
to the AVL system of an interface to the real-time
passenger information system, continuous improvements and adjustments to our AVL system went
hand-in-hand with the use of third-generation onboard computers. The system specifications, which
had been drawn up before RegioBus was even founded, required the operating data to be loaded from
memory cards. Because of the need to operate each
vehicle in any sub-region at any time, and since each
vehicle had to operate independently without sacrificing functionality even without contact with the
control centre, this procedure turned out to be too
inflexible and expensive.
To meet the new operating requirements cost-effectively, the system was gradually converted to wireless
LAN technology, starting in August 2003, in order to
supply the vehicles with data. This was accomplished
in the vehicles by using the i.box on-board computer,
which was installed in 55 vehicles. Transceiver stations that are connected to the RegioBus corporate
network via WLAN were installed in RegioBus petrol
stations - with a firewall ensuring data security. Turning off the engine causes the onboard computer to
automatically contact a computer installed in the
depot (WLAN server), determine whether new data is
available and load this data as needed. The on-board
computer simultaneously transmits the statistical
data collected during the vehicle’s last deployment
to the WLAN server.
Starting in late 2004, new RegioBus vehicles are
being equipped with i.box printers. In addition to the
ability to flexibly supply the vehicles with current
data, the use of on-board computers from the i.box
family offers another substantial advantage: Because
these on-board computers accurately record the distances covered within a time unit, operations receive
highly precise data on deviations between the actual and target status. The results are precise data that
can be used for statistical analysis. By combining the
i.box on-board computers with WLAN technology
and the operating statistics supplied by IVU, our company now has access to precise, objective operating
data. This gives us a complete cycle: The AVL system
receives its data from the upstream timetable/duty
scheduling program and returns data that can be
used for improving timetable/duty scheduling via
the operating statistics. In particular, the operating
statistics support traffic planning in the following
ways:
■ Identifying regular delays and taking this data
into account when drawing up the next
timetable. Vehicle punctuality can often be
improved through better distribution of travel
times along the route.
■ Identifying travel time reserves that used to “vanish” unused by evaluating stop times and
travel speeds.
■ Verifying regular traffic disturbances, due for
example to congestion at traffic lights. This provides traffic operations with extensive data that
is required to verify the need for bus acceleration
measures.
■ Improved adjustment of travel time profiles to
the time and type of day. RegioBus customarily
uses three travel time variants (normal, peak and
off-peak traffic).
At the same time, we should focus
more strongly on the fact that public transport is Germany’s best
option for reducing particulate
emissions. According to VDV calculations, buses and trains replace 18
million car trips each day. 26 million
people use public transport services
every day, thereby helping to
improve air quality. Every passenger
on a bus produces up to 400 times
less particulate matter than does
the driver of one diesel-fuelled passenger car. If driving bans are
indeed instituted, they will offer a
further argument in favour of public transport, which can only be a
good thing for us.
The author is a member of the Management
Board of IVU Traffic Technologies AG.
fahrinfo
finds its voice
BVG improves call centre service
Most of the people who ring the
call centre at Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) want to know about
departure times and travel routes.
Employees at 39 workstations provide timetable information on the
basis of a special call-centre version of fahrinfo-online, IVU’s Webbased timetable information system. BVG wanted to make the call
centre much easier to reach. Previously, a call centre worker would
spend an estimated 60 percent of
each call reading the desired connection to the customer from the
The fahrinfo user interface was
modified and an interface to the
TTS system provided. After calculating the connection, the call centre agent simply clicks the “Read”
button in fahrinfo and then presses a speed-dial button on the telephone, after which the TTS system
“reads” the connection to the
caller. The system went into service just before Easter and is running smoothly. Over the medium
term, BVG plans to upgrade its
telephone system and use the
enhanced capabilities of computer
timetable. The solution was obvious: Automating the process of
reading this information quickly
frees up call centre employees for
additional calls. IVU therefore
enhanced the call centre version of
fahrinfo-online to support voice
output via a text-to-speech (TTS)
computer from Siemens/CreaLog.
telephony integration. After this
upgrade, all the agent will have to
do is click the “Read” button in
fahrinfo without pressing the
speed-dial key. Customers continue to dial the familiar number
030/19449, which now has a busy
signal far less often.
RegioBus now derives dual benefits from using a
high-tech AVL system. Not only are operating procedures better organised, optimised and continuously
refined, but passenger satisfaction has also increased
now that the passenger transport service is more
punctual and reliable.
The author is project manager for operations systems
at RegioBus Hannover.
Issue , June 
7
Free-flowing traffic at the World Cup
Interview with Petra Reetz, spokesperson for BVG in Berlin on the company’s preparedness
How is BVG getting ready for the
football World Cup?
We have a project group that
meets regularly and is guided
by a steering committee. The
BVG project manager regularly
attends conferences at the Berlin
Traffic Management Centre to
discuss „routing traffic to and
from Olympic Stadium during
the 2006 World Cup.” Preparations for a multilingual passenger information system in BVG
buses and trains have been in
progress for months. The U2 line,
which runs to Olympic Stadium
via central junction points such
as Bahnhof Alexanderplatz, Potsdamer Platz and Bahnhof Zoo,
was declared the World Cup Line.
This means that we will deploy
additional personnel who can
provide information in many different languages at clearly
marked information booths at
these junction points. Routing
information is being prepared for
this purpose. The Olympic Stadium subway station is being renovated and modernised, which
includes building a new lift.
How much additional traffic
volume does BVG anticipate?
Berlin public transport companies have a lot of practice in
dealing with major events of all
kinds. In recent years, we proved
that we can master unusually
high traffic volumes – at Kirchentag 2003, the Love Parade and
the Carnival of Cultures, to give a
few examples. The Olympic Stadium does not have unlimited
capacity, and “only” 45,000 spectators will arrive at the various
games by subway or urban rail.
That kind of volume is not a problem. To this are added individual
arrivals through shuttle transports, which have been arranged
with FIFA.
Are we likely to see traffic snarls
in Berlin on the day of the
final?
Local public transport service in
Berlin is so versatile and connections so convenient that we do
not expect this to happen.
What is your biggest worry?
Well, I guess we are all eager to
know one thing: will our team
make the final? I would also add
the many events that are expected to take place throughout the
city at the same time as the
World Cup, the details of which
have not yet been fully communicated to us.
What does BVG think about the
hooligan problem?
We assume that the security
people will have the problem
under control. Our own security
staff will network with them to
provide active support.
Focus on MICROBUS
The PSYRUS user’s conference
took place on 3 and 4 May in
Kassel, Germany. It was hosted
by our largest MICROBUS customer, DB Stadtverkehr GmbH.
Seventy participants from 25
regional bus companies came
together to share their experi-
ences with the planning and
scheduling system. As part of the
PSYRUS project, MICROBUS has
been installed in all DB regional
bus companies over the past few
years and has replaced numerous old systems.
MICROBUS introduced in Dubai
Free trip to the game
For the first time in the history of the football world
championships, all spectators attending the 2006
World Cup games in Germany will receive a combination ticket for entrance to the games and for using
public transport service. This decision was announced
by Herbert König, Vice president of the Association of
German Public Transport Companies (VDV), and Franz
Beckenbauer, President of the World Cup Organising
Committee. Another first: Tickets to the game will be
valid not only for the ride to the stadium and back,
but will also serve as a day pass on the day of the
game in the networks of the integrated transport systems in the twelve host cities. As a result, visitors will
be able to ride the bus and train between their lodg-
ings, city centre and stadium without having to purchase a separate ticket.
The VDV has negotiated a framework agreement
with the World Cup Organising Committee for all
host cities and their public transport companies and
systems. According to Herbert König, chief negotiator for the VDV,“The negotiations were long and difficult, but fair. Both sides can be happy with the
results.” He added that the World Cup would be a
showcase for the efficiency of public transport service in Germany. In addition, the move would relieve
the cities of much of the incoming and outgoing
auto traffic and cars looking for a parking spot.
MICROBUS went into service at
the Dubai Municipality on 1 May,
just as the timetable was scheduled to change. IVU’s most exotic
customer is also one of its most
dynamic: During system implementation, nine new routes and a
hundred new buses were introduced. This is in keeping with the
current pace of economic growth
in the Gulf region, which is investing heavily in its transportation
network as a result of massive
construction projects. In addition
to IVU’s German staff, partners
from ten other countries were
involved in the project. A focus of
the project was to collect data on
the network, routes and exact
travel times prior to introducing
the system. The i.box on-board
computers were used for this purpose. The data obtained was fed
into MICROBUS, thus establishing
the basis for planning, scheduling
and operation control.
Issue , June 
8
Letter from the Management Board
… continued from page 1
th customer for
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear IVU customers,
MICROBUS® in Italy
MICROBUS because it is the best
system for special requirements on
the market. ARPA is the largest
regional public transport company
in central Italy. From seven depots,
it connects all the major cities as
well as most of the villages in the
region. The network covers five
Italian regions. “We are very
pleased to have received this order,
which means that – together with
the recent order from ARST in
Cagliari – we won two of the
largest public transport companies
in central Italy for the MICROBUS
system”, said Mario Stefani, who
heads IVU’s office in Rome. “This
puts us in an excellent position to
attract other public transport companies in other parts of Italy for
MICROBUS.”
MICROBUS now has more than
200 users, making it the most
important planning system for
public transportation. It supports
and optimises the timetable planning, the planning of vehicle
deployment and servicing, and
driver duty schedules for public
transport companies, and makes it
possible to provide information for
passengers quickly and efficiently.
In addition, it also organises the
daily deployment of drivers and
vehicles and data for payroll processes. Its optimisation algorithms
can be used to run through a range
of planning scenarios, so that a
given timetable can be operated
with the best possible cost-efficiency. IVU has continually developed and updated MICROBUS in
recent years and added new functions. The system, which was originally conceived with urban bus
transport utilities in mind, now
also meets all the needs of regional transport companies, as well as
rail transport providers in its MBrail version. It is also suitable for
very large transport companies.
“MICROBUS is now more comprehensive than any other system on
the market”, said Prof. Dr. Ernst
Denert, CEO of IVU. The strategy
adopted two years ago of developing MICROBUS to meet the special
requirements of regional operators
and rail transport companies has
once again proved to be the right
one.
Benvenuti a Roma – a warm welcome to all attendees and visitors to the annual UITP Congress! The
International Association of Public Transport has
2,500 members in eighty countries around the
world – it is the international umbrella organisation for public transport. The UITP Congress takes
place every other year. This year, it has taken on the
question of how the public transport sector can
address socioeconomic developments both today
and tomorrow. The answer will vary from country to
country and continent to continent, and yet the
public transport industry is clearly on a fast track
globally. Operators everywhere are investing money
as well as modernising and improving their systems because smoothly functioning and attractive
public transport service is the best solution to traffic problems.
The world’s largest urban and regional transport
show will take place parallel to the Congress: the
Mobility & City Transport Exhibition. IVU will again
be present at this trade show – in Hall 30, Booth
B350. In a space measuring fifty square meters, representatives of public transport companies will
have the opportunity to learn all about the advantages of modern planning, operations and financial
management systems for public transport service.
Let us show you our systems. We are looking forward to answering your questions.
The Management Board
Prof. Dr. Ernst Denert
Dr. Olaf Schemczyk
Dr. Gero Scholz
Piattaforma Italiana
IVU’s regional company in Italy
By Mario Stefani
IVU’s Italian customers
Mario Stefani
In 1998, we gained our first customer in Italy for
MICROBUS: SSIT in Spoleto, a city famous for its
“Festival dei 2 mondi”. The public transport company
ordered all system modules at once, from timetable
scheduling to the interface for payroll accounting. At
the time, IVU’s agency in Italy was still very small with
a staff of two – a representative and a consultant.
Thanks to an agreement with an Italian system integrator, we were able to attract three new customers
just one year later: CAT in the marble centre of Carrara,
CSTP in Salerno and ATM in Milan, setting the stage for
our current success.
In 2000, IVU officially set up its Italian office, which
managed to gain two more customers the same year.
In 2001, the six public transport companies that had
been using MICROBUS up to that point were joined by
AMT in Genoa, Lazzi in Florence and ATL in Livorno.
However, the largest contract that IVU Italia had ever
signed was with APAM in Mantua for MICROBUS and
a complete AVL system. This was the culmination of a
long bidding process in which APAM had tested IVU’s
platform systems against those of four competitors.
Although investments declined in Italy over the next
few years, as they did everywhere in Europe, due to the
general economic situation and tight budgets in the
public sector, IVU Italia nevertheless attracted additional orders. In 2002, the Liguria region chose the
infopool and fahrinfo systems as a basis for its integrated online timetable information system for all
regional public transport companies. In 2003, RT Imperia became our 13th MICROBUS customer. In addition,
the public transport company ACT Reggio Emilia
ordered a supply transport planning and scheduling
system for more than 100 buses. With the addition of
ARST Cagliari and ARPA in Chieti, the number of IVU customers in Italy rose to fifteen in 2004. The branch office
grew as well. Today, the office on Via Cornelio Magni in
Rome employs twelve customer service employees,
project managers, sales representatives and assistants.
The author is the head of IVU’s office in Rome.
Imprint
Published by
IVU Traffic Technologies AG
Bundesallee 88,12161 Berlin, Germany
Phone +49.30.8 59 06-0
E-Mail: publictransport@ivu.de
www.ivu.de
IVU Traffic Technologies (UK) Ltd.
Phone +44 (0)121 767 1812
E-Mail: alistair.quigley@ivu.de
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