Deviated fixed route (DFR) is a type of transit service that combines the features of fixed route and demand responsive services. DFR operates along a fixed route with scheduled stops, but also allows passengers to request deviations from the route within a certain area and time window. DFR can offer more flexibility and accessibility than conventional fixed route service, especially for passengers with mobility impairments or those living in low-density areas. However, DFR also has some drawbacks, such as longer travel times, higher operating costs, and lower reliability. Therefore, it is important to consider the trade-offs and benefits of introducing DFR in transit systems.
One possible criterion for introducing DFR is the level of demand for transit service in a given area. If the demand is too low to justify a regular fixed route service, but too high to rely on a pure demand responsive service, DFR might be a suitable option. DFR can provide a minimum level of service coverage and frequency, while also accommodating the specific needs of passengers who request deviations. DFR can also help reduce the number of transfers and increase the connectivity of the transit network.
Another possible criterion for introducing DFR is the spatial distribution of transit demand in a given area. If the demand is dispersed or clustered in certain locations that are not well served by fixed routes, DFR might be a better option than extending or modifying existing routes. DFR can allow passengers to access destinations that are off the main corridors, such as schools, hospitals, shopping centers, or workplaces. DFR can also help bridge the gaps between different modes of transportation, such as rail, bus, or paratransit.
A third possible criterion for introducing DFR is the temporal variation of transit demand in a given area. If the demand fluctuates significantly throughout the day, week, or season, DFR might be more efficient and responsive than fixed route service. DFR can adjust the frequency and capacity of service according to the actual demand, rather than following a predetermined schedule. DFR can also provide more service during peak hours or special events, and less service during off-peak hours or low-demand periods.
In conclusion, DFR is a hybrid type of transit service that can offer more flexibility and accessibility than fixed route service, but also has some limitations and challenges. The decision to introduce DFR in a transit system should be based on a careful analysis of the demand characteristics, the operational feasibility, and the cost-effectiveness of the service. DFR might be better suited for areas with low to moderate demand, dispersed or clustered demand patterns, and high temporal variation of demand.
Pat O’Donnell, our Senior Sales Executive, based in Omaha Nebraska, drove up the road and dropped in to see how things were going. In short, fantastically. So proud of our team and what we do for them. Here’s Nick Love in the middle with CJ on the right.
“Our buses provide transportation all over the Lincoln area,” Denise from Customer Service smiled as she explained to the lady’s voice coming from her headset at the StarTran Headquarters in Nebraska’s Capitol City…. “Unfortunately, we do not have a route that goes to LaVista.” The caller wanted to go to the Dance Hall later in the week.
Denise handles all customer service activity – lost and found, schedule questions, just about anything. She has that headset in her ear, taking calls no matter where she is in the office. Nodding her head with a smile, she greeted me with a wave– while showing kindness and patience, giving this caller three different alternatives for rides – (Lavista is 50 miles away from Lincoln). I was here to see Nick – Assistant Manager of Operations.
So, I am relatively new to Connexionz, but I’ve been in the Transit world for 10 years. Over time, I’ve visited many transit maintenance shops, operation centers – I’ve served on various transit committees, and worked with all kinds of other vendors from bus manufacturers to floor makers. So, to be able to have the opportunity to spend some time at StarTran in Lincoln was absolutely golden for me.
The audio/video technology I provided in the past mainly involved the specific interest of maintenance and safety officers. Each time that I toured the transit centers, I would see the dispatch center –but never going in. Though I worked with Connexionz as a partner for all these years, I never had the opportunity to see the Connexionz IT software in action. Thanks to the folks at StarTran, that opportunity came on a Sunday, Thursday in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Nick told me when we were making arrangements for my trip, “you can come anytime – my dispatcher starts at 4 AM.” A bit earlier than expected, my first thoughts were, “well, that would make the most sense but 4 AM is even a little early for me.”
Upon arrival, Denise took me down to the dispatch area – where first I was able to meet some of the maintenance staff who let me know that Marcos had just left the night before. Marcos Mendez is one of our Connexionz colleagues, who was there for several days, putting added equipment into the vehicles. The maintenance people directed me over to Operations and I was able to see that hallowed window, bustling with activity – Dispatch.
Several drivers milling about, sipping coffee or completing forms. One at a time, they would go up to the window to talk with CJ. With quiet confidence, working the desk with two radios, two telephones, two computer monitors, and a cell phone, CJ would smile and say, “Hello Tony……Hello Bob…..Hello Cindi, where are we going today?”
Each Driver would say something like, “I’m on block 74,” or “19 again today.” CJ would swing over to the Connexionz Dispatch Monitor, push a button or two – then say, “you’re on bus 343.” Of course, this was after he checked the manifest to ensure the 323 was available and ready to go.
CJ has been with StarTran for 8 1/2 years. Originally from Los Angeles, like so many on the StarTran administrative staff, CJ started as a driver. I’ll say as a sidenote, in my years in Transit, I have met so many senior leadership people in transit properties and transit organizations who started their careers in that organization as drivers. Understanding this really makes me smile because it matches up with my mindset about how to be a good representative at Connexionz.
To have the ability to understand the entire organization, and every facet by which it runs has unbelievable value. “You can’t manage what you don’t know,” CJ notes, as he calls a driver on the Overtime List. Between assignments, he calls to see if drivers want some extra hours or takes a call from another driver asking about a training class set for tomorrow – the driver’s day off. “You can come in if you want, and just take a different day off – your call.”
Meeting other colleagues at StarTran, the same holds true. Starting out as a Driver, starting out as a Mechanic, or an entry-level position, then moving up and moving along, bringing their value and growing their value in the organization.
StarTran has a fleet of about 60 Fixed Route buses incorporating electric, compressed, natural gas, and diesel powered vehicles. Plus, several minivans and cutaway vehicles for demand response work. Of course, CJ has responsibility for both demand response dispatch, and fixed route. He was pretty busy this day.
Not yet 10 AM, CJ had already sent out 15 drivers. This was after his first driver assignment, starting at 4:30. At one point a new driver came up to the window, handing a completed report to CJ. I found out the driver was new because, although I thought he was handing in a maintenance form showing the buses are available to drive, what he had turned in was his “Training Evaluation Form.” He was now about to go on his first run solo.
StarTran does a great job evaluating their drivers in training, ensuring they’re going to give their customers the very best service. It was kind of fun to be a part of this guy’s first voyage. Bus 370. Diesel.
Next, another driver walked behind the counter, and asked CJ for a moment. An Incident Report needed to be completed. Earlier that morning, one of his patrons stumbled while walking down the bus steps on his trip to a doctor’s appointment. CJ reassured the driver that the patron would be fine, and the driver did a great job managing the situation. CJ worked through all the facets of the reporting that this driver had to do because the driver was very concerned about the customer.
Again, I was quite impressed with CJ‘s ability to go from pushing a couple buttons on the Connexionz Dispatch Platform, to smiling and greeting a new driver, to managing a challenge with another driver and an important patron.
After a bit, I decided to take a quick walk – from the dispatch center, about two blocks away to the closest bus stop where I was able to pick up one of the StarTran buses to see it in action, and to see the Connexionz Passenger Experience in action on the bus.
Picking up the Downtown Loop is where I met driver Joel Wall. After years in the construction business, Joel’s been a driver for StarTran a little over two years. He said he’s never had so much fun in his life. The specific route that he was driving, on a Hometown trolley, runs the downtown loop to State office buildings, restaurants, and the Haymarket districts of Lincoln, which includes the University basketball arena and the baseball park.
As we circled the loop, Joe was amazed at all the new buildings and construction going up around the Transit Center, and around downtown. With a sense of pride, Joel exclaimed, “Wow, around downtown – Lincoln has completely changed over the last few years. Very vibrant and bustling.”
And StarTran is right in the center of the City’s growth. The Loop takes patrons on this specific route all around downtown for only a quarter – quite a bargain. And Connexionz is part of that growth. Our Video Monitors inform patrons of each upcoming stop – future upcoming stops, plus weather and commercial information about businesses around the area. After taking the run for a while, I said goodbye to Joel, and got off the trolley about a block or two from the transit center.
By the time I got back to the bus barn, Nick had finished his early morning meetings, and was visiting outside with a couple drivers and some maintenance folks. Certainly, Transit Management has plenty of internal meetings with city officials – plus lots of operations management happens just by chatting and interacting with colleagues. Nick has been with StarTran over 12 years. Like CJ, Nick started as a driver, working in that role for years, then going into Dispatch.
His recent promotion to Assistant Manager of Operations involved key responsibilities with the installation and transition to the Connexionz Route Manager and Dispatch Software Platforms. Nick worked extensively on Route installations along with Charlie, (pictured below with CJ and Nick), and was very involved in the Connexionz transition he worked a lot on routes along with Charlie. All of them worked from the beginning with the Connexionz Customer Success Team in Christchurch and Santa Clarita. From Connexionz, Nune Asalanan, Pam Heser, and the other members worked tirelessly to put StarTran Operations in a position to help build the growth at StarTran and in the City of Lincoln.
While we were visiting outside, Nick surveyed the transit operation facilities. StarTran’s has three “closely aligned” bus storage barns, (yards), and they’ve been around for a long time. They’re going to be doing work this summer to upgrade a couple of the garages so that the CNG buses and the electric buses can easily clear entry.
All the folks in Operations are very excited about what Connexionz is developing for the data warehouse upgrade so that they can automate the locations to the bus, without the need to review paper reports.
Looking over the facility with a smile, Nick was very excited about the new Transit Center that will be built over the next couple years just a few blocks away from their current location. “There’s a whole lotta growth going on, a whole lot of excitement,” said Nick. “And the City of Lincoln has been very cooperative in making this happen”.
Nick has been part of StarTran’s growth through good times and tough times. “During Covid there were a lot of challenges with driver availability and maintenance short staffed, but we are right about where we were pre-pandemic and we’re very happy about that.” StarTran’s ridership now charts at about the same level as pre-Covid. This fact cannot be said about lots of other agencies around the country.
So, Lincoln has a lot to be proud of. And Connexionz has much to be proud of as well. When Marcos left the day before, he had just finalized the installation of all Connexionz equipment in the StarTran’s buses, providing route management, dispatch, real time passenger information with video monitors, accurate, passenger information and passenger counting tools that provide reports to the senior management of Lincoln Transit.
Nick says these tools have been invaluable to the agency, right out of the gate. “It’s amazing in such a short time with the Connexionz system, what it has done in terms of operations flow and reporting to our senior management,” said Nick. “There’s lots of things that we have to report, and the Connexionz Platform makes it so easy for us. We’re also looking forward to more passenger signage and additional project work from the Connexionz people out in California”. Nick stopped and smiled, “Nune and Hugo and their staff have been so wonderful overall this time. And we look forward to seeing how that continues on”.
I have to say, my original objective when driving from my home fifty miles away in Omaha to StarTran was just to see firsthand how the Connexionz platform worked in their bus operation. Mission Accomplished – Certainly! As said earlier, CJ was consistently working through the Connexionz platform – managing his drivers, and his routes through the course of the morning.
Candidly, and with great pride, I was able to witness so much more as I met so many good folks in the organization – the drivers, the mechanics, CJ and Charlie in Dispatch. Over so many years, I have been in countless meetings with several transit managers, who consistently tell me that Transit is the lifeblood of a city, the lifeblood of the marketplace, and provides mission critical services to the community.
All that is true. I was fortunate to be able to experience all those things in a real personal way during my time at StarTran’s dispatch. It’s true, Transit provides a lifeline to a broad community for our cities, and our rural areas.
But thinking further, it really all comes down to personal relationships. Those are of the most value – what I love best about Transit, and certainly one of the things that I loved about my opportunity to visit with our friends at StarTran.
This year the Community Transit Association of America (CTAA) conference was held in Oklahoma City.
Lots of interest, leads, follow-ups, and even ideas for our product roadmap came from our time there.
Congratulations to Kim Viener, the Transit Director for Western Oakland Transportation Authority in Highland, Michigan who won our Garmin Instinct 2 smartwatch draw.
Winners are grinners, and Kim Viener from WOTA is grinning, along with Norm Sanders our senior sales executive
A hearty welcome to Maria Alsayyad, our new Connexionz Bid Manager. Maria has many years of proposal management experience. All our sales team members are celebrating loudly! We’re looking forward to working with her and seeing fantastic results.
You may or may not be aware that our US Bank was Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), which failed a couple of weeks ago.
Fortunately, all our funds deposited there were insured.
We also have a USD denominated bank account with another bank, and we directed customers to divert their payments there from the following Monday onwards.
Those of our customers who pay with paper cheques were advised to send them to our Valencia office.
Though this is a dramatic event, it turns out that it had minimal impact on us.
Following SVB’s collapse, the Federal authorities transferred all the bank’s deposits and loans to a bridge bank.
We have been receiving banking services from this bridge bank for quite a few days now though international transfers only became operational over this week.
Our NZ bank, Westpac, has been supportive and expanded our line of credit to ensure we get through all these transitions without any trouble.
Earlier this week, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) announced that a North Carolina bank, First Citizens, has purchased SVB’s assets, deposits and loans. After the transaction is complete, FCB will be slightly bigger than SVB before it fell.
FCB say that from last Monday (UST), SVB will begin trading as “Silicon Valley Bank, a division of First Citizen Bank”.
It looks like the combined bank will be stronger than the original SVB as there is greater diversity among the customers.
We will continue to maintain our accounts with the new SVB but we will be opening other accounts with another yet to be finalized bank, as we think this is a prudent thing to do.
Tony Kan
Executive Chair
[email protected]
Hi Folks
You may or may not be aware that our US Bank was Silicon Valley Bank, which failed on Friday.
Fortunately, all our funds deposited there are insured.
We also have a USD denominated bank account with another bank, and we will be directing customers to divert their payments there from Monday onwards.
Those of our customers who pay with paper cheques will be advised to send them to our Valencia office.
Though this is a dramatic event, it turns out that it will have minimal impact on us.
If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Tony Kan
Executive Chair
Connexionz Ltd
[email protected]
US: 661-568-6274
NZ 027 433 9745
Welcome to Jamie Palmer who has joined us at Connexionz as a Sales Associate. I’m constantly impressed with how fast he is picking everything up and getting things done.
He’s a business graduate of the University of Canterbury and loves basketball. Everyone looks up to him as he’s well over 6 feet tall.
Here’s a big shout-out to Chris Woods at Sourced for her fantastic help with the recruitment.
Christchurch City’s bus services and routes are managed and provided by Environment Canterbury (ECan) and, operate under the branding Metro. The former city bus exchange, built over the past twenty years, as a result of its remarkable success, it was bursting at the seams within a decade. Improvements in bus services and infrastructure created massive growth outpacing the forecasts from which the bus exchanges design arose.
With off-site layover, stop sharing and dynamic bay allocation, Christchurch’s former bus exchange was managing twice the bus flows in less than half the space of the on street terminal it replaced. But everything changed when a devastating earthquake forced the closure and demolition of most buildings in the central city, including the bus exchange.
To ensure growth and accessibility after the astonishing earthquake, the New Zealand government stated that its first rebuild anchor project would be a new central city bus terminal. It is well known that a successful transit project will help boost economies. The theory was tested to the limit when Christchurch’s central business district had to be re-imagined from the ground up. The disaster had presented Christchurch an opportunity to start anew — creating stronger safer buildings and infrastructure fitted with advanced technology and systems.
This time it would have room for growth with a modern design comprising 16 operational bays, more seating, and several new facilities including a café, shops, and a covered bike-lock area. It would also have the same high-quality services and infrastructure of the former bus exchange that customers demanded while providing some well-thought-out audible and visual components to assist passengers in finding their way and improving the station and system’s accessibility. It is well known that a successful transit project will help boost economies.
Bus routes would once again connect at the central bus station and extend out to reach nearby locations in Canterbury including; Kaiapoi, Woodend, Rangiora, Lincoln, Prebbleton, Templeton, and Rolleston. Most importantly, the central station could bring new development in from outside of the city limits via public transportation, which Christchurch was in need of badly.
Working with the Christchurch City Council and ECan, Connexionz was contracted to redesign, develop and install the core technology needed to manage bus movements and provide real-time bus information services.
But the new bus station design would be a controversial one. It would have sawtooth bays and reversing buses within an L-shaped building enclosure that would have an active retail frontage to two principal streets. The objective was to create a people[1]focused, small off-street bus station that would form a primary part of the city’s fabric as a central destination in a prominent main street. The innovative design was questioned as unorthodox and potentially unsafe with reversing buses, despite proven examples in the UK and European terminals. With extensive field testing to ensure it would work, New Zealand transit specialists set about guaranteeing the new Christchurch Bus Interchange would present a safe and modern mobility option that would contribute to getting the city working again.
The Interchange includes modern and innovative technology with essential safety features in the design. Locking glass doors that line up with the bus doors would segregate pedestrians from bus movements. Drivers would be trained to reverse into the wide roadways with 3D driver training simulation tools before taking to the wheel. Reversing cameras would be fitted in all buses. Alarms now ring if unauthorized people or vehicles are in the restricted bay areas. The technology successfully monitors every movement and directs drivers to their bays with additional help from automated processes such as door openings along the way. A central control tower would also watch over and manage everything via live camera and data feeds into their Connexionz ITS dashboards.
To help the design team meet these new challenges, Connexionz augmented its Intelligent Transport System (ITS) to control the bus movements in and out of the bays. The system had to manage every bus seamlessly, with sensors to enable automatic bay allocation, door opening and closing, and driver notification. It also had to be fully automated, with an extensive dashboard view of the entire network to provide control room staff the supervisory capability to manage every bay, bus, driver, and service.
› An ITS that will provide control room personnel with a dashboard view and supervisory control across the entire system
› Dynamic bay allocation works well for compact transit terminals by making use of all bays and directing drivers which bay to go to
› Automatic synchronous door systems keep passengers safe from reversing buses
› Real-time information of bus location and stages of loading keeps operation staff fully informed of the network status
Today, Christchurch buses transport 18,000 passengers every day. With population and public transport growth, the system is expected to manage up to 70,000 passengers per day by the year 2041. It is no surprise the transit center is respected as a staple and core of the ongoing rebuilding effort in CBD.
The audio and visual components make traveling in and out of the CBD a lot easier for frequent riders. Routes are grouped geographically into four groups of four bays. The ITS system then dynamically assigns bay numbers to approach buses based on route number and direction, notifying drivers via the displays located at the driveway entrance.
The system also tracks buses on approach to the bus station, and monitors bay use and stages of loading in the station. It can even borrow spaces from adjacent stands to increase the natural standard of four stops to five or six if needed. This feature has been essential, as the ITS system has had to cope with some seriously out-of-order buses due to the extensive infrastructure rebuilding and traffic diversions throughout the city after the earthquakes.
Connexionz real-time information service also provides a fully integrated commuter experience by keeping passengers informed via electronic displays and solar-powered displays at bus stops, audio announcements, Braille totems, and a Smartphone app. Passengers are directed to their allocated bay well before a bus is set to arrive. The system accommodates those with hearing or vision issues while making the transit experience seamless.
Respected transit consultant Jarrett Walker commented on the space in an article after the unveiling, “It’s a fine building: spacious, well-lit, with a little cafe as well as great information, both human and automated.” You can read his comments here.
When the new bus exchange opened in May 2015, the Canterbury earthquake recovery minister Gerry Brownlee said the facility’s opening was “a great moment for Christchurch.” He said, “The Interchange is stylish and user-friendly, with airport-style passenger lounges that will ensure people can wait for their buses in comfort and be protected from the elements. It is also designed with a real emphasis on safety and sustainability. Having an attractive facility like this is crucial if we want to attract more people to public transport.”
The redesign of Christchurch’s bus interchange continues to receive significant international interest from global agencies seeking to improve service efficiencies and increase patronage.
“The new terminal is impressive. It’s modern, clean, efficient and more spacious than the previous bus exchange. The enclosed waiting areas are comfortable and dry, the information is clear and easy to follow, and the automatic doors keep the warmth in and the exhaust fumes out. I’ve used buses in some cities overseas, and by comparison, I think we have one of the best and most commuter-friendly bus terminals in the world.” – Susan Rollins
› Clear signs and intelligent integrated technology keep passengers well-informed throughout their journey.
› Real-time information of bus arrival and departure times makes the trip less stressful and more comfortable.
› Automatic synchronous opening of both bus and exchange door systems maintains climate control, ensures passenger safety, and protect riders from fumes.
› Audio announcements and Braille totems help hearing and visually impaired passengers to locate their bus.
© 2017 Connexionz. All Rights Reserved.
It was great to meet Tim Bates and Lisa Scherf at the City of Corvallis Transit and to hear from them how Connexionz has provided them with a terrific experience over many years.
All the credit has to go to the rest of the Connexionz team. They’ve done a wonderful job over the last two and a half years despite COVID-19. Thanks to Tim for also letting us hijack his boardroom for a Teams meeting! #its #connexionz #its #dispatch #transit #corvallis
A hearty welcome to Muskegon Area Transit System in Michigan, whose Connexionz system deployment was completed a few weeks ago.
When we did the stop survey for them, it was minus 15 degrees Celsius! Some stops were covered in several feet of snow.
Fortunately, our resourceful technician Pam Heser used to be in the armed forces and she wore the best polar gear.
Meanwhile, some of us in New Zealand were in shorts and sandals, cooking sausages on our barbecues. 🙂
You can read more about their new system here.