A Handbook for Acquiring Demand-Responsive Transit Software

Abstract

This report is one of three written products resulting from this research, intended to advise providers of demand-responsive transit (DRT) services about computer software and other technology appropriate for DRT applications and assist software vendors in understanding the market for DRT software and technologies. Specifically, this Handbook is intended to assist providers in the selection, acquisition, and implementation of software for DRT operations and administration. It contains a good deal of introductory material on DRT service intended to provide a background for describing the acquisition process. This material is included so that readers of all backgrounds can use the Handbook. These subjects include a history of DRT service, the role of DRT in the transit family, the history of computerization of DRT and the current DRT issues. There is a chapter describing DRT and how it works. Another chapter deals with DRT software, including a description of the existing state-of-the-art based on surveys of DRT providers and experts in the field. The provider's survey asks respondents to describe their experience with and opinions of DRT software, to state their intentions for future software use, and to indicate their interest in about 60 software capabilities. Experts were asked to assess the future importance of software and hardware, predict the improvements likely in the future, and assess the importance of the same 60 software capabilities. The material on software also includes a review of the entire field of computer software as a basis for explaining that DRT software is a kind called specialty. The future of DRT software is discussed, as is the nature of DRT software vendors. Finally, a chapter on computer hardware is included for those who need a tutorial in order to use the handbook. A chapter entitled How Much Automation? is designed to help guide providers in the process of determining the value of computerization in their agencies. Assuming that a provider is convinced that it needs to automate, the heart of the Handbook is a chapter which takes the reader through the steps of acquiring DRT software. This includes an identification of all known vendors of DRT software and a list of users of each package, where they could be identified. The Handbook ends with a chapter describing other information technologies including: in-vehicle computers or mobile data terminals, vehicle location devices, mapping systems, interactive telephone systems, and wireless data communications.

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