[December 19, 2012]

Siemens and Trapeze Group Team up to Improve San Antonio, TX Bus System Travel Times

Siemens (News - Alert) Road and City Mobility business has worked together with Trapeze Group to create a GPS-based bus rapid transit system that keeps San Antonio's new VIA (News - Alert) Primo bus fleet on-schedule with minimal impact on individual traffic flow. The new transit signal priority (TSP) solution is the first of its kind to use a "virtual" GPS-based detection zone for transit vehicle traffic management without the need of physical detector equipment at the intersection. This solution allows the VIA Primo fleet's on-board computer to automatically request a green light when the bus is behind schedule and approaching a busy intersection, improving travel times and getting riders to their destinations faster.

San Antonio's VIA Metropolitan Transit identified the need for a new bus rapid transit (BRT (News - Alert)) system called VIA Primo, but wanted to avoid adding new hardware on the street that would require construction delays and increased costs. The "virtual" detection zones are installed digitally on city traffic servers, unlike most BRT systems that use physical detector equipment hardwired to traffic controllers. The zones can be easily adjusted in response to changes in traffic flow due to special events or construction. The flexibility also means VIA and the city can add BRT lines around the region by simply creating a new route and configuring the new detection zones accordingly. This custom solution can be easily implemented in other cities across the United States.

"This solution allows riders to get to their destination on time, and it will ultimately encourage more usage of the bus system as reliability improves, reducing congestion and greenhouse emissions as people switch from car to bus travel," said Frank LoPresti, vice president of Siemens Road and City Mobility business. "This solution can be implemented in any U.S. city and is a perfect example of how our new technology improves the quality of life of riders while avoiding expensive construction and traffic delays associated with installation. Siemens is excited to work with San Antonio to offer such innovative infrastructure improvements."

The intelligent transportation system operates through Siemens NextConnect software and Trapeze Group's currently installed GPS system. When a bu is in a virtual detection zone, the transit system sends a signal priority request to the Siemens i2 traffic management system. The request is relayed to the intersection traffic controller which requests the traffic system to provide a green light for the approaching transit vehicle.

"VIA has been a valued Trapeze customer for more than 15 years, and they are an award-winning agency for good reason. Their systems and processes are state of the art, and their customer-centric focus is to be applauded," stated John Hines, president of Trapeze Group. "VIA understands that utilizing an enterprise solution such as Trapeze for their transit hardware and software enables them to provide these customer-centric processes and services, from real time information to advanced scheduling that provides better service and GPS technologies to know where the bus is at all times. The agency is a pioneer embracing technology systems and coming up with innovative ways to utilize Trapeze to the maximum benefit of both the agency and their customers."

The new system is being launched on December 17 through VIA's new Primo bus rapid transit system. For more information on the Siemens mobility solutions in the U.S. please visit www.usa.siemens.com/mobility and to learn more about the new VIA Primo bus fleet please visit http://www.viaprimo.com/Content/Default.aspx.

About Siemens

Siemens Infrastructure & Cities Sector, with approximately 87,000 employees worldwide, offers sustainable technologies for metropolitan areas and their infrastructures. Its offerings include complete traffic and transportation systems, intelligent logistics, efficient energy supply, environmentally compatible building technologies, modernization of the way power is transmitted and distributed, and smart consumption of electricity. The sector is comprised of the Rail Systems, Mobility and Logistics, Low and Medium Voltage, Smart Grid and Building Technologies Divisions as well as Osram Sylvania. For more information, visit www.usa.siemens.com/infrastructure-cities.

The Siemens Mobility and Logistics Division provides solutions to customers to optimize passenger and freight transport. The division bundles all Siemens business related to management of traffic, transport and logistics. This includes railway automation, infrastructure logistics, intelligent traffic and transport systems, and technologies for developing the infrastructure for electric mobility. For more information, visit www.usa.siemens.com/mobility.

About Trapeze Group

Trapeze Group delivers solutions that consider the full 360 degrees of passenger transport. Whether addressing the needs of a single department, an entire organization, or the community, Trapeze provides some of the most advanced software, intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and mobile technologies in the industry. Hundreds of government and commercial organizations across Europe, North America and Asia Pacific have turned to Trapeze to realize efficiencies, enhance the quality and scope of their services, and safely transport more people with less cost. Visit www.trapezegroup.com.

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