How many passengers use public transport in Giessen and the surrounding area? When exactly and on which routes? Answers to these and similar questions will soon be provided by automatic passenger counting systems (AFZS), which will be used in the buses of MIT.BUS GmbH, a subsidiary of Stadtwerke Gießen (SWG). Four buses will be equipped with the AFZS by the end of the year - another six buses are to follow next year. The upgrade is being subsidised by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI). On 15 June, Mathias Carl, Managing Director of MIT.BUS GmbH, received the funding notification from Federal Minister Andreas Scheuer in Berlin together with 33 other beneficiary municipalities. The funding is part of the "Clean Air Immediate Action Programme 2017-2020", with which the BMVI is supporting the digitalisation of municipal transport systems. Andreas Scheuer emphasised at the presentation of the funding decisions: "Intelligent traffic management ensures even better air quality in our cities. Today, we are awarding around 60 million euros to local authorities. This will enable cities to optimise traffic flows and make mobility services more attractive."
Better planning of public transport services
This is precisely where the MIT.BUS APCS concept comes in. "In order to optimise public transport route planning, we need reliable data on passenger volumes on our buses. The previous random manual counts cannot satisfactorily reflect seasonal fluctuations," explains Mathias Carl. The APCS enables passengers on the buses to be recorded without any gaps. Mathias Carl continues: "This data enables much more precise planning and resource management in bus operations. This allows us to better adapt both our staff and vehicles to demand and make our services more attractive. For a valid data basis, we need to equip ten buses with this technology for our fleet size."
Better air in Giessen
MIT.BUS firmly believes that its efforts to improve air quality will pay off. "With our concept, we want to better adapt the service to the needs of the people who live here. Our aim is to increase the use of public transport in Giessen and reduce the volume of traffic caused by private cars," says Mathias Carl.