Job expansion : an additional benefit of a computer aided dispatch/automatic vehicle locator (CAD/AVL) system

DOCProceedingsAdvanced public transportation systemsJob analysisBenefitsDispatchersReal time informationDenver (Colorado)ITS AmericaStearns, Mary D.John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (U.S.)NTL-PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION-Advanced Public Transit SystemsNTL-INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS-Transit ManagementVolpe National Transportation Systems Center, Technical Reference CenterThe Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) acquired a CAD/AVL system that became fully operational in 1996. The CAD/AVL system added radio channels and covert alarms in buses, located vehicles in real time, and monitored schedule adherence. The Operator Performance and Safety Analysis Division, DTS-79, U. S. Department of Transportation's Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, with the support of the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) Advanced Public Transportation Systems (APTS) Program, examined the human factors consequences of RTD employees' use of the CAD/AVL system.Dispatchers spend more time communicating about a greater variety of topics. The RTD dispatchers receive and transmit more calls as well as trace transit operations occurring both in real time and retrospectively. Having information, accurate in place and time, meant that the dispatchers could provide accurate information about on-street operations. RTD initially expected that accurate representation of transit operations would reduce the number of street supervisors. Because the street supervisors access to real-time information from mobile data terminals (MDT) in their vehicles, they have assumed more duties. Because they have more autonomy, they perform their jobs more effectively in the field.Installing information technology in a transit operation leads to many benefits, not all of which can be anticipated. This paper highlights the additional benefit that was realized as a result of installing information technology in a transit operation. The provision of accurate real time information enhanced the resources that employees had to do their jobs. It made it possible for them to act more effectively to support the delivery of transit service. This outcome corresponds to what has happened when information technology was introduced in other sectors of the economy