Skip to main content

Denver RTD opts for wireless AVL and payments

Canadian company Sierra Wireless has deployed its InMotion Solutions oMG Mobile Gateway for Denver’s Regional Transportation District (RTD) to support mobile broadband access for automatic vehicle location (AVL) and smart card fare payments aboard more than 1,100 buses in its fixed route fleet. One of the top 20 public transit agencies in the US, the RTD provides services to residents across an eight county metro area, from the bus and light rail services to the free MallRide and specialty services.
October 15, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
Canadian company 7884 Sierra Wireless has deployed its InMotion Solutions oMG Mobile Gateway for Denver’s Regional Transportation District (RTD) to support mobile broadband access for automatic vehicle location (AVL) and smart card fare payments aboard more than 1,100 buses in its fixed route fleet.

One of the top 20 public transit agencies in the US, the RTD provides services to residents across an eight county metro area, from the bus and light rail services to the free MallRide and specialty services.

The InMotion Solutions oMG Mobile Gateway connects mobile equipment for RTD’s smart card fare system and new bus AVL system over both a Sprint cellular broadband network and new 802.11n garage-area wi-fi networks. It supports real time communications while buses are on the road and bulk data transfer automatically upon return to the garage. The management system enables managers to see how much data is being transmitted, which network is being used, and allows IT teams to update configurations remotely.

“We wanted a carrier-agnostic communications platform that would allow us to grow and upgrade as wireless technology changed,” said Tom Hughes, RTD’s manager, Intelligent Transportation Systems.

“RTD coordinated planned investments in its new fare system and bus AVL solution to deploy a very flexible, high-performance wireless communications solution that can ultimately serve all systems aboard its fleet,” said Scott Davis, vice president of Worldwide Sales, Enterprise Solutions for Sierra Wireless. “RTD now has the mobile communications technology, management systems and the organisational expertise to efficiently deliver reliable communications to new onboard systems using the latest broadband wireless technologies.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • PPP helps speed Chicago’s transit fare upgrade
    December 15, 2014
    David Crawford on a fast-tracked payment upgrade. This July saw the completion of the final stage of the implementation of Chicago’s new Ventra open fare payment system on the services of two of the region’s three transit providers, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and regional bus operator Pace. Ventra has been introduced to accept any contactless general purpose payment card, including personal debit and credit cards.
  • Florida awards e-fare system deal to Init
    March 8, 2016
    Init has been awarded the contract for a region-wide electronic fare management system in Tampa, Florida
  • Philadelphia’s transport system moves to contactless payment
    October 8, 2012
    US-based Xerox has been awarded a contract worth US$122 million to provide Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) with a contactless fare collection system. The system, which is to be installed on regional trains as well as buses, trolleys and subways, uses credit or debit cards to collect fares. Philadelphia is home to the USA's sixth largest urban transit network which clocks up 1.1 million journeys per day. Users of the network will soon be saying farewell to cash, metal tokens and
  • Iteris to deliver BSP system in $6.8m deal 
    January 20, 2022
    Iteris will use its asset management service for intersections and arterials