Cubic to expand University of Maryland NextBus system

Cubic Transportation Systems has been awarded a US$1.1 million, five-year contract extension from the University of Maryland (UMD) to upgrade its bus fleet management system, which currently features approximately 80 buses. They all have NextBus hardware capabilities, including GPS-based trackers, driver control units and automatic vehicle location to inform passengers of the place and time of bus arrivals. Under the contract extension, Cubic will enhance UMD’s smart bus offering by providing features su
February 2, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
378 Cubic Transportation Systems has been awarded a US$1.1 million, five-year contract extension from the University of Maryland (UMD) to upgrade its bus fleet management system, which currently features approximately 80 buses. They all have NextBus hardware capabilities, including GPS-based trackers, driver control units and automatic vehicle location to inform passengers of the place and time of bus arrivals.

Under the contract extension, Cubic will enhance UMD’s smart bus offering by providing features such as automatic passenger counting, automatic voice announcement and turn-by-turn directions. The new technology will allow UMD’s transit staff to track passenger use in real time, through the use of automatic passenger counters, which enables the customer to gather data crucial for optimising operations and improving services.

NextBus’ automatic voice announcement system will use the vehicle’s public address system and onboard light-emitting diodes signs to announce upcoming stops, transfer points and custom messages from UMD’s transit staff. The turn-by-turn direction feature will act as the transit operators’ personal guide to help navigate UMD’s multiple shuttle routes and assist in the training process of new and prospective bus operators. The installation of this new system is expected to begin in February 2017.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • New approach to data handling aids development of smarter cities
    January 11, 2013
    David Crawford has been to the Irish capital to see a potent memorandum of understanding at work. An imaginative collaboration between the world’s largest IT company and one of Europe’s smaller capital cities is demonstrating a new approach to data handling that could have far reaching implications for urban public transport worldwide. A close working relationship between IBM and Dublin City Council (DCC) dates from 2010. The IT giant was looking for a local transport authority as partner for testing IBM’s
    Read More
  • Satellite-based truck tolling provides Slovak solution
    August 12, 2015
    Slovakia opted for a satellite-based tolling system and following last year’s enlargement it now has the European Union’s largest truck user charging system.
    Read More
  • Next-gen sensor needs for safer, smarter cities
    July 1, 2021
    Next-generation radar sensor solutions will help smart cities deliver on the promise of optimising infrastructure, mobility, sustainability and safety, says Econolite CTO Eric Raamot
    Read More
  • Priority for safety and interoperability, need for DSRC
    July 18, 2012
    Justin McNew, Chief Technology Officer, Kapsch TrafficCom Inc., USA offers his opinion of where 5.9GHz DSRC technology will head in the coming years. The debate ranges back and forth over the most suitable technological solution for future tolling and charging in the US. However, the coming trend is common cooperative infrastructure: instrumented roads and vehicles with the capacity to communicate with each other over all manner of safety, mobility and traveller applications, many of which will involve fina
    Read More

Highlighted Content