This article describes CRONOS, an innovative transport research project, completed at the end of 1995, which aimed to develop an integrated solution for planning public transport in Spain. Its objectives were to: (1) ensure that demand was always satisfied for every route; (2) reduce costs; (3) assign working shifts to bus drivers more equitably; and (4) reduce fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. It applied advanced technologies in: (1) digital image processing; (2) parallel processing; and (3) planning. Two different complementary systems were developed. The demand measuring subsystem (SCP), installed on buses, can quantify traveller demand, classified by date and time, bus stop, bus line, etc. It uses realtime analysis of passengers' 'footprints', which are digital pressure images, generated on mat-shaped sensors, when passengers enter and leave buses. The data exploitation and resource allocation system (MAREC) optimises the allocation of companies' resources (basically buses and drivers) according to various criteria. It ensures that traveller demand and all other restrictions, applicable to the use of these resources, are always satisfied. Data for this subsytem can be input via SCP or from automatic ticketing machines. Extensive trials are now being conducted by various public transport companies.
Abstract