TCRP Report 43, "Understanding and Applying Advanced On-Board Bus Electronics" will be of interest to transit managers, operations and maintenance professionals, bus procurement specialists, bus manufacturers and suppliers, and others interested in the application of advanced electronics to transit buses. The report provides an overview of electronics and its application to buses and other transportation sectors. The report then addresses electronic integration, potential benefits offered by integration, and transit agency experiences with the technology. The report concludes with guidelines for implementing transit bus electronics. It is intended to be a primer on the subject, providing essential background information to serve as a starting point for acquiring additional knowledge. The vast amount of electronics being incorporated into transit buses needs to be integrated in a way that takes full advantage of the technology. Advanced electronic systems have the ability to work together to perform a variety of functions to enhance bus operations, monitor equipment performance, diagnose technical problems, and provide important data to improve service efficiency and reduce operating costs. However, before such advantages can be realised, the industry needs to understand how electronic on-board systems function; determine the benefits such systems can offer; establish a standardised approach to system integration, data collection, and dissemination; and identify implementation requirements. Under TCRP Project C-10A, research was undertaken by John J. Schiavone to (1) provide a basic level of understanding concerning advanced electronics and its application to transit buses; (2) describe how the application of electronics to individual components has improved their functionality; (3) describe how individual components can be integrated into larger systems to provide potentially greater benefits; (4) describe the experiences of a representative sampling of transit agencies that have integrated, or are planning to integrate, electronic technologies; and (5) offer a set of guidelines to (a) help transit managers and maintenance personnel decide if a given technology is appropriate for their operations, (b) plan procurement strategies for vehicles or components using advanced electronics, (c) prepare maintenance and training programs, (d) take full advantage of the technology's capabilities, and (e) manage the data generated from the equipment. To achieve the project objectives, the researcher obtained information from a variety of sources, including 19 transit agencies employing various types of advanced on-board bus electronics. In addition, approximately 45 other relevant organisations were contacted, including bus manufacturers, suppliers, government agencies, and trade associations. A review of relevant technical literature was also conducted. (A)
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