How to Transform Your Transit Operations with Automatic Passenger Counter & Digital Fare Collection

The pandemic changed everything. Automatic projects that were on hold or in the planning stages suddenly came online out of necessity instead of a luxury. 

The transportation industry was keenly aware of this. Shut-downs and restrictions made travel not only risky but impossible in some sectors. 

Transit had to transform its operations, too, with new protocols, new routes, better scheduling, and ways to handle passengers who were ill and could be contagious.

One way to improve your operations is through advanced and affordable transit management software to handle digital fare collection and counting passengers.

Why does my transit company need digital fare collection and an automatic passenger counter?

Sure, transit management software streamlines your operations just as any automated tools do.

But the benefits of digital fare collection and automatic passenger counts go beyond just your day-to-day operations.

1. Improve customer experience. No one wants to stand outside in the cold, heat, or rain while they wait in a line for people to pay their fares. Digital fare collection streamlines the process so people can get on board more expediently.
2. Stay on time. Fewer lines and fewer payment snafus enhance on-time performance. You don’t want supervisors to receive feedback about how your shuttle was 15 minutes late to a stop, nor do you want angry passengers to yell at your drivers.
3. Gather and analyze data. Transit management software goes beyond tracking daily stops and routes. It gathers and analyzes data you can use to make routes more efficient, decide if you need to expand your routes or fleet, and gauge passenger behavior over the course of a day, week, month, quarter, and year to determine how best to economize your overall operation. Do you need to raise fares? Transit management software can help you determine that.
4. Data storage is centralized. The data gathered by these tools are stored in a central location, accessible only by those you authorize to view and analyze the statistics.

I own a smaller operation. How can transit management software help?

Drivers and operators can focus on passengers rather than passenger counts.

Digital fare collection and automatic passenger counts give your staff time to actually drive the vehicle, monitor passenger comfort and safety, and pay attention to what’s in front of them versus worrying about whether they wrote down or marked something on a clipboard. There’s no more turning on a light, fumbling for the clipboard, finding a pen, and then marking the passengers on and off (particularly in the dark).

Your investment in physical hardware is not as great as you think it is. This technology can work with mobile apps on smartphones that your passengers already carry.

What about shuttle systems for colleges and university campuses?

These systems typically don’t collect fares. However, you need accurate passenger counts to determine how best to manage routes, times, and the number of vehicles on the route. You can deliver better service to the campus, whether your shuttle system is run by the university or outsourced to a vendor, no matter how big of a territory you need to cover.

You need the right transit management software.

Your operations manager needs the right tools to handle automatic passenger counts and digital fare collection. 

TripMaster’s tools offer a practical solution to help you streamline operations, improve passenger experiences, and optimize your fares and routes.

Contact us today for a demo.