Russian researchers have come to an interesting conclusion. It appears that income level of city dwellers is to 5 per cent determined by public transport. Spending time in jams means losing money! Bewildered with global motorization, Minsk transport specialists have began serious trolleybus modernization.First, they placed GPS sensors in trolleybus cockpits. The sensors transferred signals to operator computer. Two trolleybuses have been running through Minsk for entire month and specialists tracked them on display, watching speed, direction, number of stops at crossroads etc. According to developers, any bus, tram or trolleybus can be literally crammed with sensors. Additionally, automated control system can report number of passengers or fuel/electric power consumption.
— Implementation of these new technologies can help to control public transport and eliminate long waiting at bus stops, - says Alexander Timofeev, director of electric bus depot No. 4. — And we will be immediately informed if a trolleybus is faulty, and will let one additional machine. Isn’t it convenient? In such cases driver can connect to operator directly from the cockpit — or, say, call ambulance if a passenger feels bad.
The project cost is estimated $ 5 m and is considered slow-compensating. Yet this is that very case when the end justifies the means. Time is money, they say!
