Swiss operator TPF leverages INIT technology for e-bus optimization and passenger information in Fribourg

The transport company Transports Publics Fribourgeois (TPF) is entering a partnership with IT provider INIT in order to establish automated processes to support the operations control center: INIT-made RESPONSEassist is expected to reduce the workload of operations control center personnel in managing incidents. The operator has just signed a first deal for 24 Mercedes eCitaro (out of a 183-units framework).

In the future, INIT will also support TPF in the area of electromobility: key components of the solution include range prediction for e-buses, vehicle health monitoring and driver assistance. 

Also INIT-made MOBILE-ITCS nextGen Intermodal Transport Control System, which includes numerous new dispatching measures, will be used to control and monitor the 250 buses in the city of Fribourg and the western Swiss canton (region) of the same name.

TPF to have passenger information automatically created

Thanks to RESPONSEassist system integrated into the ITCS, TPF passenger information can be created automatically on the basis of predefined texts and distributed to all information channels with a single click, incidents can be processed much more efficiently with the help of instructions stored in forms and operational documentation is created automatically, as INIT explains.

In addition to 22 trolley buses, the TPF fleet currently includes five electric buses. In the medium term, the entire fleet will be converted to e-buses or buses powered by other renewable energies, as mentioned above. Electric bus range can be monitored in the new INIT operations control system. The data is supplied by the INIT module for range prediction, which provides increasingly accurate predictions based on several parameters and incorporating historical data.

The driver assistance system also contributes to lower energy consumption: by providing information (e.g. when braking or accelerating too hard) via the on-board computer control unit, it helps the driver adopt a more energy-efficient and smooth driving style, which ultimately also increases passenger safety and comfort. The new solution for Fribourg is rounded off by the vehicle health monitoring module: it enables the vehicle condition to be monitored with regard to impending disruptions, even during operation, generates status messages and helps to plan vehicle repairs. This helps to minimize vehicle downtime, supplier states.

“We are very pleased that we have been able to convince another customer of the performance of our solutions with TPF in the highly innovative Swiss public transport sector, which is known worldwide for its service quality,” explains INIT Managing Director and Sales Manager Klaus Janke. “With the new system from INIT, not only will all tasks relating to operations control be more reliably and conveniently managed, but with our solution, the transition to emission-free mobility can also be successfully overcome.”