A method to assess and plan applications of ITS technology in Public Transport services with reference to some possible case studies

The paper deals with ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems) for Public Transport (PT) services management, as key component of the wider “smart mobility” concept. It is mainly a methodological contribution and describes the risks and motivations for which the introduction of ITS in PT could result (partially or completely) unsuccessful since some of the planned objectives are not achieved in terms of performance, cost savings and user/citizen benefits. This can be caused by an overestimation of the role and positive impacts of technology of some component and by poor user requirements analysis carried out in feasibility phase. In fact, functionalities of ITS should be defined according to the specific objectives of PT Operators or Authorities and adapted to the specific operational scenarios and organization contexts in which the system must work. It is further shown that ITS are generally made up by some subsystems and the overall performance is the result of interaction between them. The paper firstly analyses the current technology scenario for urban mobility and transport, and underlines that the technology alone may be often insufficient to cope with transport services requirements; secondly, highlights the key role of the feasibility study and user requirements analysis for singling out the sub-systems making up the overall system and for the design of technical, functional and operational specifications for any ITS application. Finally, some relevant possible case studies in order to show composition of some ITS applications, encountered problems and how to cope them are described and discussed.