SACRAMENTO, Calif., Jan. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Siemens
Transportation Systems, Inc. announced today that the Commissioners of the
Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) of Washoe County, Nevada have
approved the award of a $4.75 million contract to Siemens Transportation
Systems, Integrated Local Government (ILG) Division to provide an Intelligent
Transportation System (ITS) for its Citifare (fixed-route) and CitiLift
(paratransit) buses.
The system, commercially known as TransitMaster, will include integrated
voice and data radio communications as well as many other features. The
TransitMaster(TM) system will be installed in 68 fixed-route buses,
40 paratransit vehicles, and 14 supervisory and maintenance vehicles.
The Siemens' TransitMaster system will allow RTC transit managers and
dispatchers to better manage their service and fleet. This system will also
serve the Nevada public by making available more accurate information about
the location and arrival times of buses while increasing travel security. The
TransitMaster system transmits real-time information between the central
dispatch location and all buses through the data radio system. TransitMaster
uses Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) technology to track buses to their
precise location.
Gregory Tomsic, Vice President and General Manager of the ILG Division,
stated, "The equipment will guarantee the continuation of RTC's impressive
reputation for safety, reliability, and security as well as provide enhanced
efficiency and timely service-related information to the public."
"The ITS technology will bring benefits to our valuable transit riders,"
said Gregory Krause, RTC Executive Director. "The system will enhance transit
security and safety, improve operational performance and efficiency, and move
our transportation services into the 21st century."
"We are excited to start the implementation process, and are looking
forward to working with Siemens ILG on this project," said RTC Project Manger,
Tina Wu.
The RTC's new system will also feature automatic passenger counters,
automated onboard bus stop announcements, transit signal priority
capabilities, an alarm button on the buses that allows bus drivers to notify
dispatchers of emergency, paratransit scheduling software, and an interactive
voice response system.
"We are proud to be able to work with RTC. We have been talking with them
about this system for a few years and they have seen TransitMaster develop
into what it is today. Their customers will benefit greatly through the use of
our products," said Tomsic.
Transit systems in Ann Arbor, Cleveland, Monterrey, Long Beach, Detroit,
Minneapolis, suburban Chicago, Oahu, San Antonio, and many others have signed
similar agreements to have Siemens' products installed in their vehicles.
RTC is the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for Reno/Sparks and
Washoe County, Nevada. The responsibilities of the RTC include design and
construction of major streets and highways and administration of public
transportation systems serving Washoe County.
The Citifare system encompasses the cities of Reno, Sparks, and other
areas of Washoe County. The system includes a fleet of 68 buses on 25 routes;
covers an area of approximately 58 square miles; and services more passengers
than the Reno-Tahoe International Airport -- about 8.3 million per year. The
American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has recognized Citifare
twice in the past three years for its outstanding safety record.
The paratransit service, CitiLift, provides door-to-door, on-demand
transportation service, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, to individuals who
are certified eligible as outlined in the Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA). The CitiLift service area encompasses 246-square miles, including
Citifare's service area and additional parts of Washoe County. CitiLift
provides more than 200,000 trips and logs more than 1 million miles each year
with a fleet of 40 vans.
Siemens ILG, located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is a division of Siemens
Transportation Systems, Inc. (http://www.sts.siemens.com), of Sacramento, California.
The business began in 1995 with three people as a new venture adapting
aviation technologies, beginning with GPS and cockpit management, to transit
systems. In late 1999 the business was purchased by Siemens AG and became part
of Siemens Transportation Systems, Inc. Siemens is the industry leader in the
supply of bus transit management systems in North America and throughout the
world. The company provides a broad spectrum of products and services to the
U.S. transportation industry, including communication and management control
centers, traction electrification systems, mass transit vehicles and complete
design/build turnkey systems.
Siemens AG (NYSE: SI), headquartered in Munich, is a leading global
electronics and engineering company. It employs some 450,000 people in
193 countries, and reported worldwide sales of more than $74 billion in fiscal
2001 (10/1/00 - 9/30/01). The United States is Siemens' largest market, with
nearly 80,000 employees and sales of $18.9 billion for fiscal 2001. For more
information about Siemens in the U.S., go to http://www.usa.siemens.com.
SOURCE Siemens Transportation Systems, Inc.,
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Related links:
http://www.sts.siemens.com
http://www.usa.siemens.com
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/000728.html
CONTACT:
Bill Patrolia of Siemens Transportation
Systems, Inc., +1-319-743-1020, bill.patrolia@sts.siemens.com
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