Szczecin’s public transport as a role model

The on-route vehicle control and optimization system, dynamic passenger information, onboard video surveillance, an extensive ticketing system and the integration of as many as five carriers and about 450 vehicles are all features of Szczecin’s public transport, the comprehensiveness of which is appreciated all over the world. GMV solutions operating in Szczecin are an inspiration for the guests from Mexico, who before implementing the system in their city, will get acquainted with the best examples from Europe.

Szczecin’s GMV-implemented Central Public Transport Management System - one of the most comprehensive not only in Poland but also throughout Europe – has been operating in full version since 2015. Szczecin’s efficient public transport system is an example of good practices that the Mexican carrier is looking for.

The modern traffic control system has been designed not only to improve the quality of the services provided by Szczecin’s public transport and passenger comfort, but also for the safety of the city’s inhabitants. Even before the official launching of the system, the information gathered by, among others, the Video Surveillance System allowed the services (in cooperation with the ZDiTM [Road and Public Transport Authority in Szczecin]) to quickly find a girl who had been abducted in the city.

The operation of the fleet management and traffic supervision system (developed and installed by GMV) is based on onboard computers with GPS locators, which were installed in Szczecin’s public transport vehicles. Vehicle position data is transmitted wirelessly to the central system after logging in by the driver using the console installed in the cockpit, and then processed into information about the estimated time of arrival at the next stops. The inhabitants of Szczecin (and of the hinterland covered by Szczecin’s transport system) can follow on an ongoing basis the expeditions they are interested in by means of electronic displays and a webpage. A proper analysis of the data provided to the fleet management dispatchers also improves the punctuality of the entire bus and tram network, which is beneficial for all public transport users.

In Szczecin there is also a ticketing system with GMV software, including the Szczecin Agglomeration Card (SKA), a network of Passenger Service Points as well as stationary and mobile ticket vending machines installed in almost all vehicles. The system – in which the passenger’s profile and the reduced fares to which he/she is entitled can be set appropriately – supports contactless SKA cards (personalized and anonymous), which can be applied both as season tickets and as single tickets operating under the “pre-paid” system. Special validators installed in the vehicles record the time and place of starting and ending the public-transport journey, thanks to which the most passenger-favorable fare is charged automatically to the card.

The presentation of the public transport management system was organized by the Road and Public Transport Authority in Szczecin from June 18-20. The meeting with the Mexican carrier was also attended by the project manager implementing the system in the capital of the West Pomeranian Voivodship and by GMV, as the company responsible for the implementation and maintenance of the efficient operation of the entire system.