GMV modernizes Rabat’s urban transport

The passenger transport company ALSA, in a joint venture with the local firm CITYBUS TRANSPORT, has been awarded the concession for running Rabat’s urban transport service, with an initial 350-vehicle fleet to be enlarged to 500 in the coming years. It then selected GMV for supplying the fare-collection, fleet-management and passenger-information systems in the Moroccan capital city.

The onboard equipment is based on ETC-606i-8 ticket vending machines, which, fitted with a GPS receiver and built-in communications modem, also caters for validation of contactless cards.

The fleet-management control center will tap into vehicle positioning information to run the service; the movement of the whole fleet is displayed on GIS screens with text-message driver communication. Calculation of the bus-stop passing times, managed by the control center itself, will be sent on to the bus-stop information panels, with automatic adjustment indications also being sent to drivers who are running late or early.

ALSA has developed applications and system-integrating devices to obtain necessary information. These will then be drawn on to furnish passengers with web applications and Smartphone APPs for card recharging, checking their remaining travel credits and recent movements. Users will also be told about the bus-stop passing times, timetables and line routes.

The system also comprises 120 LED-type panels giving information on passing times at the main stops. Inspectors will be issued with 30 handhelds enabling them to check on any fraudulent passengers and hand out fines.

As for the ticket recharging network, this allows not only web- or APP-based recharging but also onboard recharging. Two automatic ticket-supply and -recharging machines will be installed in the city’s two main stations, with another 20 attended recharging posts distributed throughout the cit.

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