Human Computer Interaction And Ticketing System For Light Rail Transit Essay.

Problem Statement

Discuss about the Human Computer Interaction and Ticketing System.

Light Rail Transit is the localized “Automated Guideway Transit Syetms” those act as the feeder services towards the “heavy rail mass rapid transit” that together with the Light Rail Transit forms the core of the rail transport services of Singapore (Al-Mosaind, Dueker and Strathman 2012). LRT utilizes the similar ticketing system as MRT or the Mass Rapid Transit. However, this ticketing system has faced few issues due to which it could not be able to provide an efficient service to the daily passengers (Schumacher 2015). Therefore, this project proposal is aimed to be implemented in this context to evaluate the new ticketing system for the Light Rail Transit. Thus, this proposal focuses of the process of identification of both of the strengths as well as weaknesses of the conventional ticketing system of the Light Rail Transit. Based on those strengths and weaknesses, this proposal is also aimed to evaluate the existing system by utilizing the evaluation techniques. On the other hand, this proposal is also aimed for analyzing the result or the outcome from the process of evaluation that would be performed.

This research would be conducted to evaluate the contemporary LRT Ticketing System. The reason of performing this particular research is to provide the vision regarding the issues in regards to the conventional Ticketing system of the Light Rail Transit. Therefore, this research is aimed to provide an effective resolution in order to overcome the cons of the ticketing system of the Light Rail Transit.

There are few significant objectives of this particular research based on which, the entire research would be conducted on the Light Rail Network Transit Ticketing System. These are as follows:

• To recognize as well as specify the weaknesses as well as strengths of the system from the actual users.
• To assess as well as evaluate the system by utilizing the effective techniques of evaluation
• To analyze the result from the process of evaluation

In case of the Ticketing system of the Light Rail Network, stations are segmented mainly two areas such as unpaid and paid (Cao and Schoner 2014). It permits the rail operators for collecting the fares by restricting the entrance just with the help of the fare gates (Dziauddin, Alvanides and Powe 2013). It is also known as the access control gates. These kinds of gates are linked with the computer network that can update as well as read the electronic tickets. On the other hand, these are also capable of storing data (Seo, Golub and Kuby 2014). Apart from that, this kind of ticketing system can also store the details or the information like the destination as well as the initial stations and the duration of every trip (Boarnetet al., 2013). The general machines of ticketing sell the tickets for the single trips for allowing the customers for buying the extra value for the stored value tickets. In case of this Light Rail Transit, the ticketing system utilizes the EZ-Link Smart Card  which is contactless as well as a standard single trip ticket (Cao 2013). In other words, this particular system utilizes the NETS FlashPay and EZ-Link contactless smart cards depending on the “Symphony for e-Payment System” for the public transit (Dziauddin, Powe and Alvanides 2015). This kind of ticketing in Light Rail Transit can permit for up to 4 issuers of card in the market (Brownet al., 2015).

Objectives

As a result of the conducted research, the major strength as well as the significant weaknesses have been found (Linet al., 2016). As per the strength of this particular ticketing system of the Light Rail Transit, it permits the rail operators for collecting the fares by restricting the entrance just with the help of the fare gates. These kinds of ticketing system are able to store data (Jaroszynski and Brown 2014).

On the other hand, this particular ticketing system of the Light Rail Transit also has a major weakness (Seo, Golub and Kuby 2014). The problem is that the “Automated Fare Collection System” software cannot be able to run successfully and effectively (Dziauddin, Powe and Alvanides 2015). It has the problem with its level of efficiency. Due to such weakness, there had been an issue with the ticket of the Light Rail Transit after P100 stored value ticket didn’t work (Boarnetet al., 2013).

The Light Rail Transit has faced a severe problem in their ticketing system. The “Automated Fare Collection System” software was failed to properly work in the ticketing system (Cao 2013). There as per the result of this research, it can be stated that the Light Rail Transit should take an immediate step in order to overcome such shortcoming of the ticketing system. In order to do so, Light Rail Transit has taken a decision regarding the implementation of the unified ticketing system (Dziauddin, Powe and Alvanides 2015). This new ticketing system of the Light Rail Transit can be utilized with the Light Rail Transit Line 2 wherein the people can their tickets as well as these tickets can easily be tapped over the machine. Apart from that, there is no need for inserting (Al-Mosaind, Dueker and Strathman 2012). The unified ticketing system is the contactless system or it is simply a Tap and Go system (Jaroszynski and Brown 2014). Therefore, there is less insertion necessary, while the simple tapping process is not likely like breakdown like the old system through which the card is inserted (Schumacher 2015).

As per the scope of this particular new ticketing system of Light Rail Transit, it can be stated that new Ticketing system that is going to be implemented can resolve the problem of the conventional ticketing system of the Light Rail Transit (Brownet al., 2015). Thus, the major advantage with the Unified Ticketing system is that this particular system is able to solve the issues encountered in the “Automated Fare Collection System” software (Jaroszynski and Brown 2014). The new ticketing systemof Light Rail Transit can provide the scope that the unified ticketing system can be utilized with the Light Rail Transit Line 2 wherein the people can their tickets as well as these tickets can easily be tapped over the machine (Al-Mosaind,, Dueker and Strathman 2012). On the other hand, in this new ticketing system, there is no need for inserting the tickets. Apart from that, there would also be the reloadable cards those are of the amounts about P20. In addition, the unified ticketing system is the contactless system or it is simply a Tap and Go system (Dziauddin, Alvanides and Powe 2013). Thus, there is the less scope of requiring insertion, while the simple tapping process is not likely like breakdown such as the old system through which the card is inserted.

Ticketing System of Light Rail Network

User profiling is the process to identify the data regarding the domain of user interest. In the current scenario of this particular research, it can easily be stated that the user profiling of the new ticketing of the Light Rail Transit can have the two significant as well as essential aspects (Schumacher 2015). On of those aspects is the efficiently knowing about the customers (Brownet al., 2015). On the other hand, another aspect is based on the recommending items of the interest of the customer. Thus, major customers of this particular newly implemented ticketing system of the light rail transit are the normal people in Singapore (Jaroszynski and Brown 2014). On the other side, as per the other aspect of the user profiling that is the recommending items of the interest of the customer, it can be stated that the customers of light rail transit wants a flexible ticketing system, which can provide them an efficient service while they are in hurry (Cao and Schoner 2014). The customer has faced few problems encountered as a result of the issues in the “Automated Fare Collection System” software (Lin et al., 2016). Thus, by concerning the problems faced by the customers, the unified ticketing system is going to be implemented in Light Rail Transit in order to overcome the problems with the conventional ticketing system.

Conclusion

After the entire discussion made in this project proposal, it can easily be stated that this project can become successful analyzing the impact as well as effectiveness of the new ticketing system of the Light Rail Transit. This proposal has successfully provided the vision regarding the opportunities of the new ticketing system of the Light Rail Transit over its conventional ticke`ting system. Most important part of it is that, the entire analysis of the effectiveness of this new ticketing system of LRT has been done by doing proper user profiling so that the user concern can be considered during the decision making to proceed with the entire project.

References

Al-Mosaind, M.A., Dueker, K.J. and Strathman, J.G., 2012. Light-rail transit stations and property values: a hedonic price approach (No. 1400).

Boarnet, M.G., Hong, A., Lee, J., Wang, X., Wang, W., Houston, D. and Spears, S., 2013. The Exposition Light Rail Line Study: A Before-and-After Study of the Impact of New Light Rail Transit Service. Research monograph at available https://trid. trb. org/view. aspx.

Brown, B.B., Werner, C.M., Tribby, C.P., Miller, H.J. and Smith, K.R., 2015. Transit use, physical activity, and body mass index changes: objective measures associated with complete street light-rail construction. American journal of public health, 105(7), pp.1468-1474.

Cao, J., 2013. The association between light rail transit and satisfactions with travel and life: evidence from Twin Cities. Transportation, 40(5), pp.921-933.

Cao, X.J. and Schoner, J., 2014. The influence of light rail transit on transit use: An exploration of station area residents along the Hiawatha line in Minneapolis. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 59, pp.134-143.

Dziauddin, M.F., Alvanides, S. and Powe, N., 2013. Estimating the effects of light rail transit (LRT) system on the property values in the Klang Valley, Malaysia: A hedonic house price approach. Jurnal Teknologi, 61(1).

Dziauddin, M.F., Powe, N. and Alvanides, S., 2015. Estimating the effects of light rail transit (LRT) system on residential property values using geographically weighted regression (GWR). Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy, 8(1), pp.1-25.

Jaroszynski, M. and Brown, J., 2014. Do Light Rail Transit Planning Decisions Affect Metropolitan Transit Performance? Examination of Eight US Metropolitan Areas with Light Rail Transit Backbones. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, (2419), pp.50-62.

Lin, X., Dersch, M.S., Edwards, J.R. and Ruppert Jr, C., 2016. Load Quantification for Light Rail, Heavy Rail, and Commuter Rail Transit Infrastructure. In Proceedings: Transportation Research Board 95th Annual Meeting.

Schumacher, R., 2015. LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT. In Proceedings of the 42nd Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Forum.

Seo, K., Golub, A. and Kuby, M., 2014. Combined impacts of highways and light rail transit on residential property values: A spatial hedonic price model for Phoenix, Arizona. Journal of Transport Geography, 41, pp.53-62.