TOMS Job Assignment
Scheduling the assignments of transport requests to vehicles is done according to the operational scenario. The job assignment is based on an application customized set of rules (framework of conditions). The rules incorporate elements such as vehicle availability, distances, lay-out, transport requirements, priorities and historical demand patterns.
In a PRT system typically at least one vehicle will be present in the station when passengers arrive, but otherwise transportation can be requested by means of the ‘transit request interface’. The transit request interface features a touch button for the actual request and additionally an intercom, information display (instructions and information) and timer (displaying time up to the arrival of the next vehicle) are integrated.
The jobs generated by the passengers are distributed to the vehicles by TOMS. The network system takes into account the currently operational scenario when assigning jobs to the vehicles. TOMS can optimize the job assignment on the basis of any logistical concept; first requested/first served, capacity optimization, minimization of empty vehicle movement or hybrid forms.
Distribution of empty vehicles along the track and stations is done by TOMS, taking into account the operational scenario, logged patterns for specific time periods and time synchronization with the arrival (and departure) of other modes of transportation at specific network nodes (when applicable).
Passengers indicate their destination(s) inside the vehicle by means of the available touch-screen (displaying the network and all stations). The vehicles themselves plan their route to the destination; the network control system ensures (time) synchronous operations.