KMB's Traffic Operations Management System Enhances Efficiency of Bus Operations Management

To increase the efficiency of bus captain duty assignment and dispatch, KMB’s Information Technology Department developed a Traffic Operations Management (TOM) system. By means of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, the parking location of buses can be easily recorded and the system will automatically make appropriate matching of bus captains and buses, making KMB the first bus company in Hong Kong to apply this technology in bus operations. The time needed for the duty dispatch process is greatly reduced from two minutes to eight seconds. The effectiveness of the TOM system won it the Gold Award for the Best EPC/RFID Implementation and the Bronze Award for the Most Innovative Use of EPC/RFID in the Hong Kong RFID Awards 2009.

As one of the largest public transport operators in Hong Kong, KMB employs around 8,000 bus captains and has a fleet of over 3,900 buses serving its network of around 400 routes in Kowloon, the New Territories and Hong Kong Island. Before the introduction of the TOM system, depot staff were required to manually identify and record the parking location of each bus, and to copy bus captains’ duty sheets. Every morning, bus captains went to the duty dispatch office to sign in and spent several minutes searching for their handwritten duty sheet to check the details of their duty assignment. In the event of any special operational arrangements, duty dispatch officers had to inform bus captains orally.

With the TOM system in place, depot staff can now record the parking location of buses easily by using an RFID handheld reader and upload the information to the system. Every day, by using their bus captain Octopus cards, bus captains can retrieve information on their duty assignment, including route number, vehicle license plate number, duty schedule and bus parking location.

Mr. Wong Hon-chuen, Operations Manager of KMB’s Lai Chi Kok Depot, said, “Since the introduction of the TOM system, paperwork has been greatly reduced, and the time needed for the duty dispatch process has been reduced from two minutes to eight seconds. In the past, a member of the depot staff had to memorise details of both buses and bus captains in order to make the appropriate matches. This meant that newly recruited staff needed to undergo one year’s training before they were able to handle the work well. Now, the training time for new staff has been dramatically reduced to two weeks. In addition, depot staff are able to dynamically allocate resources according to sudden passenger demand and different traffic conditions. The system also allows senior management to obtain real-time operational data and monitor the use of resources more effectively.”

The winning of the awards by the in-house developed TOM system demonstrates that KMB’s efforts to apply new technology in the enhancement of its operational efficiency have been recognised by the public. KMB plans to upgrade the TOM system next year and is now studying the feasibility of introducing a new generation of RFID technology to enhance the efficiency and reliability in the provision of data. This includes using the UHF transmission mode to replace the existing HF mode to facilitate a higher rate of data transmission, as well as the use of active tags to replace the existing passive tags. Active tags have built-in battery devices and are able to actively transmit data to the RFID handheld readers, allowing data transmission within a wider area.

The Hong Kong RFID Awards are organised by GS1 Hong Kong and are the only awards of their kind in Hong Kong. The awards demonstrate Hong Kong’s drive and ability to apply the latest technologies to boost business performance and efficiency. Organisations from different sectors, such as manufacturing, transportation and logistics, as well as public utilities, universities and other tertiary institutions, participate in the event.

KMB's Traffic Operations Management System enhances the efficiency of bus operations management, resulting in the winning of two awards in the Hong Kong RFID Awards 2009. In the photo are Ms. Catherine Yip, Senior Manager (Information Systems) of
KMB's Information Technology Department, and Mr. Wong Hon-chuen, Operations Manager of KMB's Lai Chi Kok Depot.