Performance of Automatic Passenger Counters in the Ventura/Lompoc Smart Card Demonstration Project

Automatic Passenger Counters (APCs) were deployed as part of a Field Operational Test (FOT) of a Fare Transaction and Vehicle Management/Monitoring System (Faretrans VMS). The test took place across several transit operators in Ventura County, California between May 1995 and June 1997. The automatic passenger counters relied on laser sensors installed on buses to count passenger boardings and alightings. The APC data was intended to help the operators meet Federal Section 15 reporting requirements. There were several major technical problems with the APCs. Some of these problems, such as incompatibility with other hardware and software components of the system, were overcome during the course of the FOT. However, data processing problems were not surmounted, and the test revealed significant differences between APC passenger counts and manual passenger counts. The authors conclude that, while APC technology may eventually be a useful means of gathering ridership data, the technology did not perform successfully in this test.