U.S. Department of Transportation Offers Webinar on Smart Columbus Program's Multi-Modal Trip Planning Application and Common Payment System

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) will host a free webinar on the Smart Columbus Program's Multi-Modal Trip Planning Application and Common Payment System (MMTPA/CPS). The webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, August 29, from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm ET.

BACKGROUND

Through the USDOT's Smart City Challenge, in 2016, the Department selected Columbus, OH, to define what it means to be a "smart city" and serve as a model for other cities wishing to fully integrate innovative technologies--such as automated vehicles, connected vehicles, and applications--into the transportation network.

Columbus is acting as a laboratory for intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and disseminating lessons learned and best practices to cities across the United States in an effort known as Smart Columbus. The goal of the Smart Columbus program is to connect people by creating opportunity for city residents to better access jobs and services while improving the overall safety and efficiency of the city's transportation network. The Smart Columbus program is comprised of nine individual projects covering three themes--enabling technologies, emerging technologies, and enhanced human services.

The MMTPA/CPS is one of nine Smart Columbus projects. The MMTPA/CPS will be used throughout Columbus and outlying communities that are serviced by shared-use transportation services. The project will allow travelers to create and pay for multimodal trips using an account-based system, which is linked to different payment media and modes of transportation. Columbus and the Central Ohio Transit Authority together wish to become a facilitator for Mobility as a Service (MaaS) by providing a platform that integrates end-to-end trip planning, booking, electronic ticketing, and payment services across all modes of transportation, public or private. The anticipated outcome is improved access to transportation options for communities in need to travel to jobs and job centers in the region.

Columbus defines MaaS as a shift away from personally owned vehicles to a solution that combines both public and private transportation services. Integration with the Smart Columbus Operating System is central to Columbus' vision for facilitating MaaS. The Operating System will serve as a unified gateway for the region, by combining the transportation services of mobility providers into a single platform accessible to travelers using the MMTPA. The account-based CPS will provide travelers with the ability to pay for all trips with a single account.

WEBINAR DETAILS

This webinar will focus on the Concept of Operations (ConOps) for the MMTPA/CPS developed by the City of Columbus. The ConOps conveys a high-level view of the system to be implemented from the viewpoint of each stakeholder. It frames the overall system, sets the technical course for the project, and serves as a bridge between early project motivations and the technical requirements. Finally, the ConOps offers stakeholders--and the larger ITS community--the opportunity to provide input on how the proposed system should function, which will help build consensus and create a single vision for the system moving forward. The ConOps for the MMTPA/CPS is available at: http://bit.ly/MMTPAConOps.

This webinar is the second in a series of webinars focusing on ConOps and trade studies developed as part of the Smart Columbus program. Sign up for the Smart Columbus newsletter at https://smart.columbus.gov to be notified about upcoming webinars. 

SUMMARY

Title: Smart Columbus Program Multi-Modal Trip Planning Application and Common Payment System (MMTPA/CPS) Webinar
Date: Wednesday, August 29, 2018
Time: 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm ET
Registration: https://goo.gl/forms/mvMa3XmSediNFdCf1

For more information on the Smart Columbus program, please visit the City of Columbus's website at: https://www.columbus.gov/smartcolumbus/home/.