A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MONITORING AND MANAGEMENT OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT VEHICLES

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates in general to vehicular monitoring system, but more particularly to a system and method for monitoring and regulating the use of loading and unloading zones by public transport vehicles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Normally, traffic congestion in the metropolis usually occurs during rush hours in choke point areas, including public transport loading and unloading stations and in street intersections. Public transport vehicles are usually privately owned and operate in specific routes along the metropolis according to the franchise given to them by the government regulating body. Usually, the government regulating body allowed several franchisee to operate on the same route to serve more riding public and also create competition among franchise owners to force them to continuously improved services for the benefit of the majority of the riding public. However, it also creates competition among bus drivers who are paid based on commission of their daily earnings resulting to some drivers negating certain traffic regulations in order for them to get and serve more passengers.

Consequently, government has to extensively use law enforcement personnel to monitor and manage public transport movement and regulate its use of loading and unloading stations. Government also built costly infrastructures for these stations to hinder traffic obstructions by public transports, however these infrastructures also create some sort of obstructions since it used up certain portions of the road which private vehicles may use during off-peak hours. There have been attempts to automate vehicular monitoring system in some metropolis using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags in a limited capability, including using these tags in monitoring of unauthorized transport vehicle plying on certain routes.

RFID tags in associate with monitoring devices are also used in monitoring vehicular traffic situation as disclosed in US Patent No. 6,781,523 issued to National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (Koganei, Japan) and Kinashi Denki Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (Zama, Japan), which primarily aims to efficiently acquire a short-term and long-term statistical data on the flow of vehicles and the situation of road usage. Said invention provides for roadside wireless devices installed at roadside positions corresponding to the traffic lanes entering an intersection. Roadside wireless devices are also installed at roadside positions corresponding to the traffic lanes exiting an intersection. The roadside wireless devices on the entrance side receive an identification number from vehicle-mounted wireless RFID devices of vehicles entering the intersection and transmit them to a roadside traffic monitoring device. Thereafter, the roadside wireless devices on the exit side receive an identification number from the vehicle-mounted wireless RFID devices of vehicles exiting the intersection and transmit them to the roadside traffic monitoring device. From the identification numbers received, the roadside traffic monitoring device is able to determine the entrance from which a vehicle judged to be the same one had entered and the exit from which it exited, along with the type of vehicle. While US Pat. Publication No. 2004/0263357 under the name of John Hamilton provides for a vehicular monitoring system used for public safety and security, the system is used primarily for tracking vehicles and reducing abusive drivers in the roads and for preventing vehicular accidents. The invention includes a brain box connected to a vehicle and transmits vehicular data obtained from a plate tag on a license plate to a mainframe located away from the vehicle. The system may have the license plate mounted on the brain box. The system may also have the plate tag be a bar code or a radio frequency tag. The system may also have the brain box include a plate scanner for obtaining the vehicular data from the plate tag, a central processing unit, a memory, and a transmitter. The central processing unit is in communication with the plate scanner and the memory is in communication with the central processing unit for storing the vehicular data. The transmitter is in communication with the central processing unit for transmitting the vehicular data to the mainframe.

On the other hand, UK Patent Application No. GB2408414 under the name of System 7 Computing Limited disclose a monitoring system for vehicles, particularly for a bus as it travel along its route, to monitor of its timely schedules in each of the bus stations along its supposed route. The system works according to the following: as a vehicle travels along a route, detectors along that route provided on each of the bus stop, are able to receive identification information from the passing bus and transmit this back to a central station. An embodiment describes a bus as the vehicle and the detectors located at bus stops. As the bus travels along its route its time of arrival at each bus stop is transmitted back to the central station. This information can then be transmitted to users (e.g. via a personal communicator or a display at the bus stop) which informs them of delays to the bus. The transmitter on the vehicle could be a RFID tag.

These features of the prior arts though provide solutions to their intended purpose, still do not provide for a computerized system of monitoring public transport vehicles and regulating its use of loading and unloading stations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To overcome the aforementioned limitations and technical problems of the existing vehicular monitoring systems, the present invention provides for a system and method of monitoring and management of public transport traffic flow, and regulating of public transport's use of loading and unloading station along the major thoroughfares of the metropolis preventing traffic congestion in these areas. The present invention provides for a system for monitoring and management of public transport traffic flow, and regulating of public transport's use of loading and unloading stations comprising of a first and a second wireless identification tags installed within a public transport vehicle, a scanning means installed along the traffic lanes within the loading and unloading station which creates an invisible perimeter fence of radio frequency field for identifying the transport vehicle and determining the position of said public transport relative to the said perimeter fence, a monitoring station which process and confirm the public transport authorization to use the station from the transmitted identification, and an on-board electronics installed in the public transport vehicle which controls the timed opening and closing of the vehicle door when docked within the loading and unloading station. Another aspect of the invention is the on-board electronics having the capability to record and transmit through wireless connection to the monitoring station the unauthorized use of emergency manual function of the public transport vehicle including opening and closing of vehicle door when located outside of the loading and unloading station.

The monitoring and management stations of the present invention are connected to a computer server through a Wide Area Networks for ease of exchange of data information.

The present invention also provides for a method of monitoring and regulating public transport vehicle by obtaining identification information from wireless tags connected in a public transport vehicle and transmitting wireless control signals to the public transport vehicle.

Those and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon a reading of the ensuing detailed description taken in conjunction with the appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 shows a schematic block diagram of the integrated monitoring and regulating system of the present invention. Figure 2 is a flow diagram of the method of monitoring and management of public transport traffic flow in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 3 is a flow diagram of the method of regulating public transport's use of loading and unloading station in accordance with the present invention. Figure 4 shows the schematic block diagram of the on-board electronics.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The present invention relates to computer network application.

More particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method for monitoring public transportation and regulating its use of public loading and unloading stations in the metropolis. Hereinafter, the method and system of the present invention shall be described according to the preferred embodiments of the present invention and by referring to the accompanying description and drawings. However, it is to be understood that limiting the description to the preferred embodiments of the invention and to the drawings is merely to facilitate discussion of the present invention and it is envisioned that those skilled in the art may devise various modifications without departing from the scope of the appended claim.

The vehicular monitoring system and method of the present invention have been designed to operate in a data computing network environment, particularly in Wide Area Networks (WAN) including intranet and internet facilities, Local Area Networks, etc. The method and the devices of the present invention coherently provides efficient and reliable monitoring and regulating of public transport vehicles on thoroughfares along the metropolis.

In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, the system regulates the use of loading and unloading stations by public transportation vehicles along the major highways and thoroughfares by receiving, generating, and transmitting data to and from a computing system installed in the station to control a particular aspect of the public transport vehicle including controlling of the opening and closing of the vehicle door when authorized to use the loading and unloading station. The system also allows for the monitoring of unauthorized loading and unloading of passengers along the public transport's route, generating and transmitting report to the network main server and is able to issue citations for any infractions made by the public transport.

FUNCTIONAL CONFIGURATION OF THE SYSTEM

The following is a description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention made in reference to Figure 1 which shows the present invention for a system for monitoring and regulating public transport vehicle, designated with reference numeral 10, in an intelligent roadway.

The present invention for a system for monitoring and regulating public transport vehicle 10 comprises of a plurality of monitoring and regulating stations 11 being provided on each of the loading and unloading stations S and which performs monitoring of public transport vehicle 20 and wirelessly controlling its usage of said loading and unloading station S along an intelligent roadway R. The system 10 is also provided with a scanner 12 which scans the vehicle for identification and is in communication with said monitoring station 11 and which borders a predetermined perimeter area A of radio frequency (RF) field within said station S wherein public transport vehicle 20 are required to properly align during unloading and loading of passengers, a pair of wireless tags 21 connected with the vehicle 20 and contains the vehicle's identification which the said scanners 12 read upon the entrance of the vehicle 20 within perimeter area A of the station S, an on-board-electronics 22 is also connected with the vehicle 20 and in communication with the monitoring station 11 and which performs information recording and controlling functions of said vehicle 20 corresponding with the authorization control of said monitoring station 11.

The monitoring and management station 11 has a WI-FI router 110 that has the capability to receive and send (wireless short-range computer data) radio signals 100 containing computer data with a docked vehicle 20. The monitoring and management stations 11 also has a GPS (cellular) transceiver 111 to send wireless "long-range" telemetry commands to the vehicle's OBE 12 and is used to receive requests for emergency assistance.

Further, these monitoring and management stations 11 contain the complete database of all the "authorized" public vehicles 20 plying the streets as governed by the entire system 10. In this case, unauthorized vehicles that bear no RFID tags and those that fail the requests for the transmission of a unique ID code when asked by a station's interrogator/scanner 12 will be easily identified and accosted by traffic officials.

Each monitoring and management station 11 provided on the loading and unloading station S automatically identifies public transport vehicles 20 that are granted access to use the area. Vehicles that are identified as "unauthorized" to use the area are barred from electronically opening its doors and are requested to leave the area immediately.

In an embodiment of the invention, the plurality of monitoring stations 11 are connected with a central server via a computer network 40, such as the internet, for information and data exchange between monitoring stations 11. The bus stations or the loading and unloading stations S are bordered by a scanner/interrogator's antenna 12 installed all throughout a predetermined area A within said station S. The scanner/interrogator's antenna 12 is installed to form an "invisible-electronic" perimeter fence F around the area A creating a delineated area where public vehicles are allowed to load and unload passengers.

In another aspect of the invention, the scanner 12 is preferably place beneath the concrete roadway R eliminating the need to construct accident prone perimeter metal fences or concrete lane dividers.

One of the wireless tag 210 is placed on the front side 212, preferably on the front right-hand side 213 of the vehicle 20 while the other wireless tag 211 is placed at the rear side 214, preferably on the rear left-hand side 215 of the vehicle 20 to be tagged by said scanner 12. The two RFID tags 21 forms a single unique code that is used to identify the vehicle and determines its position relative to the perimeter area A.

In an aspect of the invention, each of the loading and unloading stations S may allow to serve a plurality of vehicles 20 at any given time. It is also preferred that each of these stations S are allowed to serve transport vehicles 20 for a particular route, in this case, a vehicle 21 are only allowed to use several stations S along the stretch of said intelligent roadway R. This is to minimize the possibility of clogging and/or a longer queuing of transport vehicles 20 in a particular station S.

An on-board-electronics (OBE) 22 for controlling the transport vehicle 20 while docked inside the loading/unloading station S and monitoring the vehicle 20 while outside of the station S is securely installed in the transport vehicle 20, preferably in the dashboard, and connected with its ignition and power supply.

The OBE 22 has a central processing unit 220 connected to a memory 221, a wi-fι router 222, a wireless modem 223 and a GPS receiver

224. The CPU 220 is any type of microprocessor which receives signal 100 though the wi-fi router 222 from the wi-fi transmitter 110 of said monitoring and management station 11 while the bus is docked in the station S. This signal 100 is also used to power the OBE 222 and authorized the public transport vehicle 20 to use station S for loading and unloading of its passengers.

The modem 223 automatically transmit alert signals to the cellular transceiver 111 of the nearest loading station S in cases of emergency or problems occurring with the OBE 22, including power shutdown and tampering. While, in another aspect, the modem 223 may also receive signals from cellular transceiver 111 remotely deactivating said OBE 22.

The GPS receiver 224 is program to receive GPS position of said vehicle 20 in cases of emergency and when the vehicle 20 is in its route along the roadway R. This GPS position will be saved to the OBE's memory

221 and will be uploaded to the monitoring and management station 11 at the next loading and unloading station S.

In an embodiment, the OBE 22 includes a door sensor 225 attached to the vehicle door for detecting the opening and closing of the vehicle door and a door relay board 226 which sends an electrical signal to a connecting vehicle door actuator D for opening and closing said vehicle door.

The OBE 22 also includes tampering switches 227 which are activated when unauthorized tampering of the OBE 22 application has been detected, including the unauthorized opening of the OBE 22 casing or its lifting from its secure position in the vehicle. In cases when switches

227 are activated, the GPS receiver 224 will record the location of the vehicle 20 when the alleged tampering occurs and this record will be transmitted together with an incident report as determined by the OBE 22 to the nearest monitoring station 11 through the wireless modem 223. The switches 227 cannot be re-armed unless done by a qualified technician.

Switching the beacon off and arming the systems will entail a computer- enabled password directed to the OBE 22 and host of other documented protocols to ensure this "re-initialization" is not taken advantage off.

In another embodiment, the OBE 22 is also equipped with a signal output connector 228 where external speakers or alarm lights are connected for signaling to the vehicle driver whenever a violation is to be committed and to alert the passengers of the remaining unloading/loading time. A digital pre-recorded message is preferably used for this purpose.

A power switch 229 connected to a chargeable battery pack 230 is integrated into the OBE 22 to switch said OBE 22 and manages the charging of said rechargeable battery pack 230 when needed.

In an embodiment of the invention, the OBE 22 is switched ON when the vehicle's ignition key is turned ON. The OBE 22 gets its power directly from its own battery pack 230, which is recharged from the vehicle 20 power supply. The OBE 22 has the ability to gauge the remaining power charge left in its battery pack when turned ON. In cases when the OBE 22 battery pack 230 does not received any charge from the electrical system of the vehicle 20, which may be intentionally tampered by cutting- off power to "starve" the OBE and thereby cause it to shutdown, the OBE 22 sends out a beaconing signal or alert message which can be received by any monitoring station 11 that will investigate the OBE's power problem.

SYSTEM APPLICATION

The system 10 of the present invention is also equipped with several computing applications relating to the processing functions of said OBE 22 and to the ingress and egress application of said transport vehicle 20 when using the loading and unloading station S. 1. OBE's Processing application

Each time the public transport vehicle 20 starts its daily trip/route, it needs to dock in a bus station S to have its on board electronic system (OBE) 22 switched to activate its computing application and has its full use of the OBE's processing functions. When the day's trips are finished, the public vehicle 20 upon its return to its garage drops by at any station S and has its OBE 22 deactivated. When deactivated, all processing function of said OBE 22 ceases or is minimized.

The wi-fi connection of the OBE 22 is still enabled even when it is in deactivated mode. This will enable any vehicle with a deactivated OBE 22 to be notified of any important messages once docked into a station.

The OBE 22 is also deactivated when the system 10 is to be disabled momentarily due to heavy traffic congestion that renders the use of the entire system ineffective. The OBE 22 has also computing applications design to activate the proper parking and loading and unloading processing functions of said OBE 22 when the transport vehicle is docked in the loading/unloading station S or initiate a vehicle monitoring application when said transport vehicle has left the station S going to its next stop which is the next loading and unloading station S.

During ingress application, when a transport vehicle 20 entered the loading/unloading station S and has been scanned and authorized to dock in the station S, OBE 22 instantaneously connects with the monitoring station 11 and initiate a computing application containing the proper parking procedure and the loading and unloading process. When said computing application is initiated, the vehicle door relay board 226 sends electrical signal 100 to the door actuator to open the vehicle door. A preset timer starts a countdown from the moment the vehicle door opens, corresponding to the time allowed for the vehicle to unload and load passengers. After the time or loading and unloading passengers has lapsed, the relay board 226 will instruct the actuator to close the vehicle door. In an aspect of the present invention, announcement or signals through speakers which alarm passengers of the time left are set in predetermined time intervals.

At the same time while the transport vehicle 20 is docked in the station S, uploading of data logs to the monitoring and management station 11, if there is any, is initiated by the OBE 22. These data logs will be verified by said OBE 22 and once verified said data entries in the OBE memory 221 will be erased (OBE reading the memory station database??). These data logs correspond to GPS coordinates recorded by the OBE 22 corresponding to locations where unauthorized tampering of the system were detected. During this time, the OBE 22 is also open for downloading of computing application updates from the monitoring station 11. After the predetermined time to load and unload passengers lapsed, the vehicle door will be automatically closed by the door relay board 226 through the door actuator.

During egress application, when the transport vehicle left the station S en-route to its next destination or when it is already outside of the delineated perimeter area A, the OBE 22 will automatically deactivated the proper parking and loading and unloading computing application of the

OBE 22 and activated a computing application containing the vehicle monitoring process which monitors unauthorized door opening of the public transport vehicle 20. The GPS location where tampering occurs will be logged in the OBE memory 221 for uploading to the next monitoring station 11. While an unauthorized tampering of the OBE system 22, when the vehicle's power supply does not recharge the OBE's battery and/or when the tamper switches 227 located within the OBE 22 interior casing were armed, will result to the OBE 22 sending out a beacon signal and status report message to the next station S where the vehicle 20 is scheduled to dock informing of a tamper problem.

2a. Ingress and Egress Application

The ingress application of the system begins once a transport vehicle 20 enters a bus station S, the scanner/interrogator 12 scans the vehicle's RFID tags 21, checking its identification. The scanned ID numbers are automatically crosschecked with the database of the monitoring and management station 11 listing those authorized transport vehicle 20 to use the loading and unloading station S. If the vehicle 20 is "authorized" to use the bus station S, an "authorizing" signal 100 is sent back to the on-board-electronics (OBE) 22 to initiate the computing application containing the proper parking procedure and the loading and unloading process that instructs OBE 22 to automatically open the vehicle door and start a predetermined countdown. Once this countdown has passed the OBE 22 also electronically closes the vehicle's doors through its door relay board 226. Once the doors have closed, there is no recourse for the vehicle driver but to leave the bus station S as there will no longer be any chance to load on passengers. This way, bus drivers are forced to move on to the next bus station S instead of waiting in the current bus station S and causing other transport buses 20 to pile up from the long queuing lines. An egress computing application is activated when the vehicle door has been closed, this application monitors the departure of the vehicle 20 from the station S. Because the public transport vehicle 20 can be seen by the monitoring station 11 when inside a Radio Frequency field of the area A, the egress computing application is able to keep track of the buses, as they are visible in the RF activation field.

The egress computing application strictly monitors the allotted time for public transport vehicle to leave a loading zone so as to give other queuing buses the chance to use the same station. When the allotted time has passed, the computing application creates an "Incident Report" where penalties can be based.

If a vehicle 20 enters a bus station S and the monitoring station 11 identifies the 2-tag sequence as "unauthorized" to use the area A, no signal 100 is sent out by the monitoring station 11, preventing the OBE 22 to initiate the proper parking and loading and unloading process. While if a vehicle 201 enters a bus station S in a cutting-in position, as shown in Fig

2, where only the first tag 210 can be scanned and read properly by the scanner 12, the monitoring station 11 will send a signal to the vehicle 210, after a predetermined period of waiting time has lapsed, containing the proper parking procedure required from the vehicle 210. Another important feature is that the monitoring station 11 thru a wi-fi link established every time a bus 20 enters a loading and unloading S, can activate any of the pre-programmed voice messages stored in the OBE 22 to tell the driver to leave the station S or park properly or face sanctions.

If a transport vehicle driver does not follow the authorized route as per the vehicle franchise or mandated loading and unloading assignments and decides to load or unload passengers outside a bus station S, the OBE 22 having been switched to vehicle monitoring application records the GPS coordinates of where the bus' door were opened. Once docked in its prescribed loading and unloading area A and all the process of identification, verification and authorization are completed, the monitoring station 11 initiates the OBE 22 to change to initiate the computing application containing the loading and unloading process and all GPS records of its previous route are automatically uploaded. The information will serve as the basis for accosting or for issuing a traffic violation ticket to the erring bus driver.

In cases of very heavy traffic congestion as embodied in Figure 6, the system 10 is momentarily deactivated to allow passengers the option to disembark the vehicle 20 and walk instead. To momentarily disable the OBE 22 monitoring functions, the system 10 generates a list of all public vehicles 20 approaching an already identified "System's Deactivated Area". System's Deactivated Area is a place that is, in real-time, experiencing heavy traffic congestion. Because of many monitoring and regulating station 11 laid out along the intelligent roadway R to form a checkpoint or chokepoint, these monitoring stations 11 can ascertain the general whereabouts of public vehicles 20 operating in the system 10. The system 10 will then lay out a GPS grid perimeter G or Geo-perimeter G by digitally marking off areas to form a perimeter in a computer program installed with a GPS map representing the actual area experiencing the heavy congestion. The Geo-perimeter coordinates will be sent only to the vehicles that have been identified by the systems computer to be on the approach to the heavily congested area. Public vehicles that will not pass the Systems Deactivated Area will not be sent with the Geo-perimeter G codes. In another embodiment of the invention, the system 10 which determined the Geo-perimeter G will coordinate with a monitoring station 11a, which has been determined to be the last monitoring station outside of the Geo-perimeter G, to deactivate the OBE 22 of all public transport vehicle which will pass the station 11a. In a further embodiment of the invention, the system 10 will coordinate with monitoring station lib, determined to be the first station outside of the Geo perimeter G, to activate the OBE 22 of all incoming public transport vehicle 20.

A further aspect of the invention is for the vehicle's OBE 22 upon receipt of the Geo-perimeter G codes sent thru GSM cellular to process the telemetry commands. It will cross-reference the Geo-perimeter G coordinates with the current GPS coordinates and once it determines itself to be "inside" the Geo-perimeter area will automatically switch its programming to "Temporary Inactive Mode". In this mode, the vehicle doors can be opened anytime to give passengers the chance to disembark and walk. Since the OBE's processing functions have been deactivated, no GPS coordinates will be recorded in the OBE's memory. When the bus negotiates its exit from the System Deactivate Area and upon confirmation of the OBE's GPS receiver that it is outside the border of the Geo- perimeter, the OBE's processing application will be automatically activated. In cases of emergency situations, the vehicle has emergency panic button which the vehicle driver can activate. In an embodiment of the invention, the vehicle driver can open the door when needed at anytime specially in emergency situations.

The OBE 22 transmits thru its wireless modem 223, the current GPS coordinates, the GPS tag number and the vehicle 20 wireless RFID tag number to the GPS transceiver 111 of the monitoring station 11. The station computer 110 decodes the information received and passes the information to the nearest station S that can immediately reach the vehicle.

3. Ingress Ancillary Application

In another embodiment of the present invention, the system 10 also provides for uploading of new annunciator messages into the OBE 22 and transmitting the RFID tags 21 in its proper tag-list for proper disposition. The system 10 can also periodically change route assignments of public transport vehicles 20 and default time allowances for proper parking, time for unloading and loading of passengers when vehicle door is open and egress program timer.

The system 10 ingress computing application prevents transport vehicle 20 that had just successfully used the loading and unloading station S to return after a few minutes outside the station S. The application is set at a default of a few hours before the same vehicle 20 can once again use the station S.

The station 11 activation of the loading and unloading application of the OBE 22 does not erase data entries in the OBE 22 log. The OBE 22 system erases the memory log itself when it is able to verify the existence of the same codes in the station 11 computer memory (**note: Is the OBE capable to look into the monitoring station?).

The system 10 ingress computing application, upon the initial authentication of the first tag is at all times wirelessly connected to the OBE's annunciation program, whether a bus is authorized or unauthorized to use a station. It can prompt the OBE 22 for voice reminders of unauthorized entry in a station S to unauthorized staying inside the station S.

The ingress computing application is terminated when the tags 21 are switched off going out of the area A with RF activation field. When confirmation has been given that the tags 21 are outside the RF field area A, the ingress application formally stops tracking a particular transport vehicle 20.

The station 11 activates the OBE 22 computing application containing the proper parking procedure and the loading and unloading process. Once activated, the OBE 22 handles the process of uploading data into the system 10 by itself. If the vehicle were to leave the station immediately even before it has finished, the scanner 11 upon sensing that it has gone out of the RF activation field area A or the Wi-Fi link has been severed, will trigger the OBE 22 to revert back to its vehicle monitoring application.

The ingress application only has jurisdiction of public transport vehicle 20 that are physically inside its zone, whether overstaying or not. Therefore the ingress program can only issue an incident report for only three (3) violations while inside its jurisdiction: 1) Unauthorized entry and overstaying inside a zone; 2) Improper vehicle parking/obstruction or reckless driving; 3) Authorized overstaying or obstruction. Other such violations other than those mentioned above will come from the OBE's recorded log file: 1) Unauthorized opening of the vehicle (door open event) (loading or unloading of passengers outside a loading and unloading station S; 2) Extending the door open time while inside the loading station S, even when allotted interrupt time has elapsed.

Each Incident Report (IR) shall have a unique set of code, whether by using codes that represent actual date or time, so that, no two IR's shall have the same code. This makes IR resolution easy to track, as each code will have to be dealt with individually with no room for confusion. This makes it possible for a pair of bus stations S linked by network 40, to easily dispatch/resolve IR without confusion.

In situations when the OBE 22 needs to be disabled when vehicle 20 is commissioned for a private or special trip or the vehicle 20 is routed for repair, the ingress application, thru its ancillary systems sends a command to the OBE 22 to switch to "sleep mode" while simultaneously assigning the wireless tags 21 to the proper tag-list representing its condition. By assigning the wireless (RFID) tags 21 in the proper tag-list, initial verification with the system 10 ingress application each time a vehicle 20 docks in a station S correspondingly receives the correct system action. If a tag is in "No operation" Tag-list the initial entry of the bus readily identifies its on-board wireless (RFID) 21 tag as belonging in a tag- list of i.e. "for repair". With the wireless (RFID) 21 facilitating the initial information needed, the station computer 11 responds with the correct system reply in this case, it will not initiate the loading and unloading application and instead may just prompt a voice program requesting the bus to leave as it is under no condition to pick-up passengers.

Additional advantages and modifications of the present invention will readily occur to those skilled in the art in view of these teachings. The present invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details, representative contrivances, and illustrative examples shown and described herein. Accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the general inventive concept as defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.