City of Richmond, B.C. Enabled with Real-Time Public Transit Status Information

Novax Industries and Tropos Networks Provide Solutions for Dynamic Transit Information Along Richmond Highways

Vancouver, BC, and Sunnyvale, CA -- August 6, 2010 - Novax Industries and Tropos Networks announced today that a pilot project with the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure went live in the city of Richmond. The project was undertaken to provide dependable and timely information to the traveling public as most similar systems reflect bus schedules and do not provide real-time information.  The project demonstrates real-time dynamic passenger information for transit riders of southbound Highway 99 and Steveston Highway bus stops in Richmond, B.C.

 “A television monitor will let people waiting for southbound buses on Highway 99 know in real time when the next buses arrive,” explained Linda Reid, Richmond East Member of the Legislative Assembly. “This is another example of our efforts to improve transit services by making them attractive and accessible.”

Novax’s InfoPOD software links buses leaving the Bridgeport Canada Line station via the Tropos wireless broadband mesh network to an outdoor LCD display. The display is located over five miles away at the Highway 99 and Steveston Highway bus stop. The information is displayed on the LCD screens, providing passengers with accurate information on bus arrival information.  Accurate time to arrival information generation for buses operating in mixed traffic has been problematic.  The Tropos wireless mesh network makes it possible to report the progress of a bus in great detail to ensure timely accuracy that was only possible for rail systems with a dedicated right of way and highly specialized operational infrastructure.

The Tropos network enables the buses to constantly report their position and speed, thereby estimating arrival times at various stops. The network makes it possible to network a number of moving buses with the passenger information displays. In this way, the display goes beyond simply providing an estimated time to arrival, it also shows the dynamic location of approaching buses on a map. The time-to-arrival is a real time calculation: if the bus is delayed, the display automatically increases the estimated time to arrival. Additionally, the Tropos network makes it possible to send special messages (visual and audio) in real time to passengers on the displays.

“We are pleased to be part of the solution with Novax to help improve traffic flow and increase public transportation ridership,” said Mike Bailey, vice president of engineering and operations for Tropos Networks.

About Tropos Networks
Tropos® Networks is the worldwide market leader in IP broadband mesh network systems.  Its solutions create greener, safer, smarter communications foundations for deployment of high-value applications that increase efficiencies and reduce operational costs within communities.  Greener – smart grids and intelligent transportation systems.  Safer – mobile public safety communications and IP video surveillance.  Smarter – enabling mobile workers to access information from the field.  Tropos is a proud supporter of American Forests’s Global Releaf effort and is planting a tree for each router sold.  Tropos delivers the highest levels of reliability, scalability, performance, security, and control in the industry with more than 750 customers in over 30 countries.  Founded in 2000, Tropos Networks headquarters are in Sunnyvale, California. For more information, please call 408-331-6800 email info@tropos.com.