Tauranga & Mt Maunganui - Bay of Plenty

Population - Area: 109,100 (2006)Educational Facilities: 38Primary Schools: 27

New Zealand cities are known to be failing to utilise and maximise the potential of public transport, in particular, bus services. City traffic peaks at times of the day when workers commute and children are arriving at, or leaving, school. Lack of a safe and viable transport alternative for parents of young school children in urban areas is causing congestion in our cities and the need for individual car ownership.

The effect of this traffic situation can be measured through calculating CO2 emissions from the number of cars on the road and the distance they travel daily. In this case, the number of children heading to school in cars has been used to visualise this effect.

This scenario is used to illustrate a safe and comprehensive school transport system as it would be implemented by Telecom5up in Tauranga, New Zealand.

This system integration would aim to reduce pollution in the form of CO2 emissions by encouraging the use of public transport for school children in the central Tauranga area. Tauranga Primary School has been chosen to illustrate the measureable benefits of the system in action.

Assuming that 50% of the school’s pupils travel to school by car each day; it has been calculated that the parents of those 195 children, travelling an average of 2.5kms to school each day by car, would produce approximately 108kg of CO2 emissions collectively. However, if a 50% uptake of the new system is assumed; an estimate for 2 buses travelling a 14km route would produce approximately 18kg of CO2 emissions, which, when added to the halved car emissions, would equate to a saving of 36kg of CO2 emissions each morning.

108kgEst. total daily CO2 emissions

for 195 cars

54kgEst. total daily CO2 emissions

for 97 cars

18kg

Tauranga City Centre

Population - Tga City: 82,287 (2006)Congestion at Peak: HighInner City Schools: 5 Tauranga Primary School

School Type: Years 1-6 Decile Rating: 9 School Roll: 389

A Product Service Systemget on board

An efficient public school bus service that can guarantee the safety of children to and from school, and one that reduces emissions, would form the basis for positive change in our cities. Encouraging parents to utilise a safe and sustainable system of transport for their children while also engaging the child in the use of that system would form the beginning of a long term solution; an early social interaction incorporating these children into the greater use of public transport in later life.

The Telecom5up school bus programme for children aged 5-10yrs is aimed at reducing traffic congestion in cities by minimising the amount of cars transporting children each day, while maximising the potential of the school bus. Telecom5up has been designed as an educational tool to encourage the cognitive understanding of a localised transport system in young children which will continue to develop into a greater understanding of the public transport system as they grow.

The Problem

+

The Solution The Scenario

get on board

3. Bus Monitor2. Bus Stop

A Product Service System

Child-sized silicon wristband with integrated inactive RFID tag. Location on the wrist brings the tag into close contact with the other products in the system for activation.

A highly visible ‘monster-like’ form situated along the bus route with hand impressions on both faces to encourage the child’s interaction with the product. A ‘high five’ on arrival each day logs the child onto the network, updating the bus driver to ensure a safety check at the first possible contact.

LED’s powered through Telecom’s phone cables are placed up the bus stop’s stem, indicating a simple countdown to the arrival of the bus; heightening anticipation and teaching the child a basic schedule.

A two-sided monitor that encourages interaction between the driver and child. The 5up bus driver has a touchscreen interface that displays the children logged into the system at each bus stop.

Bus fares are paid electronically by the child’s contact with the monitor allowing the driver to both see an indication of payment, and reconcile figures for all children collected from each location.

A small handheld device with clipping connectors for use on bags, clothing and lanyards, encompassing an interface that is easy for a 5 year old to use while being set up to increase in complexity as the child grows.

Essentially an electronic game of ‘hide and seek’ at the time of introduction, further interaction with other users and the system’s website increases the device’s potential use.

The system’s central link - allowing services to be upgraded at low cost and forming a tightknit network of users; including the parents, who are able to pay their child’s bus fees online and track their progress along the check-in points of the system as an added security measure.

The website is set up for the children to interact with friends and play games; gaining 5up points and, at the same time, further knowledge of the system’s complexities.

1. Wristband

Components in Transit

4. Proximity Device

5. Telecom5up Website

After Hours Components