Manchester Airport's fleet of air-side passenger buses has been
equipped with Windows XP-based automotive computers to improve
operations.
The computers, built and installed by Bristol-based In-CarPC,
are being used to record key data about buses' journeys and to send
this information back to airport staff in real-time via a
high-speed 3G internet wireless link.
The data being recorded comprises various events that occur as
each bus is allocated to service an aircraft, such as the precise
time and position of each bus when passengers start boarding and
disembarking.
This information is vital to the airport as it is used to prove
that
service level agreements with the airlines have been met.
Before implementing a PC-based solution the bus movement
information was recorded onto paper, and was not available to
airport management and staff until some time later, when it had
been manually digitised at great administrative cost.
The computers, now installed in each bus, record and transmit
this data in real-time, resulting in a dramatic improvement in the
quality and reliability of the data, as well as the speed at which
it is made available.
Christina Kelly, operations manager at the airport's Bus
Transport Department, said, "We initially piloted vehicle computers
from two companies, one of which was In-CarPC. Their system was
extremely reliable, and we found the company very quick to respond
to our needs."
In-CarPC built the computers to specifically match Manchester
Airport's requirements and installed them into the buses on-site at
Manchester Airport. The project went live early in August.