The Transit Standards Consortium: Standards FOR Transit, BY Transit

Presented at Metro Magazine’sBus Technology Conference

Anaheim, CaliforniaBy

Eva Lerner-Lam, TSC Board MemberPresident, the Palisades Consulting Group, Inc.

Tuesday, March 6, 2001

TSC Mission“To provide a transit industry forum for

comprehensive and integrated research, development, testing, training and maintenance of transit standards in

order to improve cost effectiveness, customer service and employee

satisfaction.”

Organizational Structure• Independent, non-profit organization under IRS

Code Sec. 501 ( c ) (3)

• Nine-member, elected Board of Trustees

• Two Standing Councils: Technical Council and Education Council

• Technical Working Group and Task Forces for specific standards-related activities

Grassroots, Member-DrivenEqual representation at all levels of TSC

– Operators (1/3)– Vendors (1/3)– Other (1/3)

• University Transportation Research Centers• State and local DOT’s• System Integrators• Consultants

Origins• Response to a “void” in the industry—

TCIP data interface standards testing, maintenance and training in their use

• Grew into a grassroots effort to leverage many disparate standardization activities in an open, non-proprietary forum

Before TSCData Standards

Equipment Stds

Safety Standards

Procedural Stds

Reporting Stds

Comm Standards

Before TSCFTA

LonMark

ITE

IEEE

SAE

APTA

TSC: Strategic Alliances

LMA CAATS OthersIEEE ITSA SAE

Transit Standards Consortium

Technical Activities

Educational Activities

TSC is NOT an SDO• TSC attracts people from many Standards

Development Organizations

• TSC works closely with SDOs, using a broad range of strategic alliances

• TSC helps the transit industry better understand and evaluate technologies currently deployed by closely related groups that often have similar needs

FundingThree sources:

– Member dues

– Grants from FTA and other governmental agencies

– Stakeholder contributions for specific projects

Organizational Structure

Tec h n ic a lWork in gG r ou ps

Tec h C ou n c il

Tec h n ic a lWork in gG r ou ps

Edu c ation C ou n c il

B oard of Tru stees

FY2001 Board of Trustees • Robert E. Paaswell, Ph.D., P.E., Chairman• William Long, Vice Chairman• William Hiller, Treasurer• Terry Williams, Secretary• Richard Cox, President• Richard Hodges• Eva Lerner-Lam• David Matta• (1 vacancy in Operator Category)

FY2001 Technical Council• Tom Sullivan (Consultant) Chairman• Richard Cox (SAE)• Bill Hiller (Siemens)• Dana Lowell (NYCT)• Paula Okunieff (Consultant)• Arthur Scanlon (Clever Devices)• Jeffery Orton (UTA)• (2 vacancies to be filled)

FY2001 Education Council• Halsey King, Chairman• Richard Cox (SAE)• Mohsen Jafari, Ph.D. (Rutgers)• Jerome Lutin, Ph.D. (NJTransit)• Robert Paaswell, Ph.D. (CUNY)• (4 vacancies to be filled)

Strategic Alliances• ITS America (1998)

• California Alliance for Advanced Transportation Systems (2000)

• Society of Automotive Engineers (1999)

• LonMark Interoperability Association (2001)

Strategic Alliance with SAE• Talks initiated by SAE Board Member, Halsey

King in late 1999

• Relationship has evolved into a synergistic and powerful alliance– SAE Director of Special Programs serves as

President of TSC– Joint membership dues structure– SAE’s future “Bus Transit Standards Academy”– Taking the lead on TSC’s “12-in-12” Initiative

Current ProjectsFTA-sponsored:• Location Referencing Study • ITS Education and Outreach Courses

Member-sponsored:• Bus Stop Inventory Best Practices• “12-in-12”

“12-in-12”• “12 Standards in 12 Months”• “Low-hanging fruit”, adapted from

existing equipment, data and communications standards

• New Technical Working Group under TSC Technical Council

• First 12 standards are aligned with existing SAE standards committees

Organizational Structure of “12-in-12”

1 2 Task Forc es

"1 2 -in -1 2 " B u s Stop In ven tory

Tec h C ou nc ilTom Su llivan

Educ ation C ou n c ilHa lsey K ing

B oard of Tru stees

“12-in-12” Standards Categories• 1.      Brake• 2.      Powertrain• 3.      Electrical and Electronics• 4.      Chassis• 5.      Occupant Environment• 6.      Total Vehicle Systems• 7.      Fuels and Lubricants• 8.      Intelligent Transportation Systems• 9.      Materials, Processes and Parts• 10.  Manufacturing• 11.  Specialized Equipment• 12.  Reliability, Maintainability, Supportability, and Logistics

Status of “12-in-12”• Constituting the Technical Working

Group• According to TSC Bylaws, TWG

members will elect Chair• Formal program startup in April 2001

TSC Membership Benefits• Participation in Technical Working Group and

Task Force activities

• Participation in TSC and TSC-affiliate conferences, workshops, seminars, etc. at reduced rates

• E-mail, newsletter and web-based information services about transit standards

Membership Dues

• Level 1 $25,000 10 individual memberships, 10 votes

• Level 2 $10,000 4 individual memberships, 4 votes

• Level 3 $ 2,500 1 individual membership, 1 vote

• Individual $ 125 1 individual membership, 1/20 vote

Summary• TSC is a grassroots, member-driven, non-

profit association of transit professionals and organizations dedicated to the development and use of standards in transit

• By working in partnership with standards organizations and experts, TSC will facilitate and fill voids in transit standards that are not being adequately addressed today

To Join TSC

Application Forms are available via the Web at:

www.tsconsortium.org

For more information...Visit the TSC website at:www.tsconsortium.org

Or contact:Richard Cox, President

Rcox@sae.org