Indra implements a new-generation system to manage the buses of the Metrobús public transport network in Mexico City for €16M

Indra, the leading multinational consultancy and technology company in Spain and one of the leaders in Europe and Latin America, has been awarded a contract to deliver to Mexico City the most advanced public transport management technology. The contract covers the supply, installation and commissioning of an advanced and comprehensive Operations Assistance System (OAS) for Metrobús, as well as the technical support and maintenance for a period of 10 years, for a total price of €16M.

Indra will implement in Mexico City the most advanced version of its OAS to control the fleet of 377 buses that run on the Metrobús BRT reserved lanes, improving the efficiency, safety and quality of the service provided to the 21 million inhabitants of the city.

The Metrobús system started to operate 8 years ago, and since then it has grown from 80 to 377 buses, from 36 to 151 stations and from a 20-km to a 95-km network, positioning itself as one of the best offers of transport in Mexico City. Currently, it carries over 800,000 passengers per day.

The solution that Indra is supplying includes the sub-systems for programming, control, reconciliation and on-board video surveillance, as well as information for passengers aboard the vehicles and at the 151 stations provided via 235 multimedia information TFT monitors.

All of these technologies, which will put Mexico City in the forefront of intelligent transport systems anywhere in the world, will be integrated in a single control centre equipped with the most advanced technologies. Thanks to the buses' on-board management, control and GPS (Nauta) systems and to the mobile communication infrastructure, with GPRS, WiFi and 3G technologies, from this control centre it will be possible to know at any time where each vehicle of the fleet is, and to take decisions in real time in the event of an incident, needing additional resources or any other deviation from the planned service.

Indra's solution will also allow to generate reports and graphs to understand better the service, to facilitate the reconciliation with transport operators and to measure service quality parameters, in order to match the service better to the citizens' real demand, increasing the efficiency and reducing costs.

Intelligent technology serving citizens

The solutions that Indra is bringing to the project will offer citizens better quality of service, safety and information. On this subject, the information system for users must be mentioned. This system features multimedia information monitors of the latest generation, with audio, installed aboard the buses as well as in the 151 stops and terminals. Through the 235 TFT monitors, the public using Metrobús buses in Mexico City will be able to know about their next stops, the connections to other lines, possible incidents and the buses' estimated times of arrival.

Equally, the on-board video surveillance system will be fully integrated into the OAS and will enable images to be recorded, transmitted and viewed in real time. Each vehicle will be equipped with several cameras to provide greater security and to help combat possible cases of assault and vandalism. A road camera will focus on the road ahead, seeing exactly what the driver sees, which will be of great assistance to the investigations of accidents and will allow the control centre to know about traffic conditions and possible incidents in real time.

Over 13,500 vehicles managed worldwide

This ambitious project for the second largest city in the world reinforces Indra's position as one of the leaders in technology for public transport management, with over 13,500 vehicles managed worldwide using its own technology and references in countries such as Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, USA, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Morocco and Spain, amongst others. Indra's solution is also highly versatile as it enables the management of railway lines, trams and buses for local, regional and long-distance services.

The application of technology to public transport management also improves the service and fosters its use, which is fundamental at a time when one of the main challenges for the future, especially in the urban environment, is to respond to the need for more efficient, ecological and sustainable transport and mobility systems.

Transport and traffic management leaders in Mexico

This new contract strengthens Indra's leadership in the Mexican transport and traffic management market, a market that in the last few years has seen a significant growth, with projects such as the most advanced electronic road toll system in the whole of Latin America, with intelligent traffic systems installed at the Bicentenario elevated viaduct, ticketing and safety systems for Mexico FD's underground rail network, or the road toll and intelligent traffic system for Mexico State's northern bypass and outer circular road, amongst others.

Indra is the leading multinational consultancy and technology company in Spain and one of the leaders in Europe and Latin America. Innovation is the cornerstone of its business and sustainability, with investments of €550M in R&D&i in the last three years, making it one of the leading companies in Europe in its sector in terms of investment. With sales approaching €3,000 million, nearly 60% of its income comes from international markets. The company employs 42,000 professionals and has customers in 128 countries.