DEPLOYMENT OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION PRIORITY SYSTEM (PTPS) IN JAPAN

This paper describes the state of deployment in Japan for Public Transportation Priority Systems (PTPS). The Universal Traffic Management Society (UTMS) of Japan has researched some new systems for traffic administration using ITS technologies under the guidance of National Police Agency (NPA) since 1993. PTPS is one of the research subjects and an advanced system utilizing infrared beacons with a vehicle detecting and a communication function between a vehicle and a road side module, based on the priority signal control for buses introduced throughout Japan widely since the 1970s. This paper shows some brief major functions. Moreover, we made an experiment in PTPS in cooperation with Hokkaido police headquarters and some bus service companies in the 1995 fiscal year and achieved a good result and been introduced into 17 in all the 47 prefectures at the end of the 2000 fiscal year