Abstract
This project demonstrates that basic mobility management tools such as fleet tracking and
data management can provide more efficient operations when applied to small
transportation providers. These smaller scale providers are often connected to facilities
such as councils on aging, assisted living facilities and university campuses providing
student transportation. They have clients such as the elderly, disabled, people of low
income, and college students. These providers often do not need and cannot afford
commercial expensive mobility management software systems. In addition, they are often
staffed by non-technical, part-time employees and volunteers, and thus, are unlikely to
adopt or deploy theses systems without assistance.
This study develops and presents a generic tracking system that is readily and
easily deployed by small transportation providers. It is low cost but effective. A generic
architecture is designed with the core capabilities of fleet tracking and data management.
Its implementation targets open source software, free Internet hosting, low equipment
costs and low global position system (GPS) service costs. The generic system has been
applied to three fleets and software has been customized for three small local
transportation providers. The application has a lasting value as the open source is ready
for deployment to other small transportation provide