Siemens VDO Automotive Advanced Transit System Selected by Omnitrans

330 Omnitrans vehicles will be equipped with the innovative system

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (PRWEB) April 18, 2004 --- Siemens VDO Automotive's Service and Special Solutions business unit has been selected by Omnitrans, located in San Bernardino, Cal., to provide an innovative Voice/Data Communications System solution to the public transit agency serving 480 square miles in the San Bernardino Valley of Southern California. Valued at $7 million, the system installation will include a new radio system, Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) software based on Differential Global Positioning (DGPS) and a schedule adherence program for over 300 service vehicles.

The system is part of the Siemens TransitMaster Advanced Public Transportation System (APTS) designed to provide precise, real-time bus location information, as well as help create a more efficient and user-friendly transit authority for employees and passengers alike. Siemens VDO Automotive Service and Special Solutions also will provide Omnitrans with:

• An Automated Passenger Counting system (APC);
• An ADA-Compliant Annunicator, their Mobile Supervisor application; and,
• The new color Mobile Data Terminals for both Omnitrans fixed route and paratransit vehicles.

"These features are designed to ensure a safe and efficient trip for passengers on Omnitrans," said Chief Operating Officer Steve Graham. "The Siemens solution has dramatically improved transit schedule adherence and enhanced the information provided to transit passengers in several other major cities including San Antonio, Texas; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Minneapolis, Minnesota."

Omnitrans is the public transit agency serving 480 square miles in the San Bernardino Valley of Southern California. The agency provides over 17 million passenger trips annually with fixed route bus and paratransit service. Omnitrans twice was named Outstanding Transit System of its size by the American Public Transportation Association in 1995 and 1999.

The Siemens VDO Automotive Service and Special Solutions division located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa specializes in Advanced Public Transportation Systems and Intelligent Transportation Systems throughout North America. Siemens solutions include the TransitMaster and real-time public information systems, including OnStreet (signs at bus stops), WebWatch (online information) and EZTrips (trip-planning kiosks). Siemens VDO Automotive also offers ResponseMaster, an emergency awareness, response management and advanced data communication system for public safety agencies.

Siemens VDO Automotive is a tier-one supplier of automotive electronic/electrical systems and components with applications covering gasoline and diesel powertrain technologies, safety and chassis systems, body electronics, plus interior products including infotainment systems. Worldwide sales reflecting fiscal year 2002/2003 totaled $9.589 billion (€8.375 billion). For more information: www.usa.siemensvdo.com.

Siemens AG (NYSE:SI) is a leading global electronics and engineering company with reported worldwide sales of $80.5 billion in fiscal year 2003. With its U.S. corporate headquarters in New York City, Siemens in the USA has sales of $16.6 billion and employs 65,000 people throughout all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Eleven of Siemens' worldwide businesses are based in the United States. With its global headquarters in Munich, Siemens AG and its subsidiaries employ 417,000 people in 192 countries. For more information on Siemens in the U.S.: www.usa.siemens.com.