Concept validation of an automatic passenger counting system for trams

The system shown addresses the problem of automatic passenger counting (APC) in trams with high utilization, uncoordinated boarding and lacking air suspension. Conventional APC systems do not provide sufficient accuracy under these conditions. A concept for determining the total weight of the vehicle using only data already acquired on the vehicle or available from other sources has been worked out. The essence of the concept is that the actual weight of the vehicle can be calculated from the driving dynamics, traction and energetic data of the vehicle and the track geometry. The result can be used to calculate the weight of the passengers exactly and to estimate their number at specific capacity utilization with sufficient accuracy. The theoretical concept has been proven with measurements carried out on a tramline in Budapest.