Aforementioned Vehicle tracking system is an electronic device which is installed in a vehicle that transmits vehicle location through the GPS. In more superior VTS, the GPS works in combination with cellular or satellite transmission system to send vehicle location to a remote user.There are many types of vehicle tracking devices. Generally, they are classified as active and passive. Passive devices store speed, GPS location, heading and sometimes a trigger event such as key on/ off, door open/ closed. Once the vehicle comes back to a predetermined point, the device is removed and the data can be downloaded to a computer for assessment. Passive systems might include auto download type which transfers data through wireless download. Active devices are the same when it comes to collecting the information but they generally transmit the data in near – real – time through mobile or satellite networks to a computer or data center for assessment.
Many modern vehicle tracking systems widely use GPS or GLONASS technology for locating the vehicle, though other types of automatic vehicle location technology can be brought into use. Vehicle’s information can be viewed on electronic maps through Internet or some specialized software for it. Urban public transit authorities are a more and more common user of vehicle tracking systems, mainly in large cities.
Vehicle tracking systems are greatly used by fleet operators for fleet management functions such as security, on – board information, dispatching, routing and fleet tracking. Alongside commercial fleet operators, urban transit agencies also makes use of the technology for a number of purposes, which includes monitoring schedule adherence of buses in service, triggering changes of buses' destination sign displays at the end of the line (or any other set location along the bus’ route), and also triggering pre – recorded announcements for passengers.