OCC & Control Systems
Control centre design, dispatch frameworks, real-time management, dashboard logic, decision protocols.
The Problem
What fails without this service.
Operations Control Centres exist in most formal public transport systems across Africa. In practice, the majority function as monitoring stations rather than control centres — they observe what is happening, record it, and report it. They do not intervene in real time, do not hold dispatch authority, and do not have the procedures or the mandate to manage service deviations as they occur.
The consequence is that service disruptions — bunching, gap formation, vehicle breakdowns, driver absences — are visible to the OCC and invisible to the response. By the time a corrective action is authorised, the disruption has propagated across the network. Passengers experience a 30-minute gap preceded by three buses together. The data is recorded. Nothing changes.
A functioning OCC requires three things that most do not have: clear dispatch authority, defined decision protocols for every common disruption type, and a control culture in which intervention is expected — not exceptional.
The OCC is the operational brain of a public transport system. When it functions correctly, service disruptions are contained before they become visible to passengers. When it functions as a recording station, disruptions propagate unchecked and the organisation learns nothing from them.
We design OCCs around their primary function: real-time service control. Every element of the design — the layout, the screens, the staffing model, the authority structure, the procedures — is oriented toward enabling controllers to detect deviations and respond to them within the timeframe that prevents passenger impact.
The most important design element is not technology — it is authority. Controllers who are not authorised to hold a bus, issue a short-turn, or direct a driver to an alternative stop cannot control anything. The authority framework precedes the technology specification in our design process.
Scope of Work
What this engagement covers.
OCC design — layout, staffing, technology configuration, information flows
Dispatch authority framework — who holds authority to do what, under which conditions
Real-time management protocols — headway management, gap recovery, short-turn procedures
Decision protocol development — documented responses to every common disruption type
Dashboard logic — what data is displayed, to whom, in what format
Performance monitoring integration — KPI tracking embedded in daily control activity
Communication system design — depot-to-OCC, OCC-to-driver, OCC-to-management
OCC staff capability development — training on procedures, simulation exercises
OCC commissioning support — activation, first-30-days monitoring
Typical Outputs
What you receive at the end.
OCC design specification — layout, staffing model, technology requirements
Dispatch authority matrix
Real-time management procedure manual
Decision protocol library — documented responses to 20+ common disruption types
Dashboard specification — screen layouts, data sources, alert logic
Communication framework — all OCC-related channels and escalation paths
OCC staff training programme
OCC commissioning and activation plan
Tools & Platforms
Project Examples
Where we have delivered this.
Engagements where occ & control systems was central to the work.
BRT Stabilisation — East African Corridor
View ProjectOCC Design & Commissioning — BRT System
Design and commissioning of an Operations Control Centre for a BRT system — dispatch authority framework, real-time management procedures, dashboard specification, and 30-day activation support.
View ProjectReady to improve your occ & control systems?
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