Vehicle control system

A control system for a guided transport system comprising:

• a guideway;
• a plurality of vehicles each traveling along said guideway;
• a predetermined number of stations disposed along said guideway;
• an input device disposed at each of said stations to enable each passenger desiring to use said transport system to enter his destination;
• a command and control center in communication with each of said plurality of vehicles and each of said input devices, said center receiving from each of said input devices simultaneously destination information and the identity of that one of said input device providing said destination information to provide start information;
• memory means disposed in said center containing control information for standard and diversion routes for all possible start-destination relationships;
• computer means disposed in said center which determines from all input information from said input devices to said center whether said transport system should operate in a demand service mode or a scheduled service mode at that moment in view of given operating criteria;
• and
• first means coupled to said memory means, said computer means and said plurality of vehicles to communicate operating commands to each of said plurality of vehicles, said operating commands being a sequence of stored control information for said standard routes, said sequence of control information corresponding to the mode of operation determined by said computer means.