INTRODUCTION

1.0 Preliminaries

A central reservation system for transportation management is an electronic booking system that enables to reserve seats online. The system is described as central because all reservations are processed, stored and retrieved on a central computer which is the server system. After payments is cleared, an electronic ticket is presented that can be printed out. The electronic tickets, or e-tickets, give evidence that their holders have permission to enter a place of entertainment, use a means of transportation, or have access to some internet services. The central reservation System enables the bus company’s customer to buy bus ticket online. E-ticket is the easier and quickest way to take bus. The online system is a new system because it haven exists in bus company and even in Malaysia. Currently, staff at the bus ticket counter is using an internal system to sell ticket at the counter. Customers may be unable to buy bus ticket online at this moment and has to go to the counter to buy bus ticket. Sometimes, customer needs to queue up a long queue to buy bus ticket and ask for information. Besides that, customer also not allows buying bus ticket through telephone  is always busy. This brings a lot of inconvenience to the customers Bus Ticket Reservation System enables the customer to buy bus ticket, make payment, and ask for information online easily. Further more, staff can sell bus ticket using Bus Ticket Reservation System after check bus ticket availability for the customer and print the bus ticket to the customer that queue up in the counter (Wee, 2007).

The online system is an easy-to-use self-service system which enables the customer to book for bus ticket online and pay the bus ticket through Credit Card. Customers can register as members if they want they want. As a member, he/she needs to pay membership fee yearly and member will get discount for every purchase of bus ticket. Customers can check the availability of the bus ticket before they buy the bus ticket. After the reservation process is successfully completed, the customer can get the bus ticket by printing it out and present the ticket to the bus driver when he/she wants to board the bus. Besides departure place, arriving place, departure date, departure time and ticket number, the bus ticket also wills states the seat number that assigned by the system automatically.  the seat number. With this system the passengers do not need to go to the park before getting bus ticket anymore.

1.1 Theoretical Background

With the increase use of technological systems and the associated benefits, organizations are gradually taking advantage of IT to improve their operations. Central reservation systems are used by organizations to be able to manage reservations that may come from customers in any part of the world. This brings about enhanced productivity and competitiveness. Transportation companies usually find it difficult to manage the crowd of people that come to buy tickets and this can be easily overcomed.  Nowadays the internet is one of the most important sectors around the world. The internet has changed the way that people look at the life. Using the internet makes the reservation systems the easiest way to handle transport management of passengers. The internet booking to travel through airplane or bus is now available on the internet .The reservation system gives extra details about the company and lets the customers check the availability of the bus ticket before they buy it. Besides that, customer suffering will rid off by easy way to save time and money. The problems with manual system when users have to stand up in a long queue to buy bus ticket or asking for some information (Assad et al, 2012).

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1.2 Statement of problem

Customers have to go to the counter to buy bus ticket or ask for bus schedule. Furthermore, customers need to pay cash when they buy the bus ticket and sometimes needs to queue up long time to get the bus ticket. Besides that, customers also are not allowed to buy bus ticket through telephone and the company’s telephone may be always-busy line. The problems with manual reservation system include: reservation conflict, the redundancy of data which cannot be automatically updated, the paper works can be easy lost, the storage space and costs. In fact, the disadvantages of having no electronically system not only affect the public transporter sector but they will certainly affected Health care, Telecommunications, Educations water and electricity, etc. It is in view of these challenges that this research study is carried out so as to develop a central reservation system for transportation management, which is an online system, enabling passengers to reserve seats ahead of time.

1.3 Aim and objectives of the study

The aim of the study is to implement a central reservation system for transport management. The following are the objectives of the study;

• To implement a central reservation system for transport management
• To present the concept of central reservation system.
• To present the need for a central reservation system for transport management
• To present the importance/benefits of a central reservation system for transport management
• To present the required features of central reservation system for transport management

1.4 Significance of the Study

The significance of the study is that it will provide a convenient way for transport companies such as Akwa Ibom Transport Company (AKTC) to manage the reservation/booking of seats by passengers. It will present management with instant report of transport activities. It will eliminate the stress associated with manual way of reservation. Customers can buy the bus ticket over the Internet, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and the bus ticket can’t be lost, stolen or left behind. In addition, the online system lets the customers check the availability of the bus ticket before they buy bus ticket. Further more, customers no need to pay cash to buy bus ticket because they can pay the bus ticket by using Credit Card (e.g. Master Card, Visa Card). In addition, this research study will serve as a reference material for other researchers seeking information on the subject.

1.4 Scope of the Study

This study covers the implementation of a central reservation system for transport management, using Akwa Ibom Transport company as a case study.

1.6 Organization of Research

This research work is organized into five chapters. Chapter one is concerned with the introduction of the research study and it presents the preliminaries, theoretical background, statement of the problem, aim and objectives of the study, significance of the study, scope of the study, organization of the research and definition of terms.

Chapter two focuses on the literature review, the contributions of other scholars on the subject matter is discussed.

Chapter three is concerned with the system analysis and design. It presents the research methodology used in the development of the system, it analyzes the present system to identify the problems and provides information on the advantages and disadvantages of the proposed system. The system design is also presented in this chapter.

Chapter four presents the system implementation and documentation, the choice of programming language, analysis of modules, choice of programming language and system requirements for implementation.

Chapter five focuses on the summary, constraints of the study, conclusion and recommendations are provided in this chapter based on the study carried out.

1.7 Definition of Terms

Central  Controlling the activities of connected, subordinate, or subsidiary parts

Reservation  Arrangement made beforehand: an advance booking, e.g. of a seat, hotel room, or ticket

Transport  To carry somebody or something from one place to another, usually in a vehicle

Management  The organizing and controlling of the affairs of a business or a sector of a business