Providing accurate travel time estimation to motorists on the 401

Solving traffic congestion in Ottawa using Wi-Fi and Bluetooth sensors for route travel times in public transportation

Overview

To address the declining detection rates of legacy Bluetooth sensors, The Ministry of Transportation of Ontario deployed SMATS’ TrafficXHub sensors on Toronto’s Highway 401. These advanced sensors captured a broader range of signals—Bluetooth Low Energy, Connected, Discoverable, and Wi-Fi—then transmitted encrypted data to SMATS’ iNode platform for real-time travel time estimation. The combined detection rate reached 53.7%, vastly improving accuracy over traditional methods. The enhanced insights allowed The Ministry of Transportation of Ontario to deliver reliable travel time information on Variable Message Signs (VMS), optimizing commuter experience on one of the world’s busiest highways.