While some fire departments are large enough to utilize their own telecommunication dispatcher, most rural and small areas rely on a central dispatcher to provide handling of fire, rescue and police services.

DRT systems require passengers to request a journey by booking with a central dispatcher who determines the journey options available given the users' location and destination.

Since 1934, there have been 1,525 medallion cabs here and at least half of their fare's come through orders telephoned into a central dispatcher, Captain Devine said.

A central dispatcher then calls out the VFD, often through equipment such as pagers, radios, or loud signals, such as a fire siren.

He did not wait for an acknowledgement from the central dispatcher but flipped another switch, picked up a pedestal-type microphone, and began hurling instructions into the Hardcase special network.

Each interlocking is controlled by a tower there and operators in each tower receive routing instructions from a central dispatcher.

Others systems, known as electronic vehicle monitoring systems, use wireless data technology to communicate location and to transmit instructions from central dispatchers to drivers.

Rides would be arranged with a central dispatcher 24 hours in advance and would cost double the fare of regular transit, or about $3 one way.

The Little Falls operation has since been remotely controlled to the Minnesota Power's central dispatchers in Riverton, and the dam is now staffed only by maintenance personnel.

She was certain that the drivers not only communicated with one another, but with a central dispatcher as well.