Challenges
Arlington Handitran provides door-to-door paratransit service for disabled and elderly passengers within the city limits of Arlington and Pantego, Texas. Tired of relying on paper manifests and an out-of-date scheduling and dispatching system that could no longer meet their needs, Handitran wanted a solution that would increase service capacity through more efficient scheduling, allow for electronic manifests, and enable dispatchers to locate vehicles at any time using Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL). Hindered by error-prone manual data entry, Handitran also wanted to improve data collection to enhance their reporting capabilities.

Solution
To meet Handitran's goals, Mentor Engineering partnered with software provider, Ecolane. Mentor provide Mentor Ranger® rugged in-vehicle computers that allow for real-time communication between drivers and dispatchers, support instant trip updates, provide on-screen navigation and automate data collection. Mentor XGate® middleware, compresses, packages, and sends messages between drivers and dispatchers over the Sprint network. Completing Mentor's solution is XMobile Manager® (XMM) which upgrades and programs Ranger units remotely over-the-air.

At the dispatch center, Ecolane DRT™ was selected over four other systems to streamline dispatching and scheduling. A web-based solution, Ecolane DRT™ allows Handitran to securely access the system on any computer with an Internet connection. The software provides fully automatic scheduling and dispatching as well as continuous real-time schedule optimization, allowing for the seamless addition or deletion of ad-hoc trips.

Results
Greater efficiency, especially when scheduling same day trips, has been one of the most noticeable benefits for Handitran. As Paul Price, Transit Operations Support Supervisor at Arlington Handitran recounts: "Before the system we could schedule same-day trips but it was a lot more difficult for us. This is now where the system shines the most. We are able to see vehicles in real-time and respond to requests accurately, increasing our ability to perform these trips."

Additionally, the solution has enabled drivers to save an hour per shift on data entry while the automated entry of trip information has also made reporting more accurate. "Accuracy has absolutely improved a great deal," says Paul. "We have greater accuracy in mileage reports and we are able to track things like dead-head miles more accurately."

Going forward, Handitran expects to increase productivity and trips-per-day, while spending fewer hours on administrative data entry as a result of the implementation.

"FROM THE ONSET I'VE BEEN VERY IMPRESSED WITH MENTOR'S SUPPORT STAFF. THEY WERE INCREDIBLE DURING THE IMPLEMENTATION. RESPONSIVE AND HELPFUL IN MONITORING ALL ASPECTS OF THE PROJECT, THEY ARE TERRIFIC TO WORK WITH."

- Paul Price, Transit Operations Support Supervisor, Arlington Handitran