Testimonial

Riders, especially those in rural areas, watch for the bus on their online map and know when to leave their house...it's not just important for drivers and dispatchers to share the information, but the customers have it too. It helps them understand our service and support the service. It's a great way to sell the service.

Larry Harman, Co-director GeoGraphics Laboratory

ROI

Fewer calls to customer service
Immediate answers to 'Where's my bus?' questions
Transparent view of driver activities
Improved driver and passenger safety

Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority

Giving Riders the Information They Need

Challenges

Before implementing Mentor's technologies, the CCRTA relied on two-way radio and an Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL)-only system. They wanted more functionality in the form of messaging, and most importantly, the ability to remotely download schedules in the buses and vans. Their goal of having an integrated fixed-route/demand response fleet, where fixed-route buses can deviate from their route to pick up paratransit riders, needed to be supported by the right technology. Finally, the CCRTA wanted to give riders instant access to bus location information and needed onboard GPS to make it possible.

Solution

Mentor's MDC and Mentor Ranger® rugged mobile computers are installed in CCRTA paratransit vans and fixed-route buses, respectively. A hybrid communication solution has the MDCs communicating with CCRTA's in-house paratransit dispatch software over a private radio network, while the Rangers use the Sprint network to link fixed-route buses to dispatchers using Trapeze software. The mobile computers facilitate AVL/GPS, data communication between drivers and dispatchers, the electronic delivery of manifests, and the ability to make instant schedule changes. The GPS data collected by the computers is delivered to Microsoft® Virtual Earth™ and Google™ Maps so customers can go online and see the exact location of their bus.

Results

According to Larry Harman, Co-director GeoGraphics Laboratory and main contractor for this project, the two biggest benefits of this technology are: "Situational awareness for transit and paratransit managers by having real-time command and control over an integrated fixed route and demand responsive fleet. And accountability to the customer and the taxpayer with web-based real-time vehicle tracking over the Internet and play back capability over the Internet."

Customer Service That Works: Client Testimonials Video

We caught up with some of our transit clients to find out first-hand what they really think of our customer service, and why they chose our technology solutions. Hear what they had to say.
Watch the Video