CALGARY, AB — June 17, 2009

Arlington Handitran provides door-to-door paratransit service for disabled and elderly passengers within the city limits of Arlington and Pantego, Texas. To increase service capacity through more efficient scheduling, enable dispatchers to locate vehicles anytime using Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) and allow for in-vehicle electronic manifests, Handitran implemented an ITS solution from Mentor Engineering and software partner Ecolane.

Handitran's ITS Solution includes Mentor Ranger® in-vehicle mobile computers and Ecolane DRT™a web-based scheduling system, in the office.

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

The ability to track vehicles in real-time has also allowed Handitran to optimize the usage of their buses. Streamlined scheduling and routing has led to a 30% increase in number of passengers Handitran transports each hour. Handitran has also experienced other improvements such as a one hour decrease in driver time spent on data entry per shift and greater reporting accuracy.

"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. Our expectations for the technology were definitely met."

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

About Mentor Engineering

Founded in 1988, Mentor Engineering designs and manufactures flexible mobile computing and GPS solutions that increase the efficiency and productivity of fleet operations. Mentor is distinguished by technical innovation and services including system integration, training, and on-going support. Read more at www.mentoreng.com.

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