Spokane Transit Authority
Products
Vontas OnRoute
Trapeze WM
PASS TI
Scheduling & Planning
“We used to print the master schedule, cross things out, add things up – now it’s all done automatically, it’s less prone to errors and the staff all love it.”
Krissy Ellis,Operations Specialist, Spokane Transit Authority
Spokane Transit Authority transformed their agency from pen-and-paper operations to a streamlined, electronic operations using state-of-the-art transit technology.
Background
A No. 2 pencil and a pad of paper – those were the transit technology tools that Spokane Transit Authority (STA) used for years. And like many agencies, they thought it was best to stick with what they knew. The only problem? It wasn’t working in the fast-paced, technologically advanced world we now live in — that passengers demand we adapt to.
Challenges
Conducting next day scheduling and completing payroll with only a pencil and paper made STA’s office operations inefficient. STA was looking for a solution that would automate these processes and reduce the amount of human error caused by doing everything manually.
Solutions
STA implemented Trapeze’s WM solution and Vontas OnRoute (TransitMaster) Intelligent Decision Support (IDS) system which optimizes decisions taken by dispatchers and the reliability of transit service information. The system continuously monitors and analyzes data from vehicles and other external sources and proposes the right action for each specific moment, while transit-related information is communicated to passengers in real-time.
One of the biggest benefits of using Vontas and Trapeze solutions is their commitment to integration across their suite of products as well as with third-party solutions. “With multiple vendors, you never really know if everything will work together. I like that this has the capability to be integrated with everything else we have,” said Krissy Ellis, Operations Specialist at Spokane Transit Authority. “It’s also been great to work with Vontas and Trapeze to customize the solution to our needs.”
Results
The amount of time their staff spends on managing payroll has significantly declined. “We used to print the master schedule, cross things out, add things up — now it’s all done automatically, it’s less prone to errors and the staff all love it,” said Ellis.
She hopes to continue the relationship with Vontas and Trapeze for years to come. “The best thing about working with Vontas and Trapeze is their willingness to always continue improving. We come up with ideas on why or how we want to do something differently and they’re always willing to do it,” she said.