Greater travel options for specialized transit riders, lower carbon foot print, and mobility management gains expected 

RICHMOND HILL, ON and ATLANTA, GA – May 29, 2013 - RouteMatch Software today announced The Regional Municipality of York has selected RouteMatch Software to provide comprehensive intelligent transportation systems (ITS) technologies for its York Region TransitMobility Plus accessible transit services. The technology will help York Region Transit with its plans for multi-modal coordination and enhanced ridership services.

“We are growing rapidly and have been trying to provide more travel options for our specialized transit riders, but there did not seem to be technology that was flexible enough to fit our coordination plans,” said Sharon Doyle, Manager for Mobility Plus. “We found RouteMatch’s success with other transit systems compelling, and their approach to our challenge was both technical and thoughtful. We are looking forward to working with the RouteMatch team.

Mobility Plus conducts door to door shared ride accessible public transit service for people with disabilities, providing 1400 trips per day with its fleet of 88 vehicles. The transit system covers 685 square miles between a mix of rural and urban areas bordering on the City of Toronto. RouteMatch will utilize real-time Google Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) data so Mobility Plus can view where its vehicles are in real-time. Arrival times can then be applied to help riders not only plan trips, but also to facilitate trip transfers between different modes of transportation services in real-time within York Region Transit’s family of transportation services.  Through tight automation, Mobility Plus will be able to view the best travel options available, and more accurately and quickly make travel recommendations to riders.

In addition, Mobility Plus will tap into RouteMatch’s advanced scheduling, dispatching, routing and reporting capabilities. RouteMatch’s scheduling engine and route optimization tools will enable Mobility Plus to reduce time spent and distance on trips as well as accommodate more passengers per vehicle.  These benefits will help reduce the carbon foot print associated with running duplicate vehicles in the same direction.

“Our end goal is for YRT/Viva’s specialized transit riders to have greater independence,” added Sharon. “They will be able to more spontaneously take same day trips to the mall, social outings, medical appointments and other activities without having to rely solely on pre-reservations.”

“York Region YRT/Viva is a highly innovative transit system, and we are thrilled and proud that we are working with them to help bring more convenient travel opportunities to their riders,” said Tim Quinn, Executive Vice President, RouteMatch Software. “We have been very impressed with their highly involved management team and are excited about their strong vision for pioneering a coordinated transportation network in the region. We look forward to building and growing our partnership.”

About York Region Transit

The Regional Municipality of York provides services to 1.1 million residents and 41,000 businesses that employ 516,000 people.  YRT/Viva offers local and rapid transit services throughout all nine municipalities in York Region. More than 120 routes keep residents connected within York Region, as well as connecting to services in the City of Toronto and the Region of Peel.

About RouteMatch Software

RouteMatch Software, Inc. is the leading provider of passenger transportation technology solutions. Founded in 2000, the company is headquartered in Atlanta, GA, and RouteMatch works with more than 600 transit agencies worldwide. Partnering with public and private sector passenger transportation providers, the company provides an end-to-end technology platform which addresses multiple operational, safety and ridership needs. RouteMatch’s technologies address routing, scheduling, dispatching, billing, reporting, fixed route and CAD/AVL, specialized transit, business analytics, and fixed route integration, traveler information services, transit asset management, and more. Additional information about RouteMatch’s ITS technologies is available at www.routematch.com or by emailing info@routematch.com.

Atlanta, GA—May 16, 2013 — RouteMatch Software, a leading provider of ITS (intelligent transportation systems) software and services, recently held its annual User Conference in Atlanta, GA. Over 300 attendees from 180 different transit agencies from across the United States and abroad gathered to learn about the latest RouteMatch technological innovations, best practices, and tools to better manage operational efficiencies. Attendees represented a cross-section of transit agencies using transit technologies to manage their demand response, fixed route, mobility management, and brokerage services. Transit agencies from both urban and rural communities were represented.

This year’s conference expanded upon the overall strategic focus of helping technology users execute a long-term planning strategy to achieve greater returns on their ITS investment, better serve their riders, manage costs, and utilize RouteMatch’s full suite of flexible transit solutions.

Highlights of the conference included sessions dedicated to the latest enhancements to RouteMatch’s full enterprise solution – RouteMatch 6.0 – which uniquely unifies demand response, fixed route, traveler information systems, transit asset management, brokerage, an integrated mobile platform, and other value-added modules on one platform.

“Having worked for 10 plus years in the technology sector prior to coming to Pelivan Transit, I was extremely impressed with both the knowledge level and the attitudes of the entire Route Match staff at the User Conference,” says Brian Barger, Assistant Director of Pelivan Transit. “They truly exude the ‘we are family’ mantra that all businesses can learn from when building long term relationships with their customer base.”

Attendees had access to over 50 educational breakout sessions led by industry specialists, clients, and RouteMatch experts this year, featuring deep-dive discussions on multi-modal delivery systems and coordination, improving dispatching and reporting efficiencies, notifications strategies, customer management and analytics. RouteMatch continued its practice of offering “one-on-one” consulting services to clients over the course of the four-day event. This valuable service enables clients to troubleshoot using their own data, in real-time, while leveraging their existing RouteMatch technology.

New additions to this year’s gathering were two RouteMatch Certified Masters’ classes on Reporting and Scheduling. Clients attended courses to become a Certified Master Scheduler (CMS) or a Certified Master Report Manager (CMRM) in RouteMatch Software for Demand Response Reporting or Scheduling.

“The RouteMatch User Conference provides so many opportunities for users to actively engage in learning new software developments through the numerous educational sessions and certification trainings which were offered,” says Kristen Vida, Executive Director at DuFast Transit. “It was clear that RouteMatch is dedicated to providing the best possible solution to the transit industry by actively seeking input from users on how to improve features and make them the most efficient and user friendly as possible.”

“This year’s RouteMatch User Conference continued to raise the bar, in terms of focusing on our clients’ needs and delivering real value,” says RouteMatch’s Vice President of Client Services, Joe Hewes. “The consistent theme over the past two years has been to help our clients instill a long-term strategy and planning component into their individual agencies. We know that RouteMatch’s suite of enterprise technology, paired with our Customer Support program, can deliver measurable return on investment (ROI) to our clients. The User Conference is a yearly opportunity to remind and demonstrate to clients, in a hands-on manner, the many ways in which ITS improvements are possible with RouteMatch. And, it’s our chance to say ’thank-you‘ to our client family and show them a good time.”

About RouteMatch Software

RouteMatch is the US-based leading provider of end-to-end transit ITS software and innovative passenger and vehicle technology solutions. The company is headquartered in Atlanta, GA and works with more than 600 transit agencies across the U.S. and internationally, providing quality software and customer service. Partnering with public and private sector passenger transportation providers, the company’s products address routing, scheduling, dispatching, billing, reporting, fixed route ,CAD/AVL, paratransit and fixed route integration, traveler information services, fleet management, mobility management, mobile solutions for transit, and more.  Additional information about RouteMatch’s ITS technologies are available at www.routematch.com or by calling RouteMatch toll-free at (US) 1-888-840-8791.

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Benefits include Increase in Ridership, Decrease in Cancellations and No Shows, and Greater Route Optimization and Scheduling with Mobile Data Devices

April 29, 2013 – ATLANTA, GA – RouteMatch Software’s Demand Response solution and notification tool are helping Georgia transit agencies – Coweta County Transit  and Henry County Transit – improve operational efficiencies around scheduling and dispatching, in addition to increasing overall riderships.

Both agencies have used RouteMatch’s automated scheduling and dispatching solution to reduce or eliminate paperwork, accommodate more trip requests and verifications, and improve routing – thereby creating an overall more efficient service that is well-regarded by their respective communities and service areas.

Coweta County Transit Improves Trip Performance and Ridership with RouteMatch Technology and Tablets

“RouteMatch has helped us become light years ahead of where we were,” says Tavores Edwards, Transportation Manager at Coweta County Transportation and Engineering Department. “The numbers we are seeing since implementing the technology is a testament to how strong the RouteMatch system is.”

Since implementing RouteMatch technology, Coweta County dispatchers have moved from pen-and-paper scheduling to an automated system and have improved trip performance, increasing the number of trips they are able to accommodate to an average of 500 per month per vehicle for 2013, up from 448 per vehicle for 2012.

“We are able to accept and schedule many more trips with RouteMatch Software, than we did before,” Tavores says, who was able to schedule 600 trips a month on three vehicles in January 2013.

Coweta County Transit contracts with Quality Trans, Inc. and Three Rivers Regional Commission for their day-to-day operations, which includes five vehicles and a service area that covers approximately 443 square miles in the southwest metro Atlanta area.

The installation of tablets on their vehicles has created an easy and efficient communication tool between drivers and dispatch. On the tablets, drivers can get turn-by-turn navigation, manage route and scheduling information, and access automatic vehicle location data – all enabled by RM Mobile, RouteMatch’s integrated mobile platform.

The combination of scheduling and route optimization and RouteMatch’s RM Mobile and Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) technology has allowed Coweta to achieve a 14% increase in overall ridership over the last five months from the same period last year.

Coweta County is one of nine counties where Three Rivers Regional Commission operates transit services, and one of six counties that utilize tablet technology.

“The impact the tablets have on operations is huge,” explains Tracie Sanchez, Mobility Manager of Three Rivers Regional Commission. “Everything – managing costs, scheduling, routing – it all runs much more efficiently than the counties without the tablets. Coweta currently sets the standard for other agencies in our region.”

Henry County Transit Manages Cancellations Using RouteMatch Notification Module

Henry County Transit has experienced a 30% increase in ridership due to the area’s growing population. The agency, which operates 25 vehicles, was looking to increase efficiencies in order to accommodate that growth without adding more vehicles and staff.

Benefits gained from RouteMatch’s technology derived from using RouteMatch outbound Notification Module.

The Notification Module provides riders automated outbound information via phone about upcoming trips and reservations. Henry County Transit services a combination of Department of Human Services’ riders who schedule standing orders and public riders, who use the service as a back-up commuting option, for social engagements and other needs. Henry County Transit uses the RouteMatch Notification module to automate outbound calls to 30-45% of their daily public riders who schedule trips.

Since implementing RouteMatch, the agency has been able to measure a 20% decrease in no-shows, despite the 10% year over year increase demand for services as of 2010.

When coupled with automatic vehicle location (AVL), notification calls may be provided based on real-time vehicle arrival estimates, giving customers a friendly reminder and reducing dwell time and unnecessary vehicle idling.

“The Notification Module has changed the way we interact and contact passengers,” says David Williamson, Henry County Transit’s Director of Transit. “It has been very beneficial to us, our riders and their ability to cancel trips. The great thing about RouteMatch is if you insert the data, there is almost no limit to the amount of information you can get back out of it in terms of ad hoc reporting, and that has been very useful.”

More telling, the agency has measured a significant decrease in same day rider cancellations , as riders have grown accustomed to using the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology to cancel trips in advance – thus, allowing Henry County Transit to add in more trips and fill seats on the bus for same day rider requests.

Explained David Owen, Program Coordinator at Henry County Transit, “That is significant. Those advance cancellations give us the potential for additional same day or will call demand response trips to be scheduled. It is safe to say that over the years, we have become more efficient as a direct result of RouteMatch technology – it has helped us focus our attention and streamline our efforts.”

RouteMatch’s Notification Module uses advanced speech recognition technologies to deliver automated phone reservations, allowing for greater customer access and less demand on agency staff.

“Coweta County Transit and Henry County Transit have been able to gather measurable improvements in terms of dispatching, scheduling, and handling no-shows and overall services,” says RouteMatch’s Tim Quinn, Executive Vice President. “Their willingness to be open to new technologies paves the way for them to grow efficiencies and save costs. RouteMatch is proud to work with both of these agencies to serve their riderships.”

About Coweta County Transit – Dial A Ride

Coweta County Transit Dial-A-Ride (5311) program provides transit services to business, commercial and activity centers in Coweta County and is funded with federal, state and local dollars. The program uses a “demand response” model, meaning there are no fixed routes, stops or pick up times. Citizens must call and schedule a needed trip 24 hours in advance and daily routes are generated based on destinations requested. Rides are “first come – first served” based on availability. The operation of the program is handled by Quality Trans, Inc., a third party contractor already operating in Coweta County.

About Henry County Transit

Henry County Transit provides safe, reliable, accessible and affordable transportation to the citizens of Henry County. Curb-to-curb service is provided on a first-come, first-served reservation system. Henry Transit operates and provides transportation services in a manner, which does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, citizenship status, handicap, or age.

About RouteMatch Software

RouteMatch Software, Inc. is the leading provider of passenger transportation technology solutions.  Founded in 2000, the company is headquartered in Atlanta, GA, and RouteMatch works with more than 600 transit agencies worldwide.  Partnering with public and private sector passenger transportation providers, the company provides an end-to-end technology platform which addresses multiple operational, safety and ridership needs. RouteMatch’s technologies address routing, scheduling, dispatching, billing, reporting, fixed route and CAD/AVL, demand response, business analytics, and fixed route integration, traveler information services, fleet management, and more.  Additional information about RouteMatch’s ITS technologies is available at www.routematch.com or by emailing info@routematch.com .

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Benefitting outer western Melbourne and the Grampians region

April 10, 2013 – BRISBANE, QUEENSLAND  and BACCHUS MARSH, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA – Merrimu Services, Inc., a not for profit community organisation supporting adults with a disability,  based 60 kilometers outside Melbourne, Australia, has selected Brisbane-based passenger transport technology provider, RouteMatch Software, to help them more efficiently operate their transport services and improve service to riders and their community.

RouteMatch will provide Merrimu with a new, state-of-the-art community transport management system which includes user-friendly scheduling, dispatching and coordination capabilities. Tablets will also be installed in the organisation’s vehicles for real-time automated vehicle location, electronic manifests, and driver-dispatch communications.

“Our goal with using RouteMatch Software is to deliver better service to the people we support, in a way that is meaningful for them,” says Frances O’Reilly, CEO of Merrimu. “We aim to provide individualized services to meet people’s actual needs and change the way community transport is delivered by using technology to help us do more. We chose RouteMatch because it was the best software we found after completing two years of research.”

“We are establishing a social enterprise called SmartRun Community Transport, so other organizations can benefit from this world class software and a better way of delivering community transport to their community more efficiently and making their funding go further,” Frances continued.  “We are trialing this locally first but we will be rolling it out further in the near future.”

Merrimu provides training, work experience opportunities, and recreational activities across Melton and Bacchus Marsh, Victoria, and provides transport so the people they support can access community facilities and programs.  Currently, schedules are created and maintained manually. RouteMatch’s automated and highly customisable solution will allow SmartRun to easily manage data and develop more efficient schedules and routes in less time.

SmartRun will also have the ability to configure user settings and assign employees secure credentials to facilitate the scheduling and operation of vehicles independently from their two locations. RouteMatch’s innovative tablet mobile data devices, currently deployed in Australia and worldwide, appealed to SmartRun Community Transport for their flexibility, ease of use, and proven deployment at other agencies.

SmartRun will extend beyond Merrimu’s vehicles and transport provision to other organisations that also provide some form of community transport.  “We have been part of our local Transport Connections Project in the Grampians Region and received some funding to purchase and set up RouteMatch.  Our partners in the project, including Moorabool Shire and Hepburn Health Service, will be using SmartRun for community buses in Ballan and Daylesford,” said Frances O’Reilly.  “We hope this will be a new way of operating community transport across our towns to provide a better service a lot more efficiently.”  SmartRun has been funded through the Transport Connections Innovation Fund which supports the development of innovative local and regional initiatives to address identified access issues.

“We are excited to be working with Frances and her forward-thinking staff to help achieve their goals in the community,” said RouteMatch Software’s Steve Bailey, Director of Sales.  “Our growth in Victoria is indicative of our commitment to Australia on whole and helps us create a stronger user-group, from which agencies will continue to gather best practices.”

About RouteMatch Software

RouteMatch Software, Inc. is the leading provider of intelligent transport software and solutions. RouteMatch works with more than 600 transport agencies worldwide. Partnering with public and private sector passenger transport providers, the company provides an end‐to‐end technology platform focused on operational, safety and ridership needs. RouteMatch’s technologies address routing, scheduling, dispatching, billing, reporting, fixed route , CAD/AVL, paratransit and fixed route integration, traveler information services, fleet management, community transport, and more. Additional information about RouteMatch’s technologies in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region is available at www.routematch.com or by emailing steven.bailey@routematch.com.

About Merrimu Services, Inc.

Merrimu Services, Inc. was founded by a group of parents in 1973, catering for children and adults with an intellectual disability.   We are about people, dreams and creating a life.  We provide support to allow people to be active, valued members and participants in their community.  Merrimu provides planning, training programs, work experience and volunteer opportunities and recreational activities for adults with a disability.  We have campuses in Bacchus Marsh and Melton, with a retail store, Christabelles, in Bacchus Marsh.

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URBANNA, VA and ATLANTA, GA – March 27, 2013 – Bay Transit, a demand response provider and RouteMatch Software, today announced that they have been applying technologies in order to reduce the number of passenger no-shows and save costs with the help of notification technology.

Bay Transit, a service of Bay Aging, is based in the Middle Peninsula and Northern Neck area of Eastern Virginia, and covers a 3,000 square mile area, serving 12 counties and over 150,000 riders annually. Currently, the transit service performs approximately 13,000 trips per month, of 10 miles average per trip.

Over a recent five-month period, Bay Transit experienced a 45% decrease in their number of no-shows — from approximately 1,400 in the month of October 2012 to 775 in the month of February 2013.

During this timeframe, they began using RouteMatch’s Notification Module, an automated outbound messaging system, to inform and confirm riders of scheduled rides in advance and allow them to cancel trips if needed. This tool has helped Bay Transit effectively manage and save on costs, as passenger no-shows account for an estimated cost of up to $300,000 annually due to wasted fuel costs, idle time, empty vehicles, and not being able to accommodate other passengers. “Our goal with the notification module was to fill some of our empty seats and reduce no-shows,” says Ken Pollock, Transit Director, Bay Transit. “So far, we have been able to accomplish that. We are excited about the new notification technologies as it will bring more convenience to our riders and greater efficiencies to our operations.”

Prior to implementing the Notification Module, Bay Transit scheduled rides completely over the phone, with 24-hour advance notice. Dispatch operations occur out of three different office locations, with Bay Transit operating 50 vehicles, 40 of which are equipped with RouteMatch’s mobile data devices/tablet technology for automated vehicle location, allowing more efficient communications between drivers and dispatch.

With the use of RouteMatch’s enterprise demand-response technology, Bay Transit staff began to look at their reporting capabilities, specifically around no-show data. Because of the large service area they cover, a ride resulting in a no-show could take a driver potentially 10 to 20 miles out of their way — resulting in a significant loss of time and fuel. Data studies indicated no-show numbers as high as 3,000 per month.

Using ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) funds, Bay Aging’s Board of Directors decided to invest in implementing RouteMatch’s Notification Module and were up and running in early 2013, with the technology installed in all of their dispatching locations. Bay Transit is now embarking on a proactive customer education program to inform riders about how to use the new technology and how it would ultimately help them manage their trips and schedules. In addition, the organization is looking into policy adjustments that reflect the capabilities of RouteMatch.

“I think that the notification module has been effective so far, and will continue to be,” says Pollock. “We think that customer education, a strong no-show policy, and the RouteMatch technology, together make a comprehensive program work.”

“Bay Transit’s embrace of the Notification Module, combined with their outreach to customers about what to expect from the technology, is a strong example of how technology and proactive customer care can create long-lasting financial benefits to an agency’s bottom-line, as well as provide greater convenience and communications to customers,” says Tim Quinn, RouteMatch Executive Vice President. “We expect to see their no-shows continue to decrease as their customers become more accustomed to the tool, and we are happy to work with them to maximize their use of the technology.”

About Bay Aging

Bay Aging is the premier provider of programs and services for people of all ages. Formed in 1978, Bay Aging serves a predominately rural 2,600 square mile region that encompasses ten counties and two planning districts.

Bay Transit is a service of Bay Aging that provides transit service to the counties of Charles City, Essex, Gloucester, King and Queen, King William, Lancaster, Mathews, Middlesex, New Kent, Northumberland, Richmond, and Westmoreland. Bay Transit provides on-demand service and offers limited fixed route service during the summer.

About RouteMatch Software

RouteMatch Software, Inc. is the leading provider of passenger transportation technology solutions. Founded in 2000, the company is headquartered in Atlanta, GA, and RouteMatch works with more than 600 transit agencies worldwide. Partnering with public and private sector passenger transportation providers, the company provides an end-to-end technology platform which addresses multiple operational, safety and ridership needs. RouteMatch’s technologies address routing, scheduling, dispatching, billing, reporting, fixed route and CAD/AVL, demand response, business analytics, and fixed route integration, traveler information services, fleet management, and more. Additional information about RouteMatch’s ITS technologies is available at www.routematch.com or by emailinginfo@routematch.com.

To help 39 North Dakota transit agencies access comprehensive technologies for demand response, fixed route and regional coordination

BISMARK, NORTH DAKOTA and ATLANTA, GEORGIA – MARCH 6, 2013- RouteMatch Software and the North Dakota Department of Transportation  today announced that RouteMatch Software will be rolling out its  intelligent transportation system to 39 transit systems.

By standardizing on RouteMatch’s technologies, the North Dakota Department of Transportation will be able to help transit agencies improve operational efficiencies, supporting the region’s growing ridership demand and coordination efforts.  RouteMatch Software’s flexible technology platform accommodates the needs of small rural operations, but also scales to tackle integrated fixed route, demand response and traveler information needs of urban systems through built in configuration and modules. Transit systems in North Dakota will receive RouteMatch’s core scheduling, dispatching, route optimization module and tablet mobile data devices for automated vehicle location, reducing paper, and improving driver and dispatcher communications. Since RouteMatch’s technologies are deployed through the Cloud, transit agencies benefit from faster deployment and access to shared resources without the need for large hardware costs and IT support.

The City of Grand Forks, for example, has experienced savings of $85,000 annually by gaining greater visibility into data and refining American Disabilities Act (ADA) eligibility and verification for its contracted demand response services. In addition, tablet mobile data devices installed on its vehicles have helped reduce idle time, save on fuel costs, and maximize the use of vehicles. RouteMatch has enabled more streamlined billing and verification of trips by funding source, and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) reports can be more quickly and accurately run.

“We have had an over 30% spike in ridership over the past few years, and we want to concentrate on customer service and running efficient operations,” said Dale Bergman, Transit Director of Grand Forks’ Cities Area Transit (CAT), which runs 55,000 demand response and 329,000 fixed route trips annually.

Cities Area Transit was asked by the North Dakota Department of Transportation to be the pilot for a regional and statewide coordination project that would upgrade Cities Area Transit call center and website to provide “One-Call/One-Click” functionality, and equip rural transit providers in North Dakota with computer-assisted scheduling and dispatch software.  After fully implementing the pilot project, the North Dakota Department of Transportation plans to implement the same model in other regional centers throughout the state.

While transit agencies gain benefits of moving from a manual system of running operations to technology and diversifying their range of technologies, the North Dakota Department of Transportation will use the technology for centralized data management and standardized reporting. Automated and more consistent documentation of transit agency information and streamlined processes will help the Department more closely follow FTA guidelines and reporting requirements.

“Our expectations are very high. We are seeking value across the whole state and in multiple areas,” said Kim Adair, Transit Section Program Leader, North Dakota Department of Transportation.  “Our primary goal is to equip all our providers with the tools they need to help them succeed.  We chose RouteMatch after extensive due diligence and liked how flexible their technology is and their team of people. Customer service is a big priority for us.  It means a lot when you have the follow up and follow through. We wanted to invest in technologies that could grow with us, and be with us not just for now, but also for the future.”

“We’re very excited that North Dakota is using our technology across so many different areas of operations and to further their long term vision for regional coordination,” said Tim Quinn, Executive Vice President, RouteMatch Software.  “Transit agencies are already seeing ROI and are deeply committed to helping North Dakota transit agencies and the North Dakota Department of Transportation succeed in reaching their goals and helping their communities.”

In addition to North Dakota, RouteMatch has statewide intelligent transportation system (ITS) contracts with Georgia, Iowa, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Tennessee.

About RouteMatch Software

RouteMatch is the leading provider of passenger transportation technology solutions.  Founded in 2000, the company is headquartered in Atlanta, GA, and RouteMatch works with more than 600 transit agencies worldwide.  Partnering with public and private sector passenger transportation providers, the company provides an end- to- end technology platform which addresses multiple operational, safety and ridership needs. RouteMatch’s technologies address routing, scheduling, dispatching, billing, reporting, fixed route and CAD/AVL, demand response, business analytics, and fixed route integration, traveler information services, fleet management, and more.  Additional information about RouteMatch’s ITS technologies is available at www.routematch.com or by emailing info@routematch.com .

EL PASO, TX and ATLANTA, GA- March 5, 2013- Project Amistad, a not for profit agency and the second largest transportation agency in the El Paso, Texas  area, provides services to elderly persons, persons with disabilities, and persons at risk through transportation programs throughout West Texas. The Medical Transportation Program serves the six West Texas counties of El Paso, Hudspeth, Culberson, Jeff Davis, Brewster, and Presidio.

Transporting 800-1000 trips daily in the areas of demand response and fixed route services, Project Amistad had historically relied upon a paper-based system and Microsoft Excel spreadsheets to manage its transportation services. As ridership and the need for greater regional coordination expanded, the agency sought to streamline its operations and improve efficiencies across the board.

After receiving a Texas Department of Transportation grant, the agency engaged EPV Group, a local systems engineering and professional services company, to conduct a thorough needs assessment for implementing technologies. EPV Group was able to provide useful input about how to map technologies to operations and coordinate with other transportation providers.

Due to the multiple varying requirements the agency had, Project Amistad selected RouteMatch Software’s enterprise passenger transportation platform for its Demand Response needs. This included scheduling and dispatching software for optimization,  tablet mobile data devices for automated vehicle location, driver dispatch communications and pre and post vehicle inspection, a Notification Module to place automated calls to riders, and a Provider Web portal which enables Project Amistad and its partner providers to assign and cancel trips.  The single provider approach enabled Project Amistad to have one point of contact for support as well as use the technology to expand into other areas through RouteMatch’s extensible modules.

“It was really a commitment of all parties- our staff, RouteMatch and EPV Group,” said Rosario Reynoso, Director of Transportation at Project Amistad. “We really worked together and had enormous support and follow through. If there was a glitch, we knew everyone was doing their part in making it successful.”

 Improved Medicaid Trip Management and Coordination with Third Party Trip Providers

How to view and share trips among multiple transit agencies can be a daunting task for today’s transportation providers. For example, Project Amistad interfaces with one of its subcontracted trip providers, Big Bend Community Action, which uses a different scheduling and dispatching software. Project Amistad also receives trips from Sun Metro, which uses yet another third party scheduling and dispatching software.

By using RouteMatch’s third party data integration tool, Project Amistad is able to share data electronically. Project Amistad now electronically assigns trips to their subcontractors through a seamlessly integrated, secure, Web-based portal using RouteMatch’s Provider Portal. Big Bend Community Action can then access electronic manifests and later perform and submit verification of trips through the same portal. Previously, Project Amistad would generate five-ten pages of manifests; the agency would then call down to each customer to confirm a trip. Both Project Amistad as well Big Bend Community Action can now confirm trip distances, quickly communicate cancellations, make vehicle changes , and sort and verify trips by funding source, pick up time, type of vehicle and other user defined parameters all from one location. This has enabled them to extend area coverage and provide more coordinated service to riders.

Electronic Submission of Medicaid Claims for Texas Medicaid and Healthcare Partnership

Project Amistad can also more accurately verify trips and submit claims to Texas Medicaid and Healthcare Partnership (TMHP) through RouteMatch’s third party data integration tool using Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) for payment. Project Amistad downloads Medicaid trips from the Texas Medical Transportation System (TMTS) website; the trips are electronically imported into RouteMatch through RouteMatch’s third party data integration tool. Signatures checking and claim submissions can now occur all through a click of a button.

“Medicaid is a big issue in itself for transportation providers,” said Marty Loya, EPV Group. “Transportation providers and brokers will need to have more established procedures for culling data for State reporting and viewing all resources available.”

Notification Module Saves Staff 40 Hours per Week

RouteMatch’s Notification Module has allowed Project Amistad to automatically call out to riders to confirm trips by phone prior to their appointments in English or Spanish. This has saved between 30-40 hours per week of staff time calling and verifying trips and is anticipated to reduce rider no shows. The total cost savings annually for Project Amistad will result in approximately $8,000-$10,000.

Greater Access to Data and Scheduling Efficiencies

Using RouteMatch’s advanced scheduling and optimization engine, Project Amistad has been able to more efficiently schedule trips. Previously, it would require four hours a day for manual scheduling. With the optimization engine, the scheduling was dramatically reduced to 30 minutes a day, cutting back on time identifying trips and letting the system handle the scheduling and routing.

Having all information stored in a single data base with user-defined configuration options has meant more visibility into all data.  For example, incidents and accidents that were previously known and confined to only a few users can now be quickly seen and assigned to a supervisor for faster response and resolve.  This has resulted in greater organizational visibility and accountability.

“Project Amistad’s management team and staff are a stellar example of an agency that maximizes the full value of our technology platform,” said Tim Quinn, Executive Vice President, RouteMatch Software. “They are pioneering regional coordination, and are really gaining efficiencies and serving more riders in a time of limited resources. We are proud to be their partners.”

Tablets Bring Pre and Post Vehicle Inspection Functionality and Facilitates Better Communication and Reduces Paper

By installing 55 tablets on its vehicles, Project Amistad can now view the location of vehicles in real time through tablet mobile data devices as well as extend the capabilities for performing pre and post vehicle inspections.

Dispatchers can immediately add more trips or cancel trips to the tablets; drivers can more quickly verify trips, allowing greater vehicle capacity and enhanced ridership services.

“We were initially hesitant that our drivers and schedulers would shy away from the tablets, but once we completed our training, they got used to it,” said Rosario. “They now do not want to part without it- they know how accurate the mobile data devices are. It has saved us at least two reams of paper a day – or 360,000 sheets per year!”

Communications has further improved as dispatchers can now send messages to drivers directly on the tablets; radio chatter has also been reduced.

In addition, Project Amistad drivers will be able to electronically perform pre and post vehicle inspections from the tablets to record common requirements such as odometer readings, fluid levels, brake status and light status, and other user- defined requirements for improved vehicle and passenger safety. This will allow Project Amistad to even further eliminate paper-based inspection forms and directly capture and store information into the RouteMatch system from the tablet mobile data devices.  Supervisors can be immediately alerted of faulty inspections and can assign proper next steps to drivers for resolution.

“This is a major benefit for Federal Transit Administration (FTA) compliance. You can see the data, make immediate decisions and document each inspection for reporting and auditing purposes on vehicle conditions,” said Marty Loya, EPV Group.

“It has been excellent- going from paper to a state of the art computerized system. I am very proud to be part of this transformation and seeing the positive changes,” said Rosario. “I foresee us looking for even more solutions and have worked closely with EPV Group and RouteMatch in seeking input from our users to further enhance our system. We are looking forward to even greater efficiencies to come.”

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Advocate staff photo by ARTHUR D. LAUCK Capital Area Transit System CEO Brian Marshall speaks Tuesday about the new GPS tracking system riders can use to determine the arrival time for buses on a route as Tim Quinn, left, of RouteMatch Software, looks on.

As reported in The Advocate by Rebekah Allen, Advocate Staff Writer on January 30^th, 2013

“Bus system officials on Tuesday rolled out a series of technology upgrades aimed at improving overall bus service for the public, including GPS tracking devices on buses.

Riders with smartphones can download the app RouteShout for free or visit http://www.BRCats.com to see a live map of bus traveling routes, along with estimated arrival times updated in real time.

“Instead of waiting outside and trying to deal with the schedule, and riders just wondering, ‘Did I miss that bus?’ (when) the bus is 15 minutes behind schedule, they can stay at work that extra five minutes and then come out when they see the bus is there,” said Brian Marshall, chief executive officer of the Capital Area Transit System. “That makes a major difference.”

Marshall said the GPS’ accuracy is within 15 seconds.

Riders who don’t have a smartphone, which is an iPhone, Android or other phone that accesses the Internet, can receive text message alerts on regular cellphones about their bus route by going to the CATS website and subscribing to specific routes, said Kiran Vemuri, CATS planning manager.

Riders who subscribe to a route will be notified via text of any delays or changes made to the route, he said.

CATS partnered with RouteMatch Software, an Atlanta company, for the technology upgrades on the buses.

The upgrades also include LED panels that display approaching intersections and destinations; automated speakers that announce approaching destinations; and digital passenger counters.

Marshall said CATS is now the largest transit system in the nation with both audio and video technology in its buses. He said transit systems in cities like New Orleans are now following CATS’ lead in technology.

The CATS terminal on Florida Boulevard is now outfitted with digital signs that tell waiting passengers how many minutes they have left to wait for the next bus. The terminal also is outfitted with two LCD monitors that mimic departure and arrival time display screens in airports, with a complete list of route information.

The RouteMatch Software contract is for $1.4 million and is covered by federal economic stimulus dollars. CATS will pay $15,000 a year in operational costs to run the system.

Marshall said Tuesday that CATS has cut wait times at peak hours by half for 13 routes, because CATS has received 10 new vehicles and has built up the maintenance schedule to keep the existing fleet running.

On average, the wait times during peak hours are about 30 to 40 minutes now, down from 75 minutes, Marshall said.

CATS promised last year it would deliver 15-minute wait times by 2014, when voters approved a 10.6-mill property tax to expand and improve the bus service. The GPS service was also a key promise in CATS tax platform.