MOREHEAD CITY, NC and ATLANTA, GA--(Marketwired - Jan 6, 2015) - For Carteret County Area Transportation (CCATS), the decision to invest in RouteMatch Software's tablet technology and on-site training program has paid off. The North Carolina agency covers over 100 miles along the "Crystal Coast," and provides services to many area beaches, museums, parks and other places of interest as well as transit services for seniors and non-emergency medical.
In the past year, CCATS has greatly reduced the rate of human error within the scheduling and routing process, thanks to real-time monitoring and verification via RouteMatch's Demand Response solution with mobile data. CCATS has also increased the number of daily trips from 250 to over 300 and are doing it for the same amount of hours and fuel.
Perhaps the most impressive outcome for CCATS and their reinvigorated use of technology has been financial. This year the agency and its services and operations will in effect pay for itself. CCATS has efficiently streamlined its processes to eliminate manual entries and verifications, and whereas before they were two weeks behind on billing, they are now running up to date. Overall, the agency is running a faster and tighter set of operations.
And, as of this past July, CCATS has launched a deviate fixed route service that currently averages 40 riders a day, from 7 am to 5 pm. The agency plans to grow and expand this service to three routes.
Adapting Tablet Technology and Eliminating Inefficiencies to Create More Room to Grow
Prior to using RouteMatch technology, CCATS was using a paper-based manifest and spending large amounts of money on paper and ink cartridges. Once the agency decided to move to an automated scheduling system, Randy Cantor, the Director of CCATS, had a RouteMatch team come on-site for three strategic days of intense training and data cleansing. They then implemented RouteMatch's mobile data solution for tablets, and for two weeks maintained use of both the paper manifest and the tablets in order to ensure a seamless transition.
"Being able to manipulate the trips on the tablets, or the funding source or the pick-up location, via the dispatching window, has been an incredible tool," explains Randy. "We can monitor staff hours, and easily manage the overnight changes that often happen, such as cancelled trips or other changes. For our dispatchers, they are able to go in and adjust the schedules or routes in an easy way that saves on time and cost."
In the near future, the agency also plans to implement RouteMatch's Interactive Voice Response in order to further reduce redundancies and errors, while also making it easier for customers to request trips.
"I can't speak highly enough about the tablets. I was not skeptical, but I didn't think they would turn out to be as huge a benefit as they have been," says Randy. "And I have had great experience with RouteMatch Customer Support, who have been incredibly responsive and available."
CCATS' technology evolution -- from paper-based to automated, with tablets -- also prompted the agency to launch a big new advertising and messaging campaign to their local community to get the word out about their services. A new logo, brochure and website were unrolled, and their fleet of 16 vehicles was also rebranded.
"CCATS clearly has a lot to be proud of with their adaptation of mobile data technology and the tablets," says Chris Campbell, RouteMatch Vice President. "They migrated over to tablets in a very strategic way, by investing in proper staff training and buy-in. We look forward to working with them as they expand their services and continue their success."
About Carteret Country Area Transportation (CCATS)
The Carteret County Area Transportation System is an accessible public transportation service for all residents and guests of Carteret County. It is authorized by the Board of Commissioners of Carteret County.
CCATS Provides:
- limited out of county service for non-emergency medical appointments
- non-emergency medical transportation
- service to and from all areas of Carteret County
- shopping trips for seniors, residents, and guests
- transportation to and from Carteret Community College
- transportation to beaches, museums, parks, aquarium, and other places of interest
- transportation for employees to and from work
About RouteMatch Software
RouteMatch Software is the leading provider of passenger transportation technologies and mobility management solutions. The company is headquartered in Atlanta, GA and works with more than 600 transit agencies across the United States 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, demand response and fixed route integration, traveler information services, electronic fare payment, transit asset management, mobility management, business intelligence, 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.
Contact Information:
Media Contact:
Brooke Phillips
RouteMatch Software
E:
P: 404-253-7839