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Spotlight: DDOT Detroit Department of Transportation
Technology Category
- Analytics & Modeling - Predictive Analytics
- Functional Applications - Fleet Management Systems (FMS)
- Functional Applications - Remote Monitoring & Control Systems
Applicable Industries
- Transportation
Applicable Functions
- Business Operation
- Logistics & Transportation
Use Cases
- Fleet Management
- Predictive Maintenance
- Remote Asset Management
Services
- System Integration
- Training
The Challenge
Larger transit agencies face unique challenges compared to smaller transit agencies. Large transit systems face more complex scheduling, dispatching, and billing processes because of the sheer size of their fleets, their day of service operations, and the fact that they are often dealing with multiple providers. Large transit agencies have a longer span of operational requirements, more days of service, and usually, multiple depot locations for vehicles. DDOT is no exception, and was facing challenges that were hindering operations and efficiency. Examples of specific issues they were dealing with include: • Poor or disjointed communication issues between management and drivers due to paper manifests and reliance on antiquated technology • Coordination between DDOT, the previous broker, and subcontractors were cumbersome due to the largely manual process of scheduling and moving trips • Limited visibility into driver data, scheduling, and execution • Manual scheduling that resulted in drivers always running behind schedule Additionally, DDOT was not seeing any real benefits with their legacy scheduling software, and in fact, it was contributing to the overall operational challenges that they were facing. DDOT’s frustration with the previous legacy software stemmed from several issues including: • Staff was required to collect all pick-up calls for the next day by 4:30pm and pool all of the trips into a report to send to each provider manually, which created disjointed delivery of customer trips • Zero visibility into how the trips were being booked • Because of the way that the trips were scheduled, they could have three provider vehicles all driving down the road at the same time to pick up one customer Ultimately, DDOT’s goal was to be more efficient, increase their rides per hour, and improve customer service. So, how did they get there?
About The Customer
Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) services the greater metro Detroit area and even extends their service ¾ mile further than the furthest fixed route bus stop in the area. DDOT contracts with Transdev’s IntelliRide division to provide ADA demand response operations with curb-to-curb paratransit service. With this brokerage system, Transdev handles all scheduling, dispatching and reservations for DDOT, and all drivers are subcontracted. DDOT uses a fleet of approximately 49 vehicles and completes an average of 1,000-1,200 trips on weekdays across seven transportation providers. On weekends, DDOT expects 300-400 trips on Saturdays and 250-300 trips on Sundays, adding up to approximately 26,000 trips on a monthly basis. With 30 employees operating the paratransit department coupled with the large volume of demand response rides they provide, DDOT is categorized as a larger transit agency.
The Solution
DDOT realized that they did not have the technical capacity and expertise to fix the problem. They put out a 5-year contract RFP and evaluated Ecolane as a potential new solution to help address their challenges and turn everything around. Ecolane was one of two options considered. When comparing Ecolane with their legacy software, they noticed several major differences: Ecolane • Fully automated scheduling that reduced the number of staff needed to make schedules • Increased flexibility to make adjustments to manifests • Training was robust and thorough, with the Transdev partnership • Software was more efficient • Able to use Detroit-based providers Previous Legacy Software • 15 people were needed to schedule trips • No flexibility to change the trip manifest • Manual schedule creation with 20-year-old software There was no question in DDOT’s mind as to what software would take their program to the next level, and they ended up choosing to transition away from their legacy software and implement Ecolane software instead. They implemented the Ecolane DRT Brokerage software solution with the following capabilities: • Touch screen MDT software on Android tablets (100% MDTs in all vehicles in operation daily) • SMS Text Messaging • Self-Service Web Bookings • Google Transit Integration • Sub-Contractor Portal for added visibility • Advanced reporting system with ad-hoc reporting tool
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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