Colorado's Steamboat Springs Transit Selects RouteMatch Software's Passenger Transportation Technologies to Improve Operations and Customer Service for Tourists and Local Community


ATLANTA, GA and STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, CO--(Marketwired - Apr 22, 2014) - Steamboat Springs Transit (SST) has chosen RouteMatch Software to provide their enterprise platform of intelligent transportation solutions for its fixed route and paratransit operations including real time automated vehicle location (AVL), GPS tracking and traveler information systems.

Located in a rural resort community in northwest Colorado, Steamboat Springs Transit carries about 1 million passengers annually, many of whom are tourists who visit the region for alpine and cross country skiing as well as summer activities including golf, hiking and fishing along with many other outdoor events and festivals year-round.

Steamboat Springs Transit was looking for a flexible and dynamic technology partner that could provide reliable customer service and fully automated scheduling and dispatching in a cloud-based environment. They also wanted to take advantage of their riders' preference for smart technology and deliver traveler information to them via smartphones and texts.

"We were looking to improve our overall operations," says Jonathan Flint, Transit Manager at Steamboat Springs Transit. "We wanted to move away from using radio technology and officially migrate over to a more sophisticated system that would grow and adapt with our needs."

Steamboat Springs Transit provides the only public transit service in the area, which includes five fixed routes that provide free service to the downtown and tourist areas, as well as a free demand response service that provides connecting transit services to a local college and two low-income housing developments. The agency also runs a deviate fixed route, to which they add three more main routes during the winter to accommodate ridership demand.

Prior to adapting RouteMatch's suite of transit solutions, the agency's four dispatchers scheduled their rides and routes manually. They lacked visibility into their routing and scheduling information, as well as the ability to add extra buses or routes, which becomes critically important during peak tourist seasons. RouteMatch's optimization tools allow schedulers and dispatchers to manage overlapping routes and create optimal timetables and schedules for drivers based on predictive algorithms. 

"The technology will provide SST with the ability to reduce costs and increase operational efficiency on one complete platform. It means access to real time bus information for the community and an increase in ridership for the agency," says Thomas Coogan, Vice President, RouteMatch Software. 

Delivering Timely Trip Information

Another large reason why Steamboat Springs Transit decided to adopt RouteMatch technologies was due to the ability to deliver traveler information to their riders. "We're a very tourist-based system, and many of our passengers haven't ridden a bus before," explains Jonathan. "Being able to deliver real time information via their smartphone was a big plus for us. It gives them some familiarity and reduces the fear that they might board the wrong bus."

The agency was mindful that many of their peak rider times occur during very cold winter months, and they sought to offer passengers the convenience and safety of not having to wait outside at bus stops, especially when buses may be delayed by poor weather conditions.

Tablets and Cloud Model Allow for Easier Management

Steamboat Springs Transit's move towards new technology also includes implementing tablets. Their full team of drivers -- which increases to about 30 during peak winter ski season -- will be trained on tablet technology, thereby fully eliminating paper manifests, as well as paper-based reports. The agency is looking forward to automating their driver/dispatcher communications, and being able to track and measure on-time performance and estimated arrival times, as well as capture passenger counts.

Reporting will also become much easier and less costly for the agency. "We produce huge volumes of reports," Jonathan says. "And, so much of it is done from taking written information and transposing it into a computer. We are very much looking forward to automating our reporting with the tablets."

Lastly, for an agency as geographically remote from larger urban areas as Steamboat Springs, the decision to use RouteMatch's Cloud Services made sense. "We don't have an IT department, so we just needed simple, user-friendly technology for staff to use and maintain," Jonathan explains. "That's also why we went with the Cloud model."

"We have also been very happy with the RouteMatch Technical Support, and the way RouteMatch has been proactive in getting the system up and running," says Jonathan. "RouteMatch is getting it done."

"RouteMatch is very pleased to partner with an agency that is progressive in their approach to transit technology," says Thomas. "There are many ski towns that need to manage rider demand and operate more flexibly. Steamboat Springs is committed to serving their riders -- both the local community and tourists -- by implementing smarter solutions via the tablets, as well as the larger RouteMatch platform. We look forward to partnering in their ongoing success."

About Steamboat Spring Transit

Steamboat Springs Transit (SST) provides a fixed route transit service throughout the City of Steamboat Springs. Year-round bus service is provided daily around town and between downtown and the Ski Resort Mountain Base area. Schedule information is available on the buses and in brochure racks located throughout Steamboat Springs. The local bus route is a "free to user" system.

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 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, demand response and fixed route integration, traveler information services, mobility management, business analytics, 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
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P: 404-253-7839