CDW Government, Inc. (CDW-G), a wholly owned subsidiary of CDW
Corporation and leading source of Information Technology (IT) solutions
to governments and educators, today announced that it provided a
Panasonic Toughbook solution to the Portage Area Regional Transportation
Authority (PARTA), which serves the 152,000 residents of Portage County
in northeastern Ohio. Using the Toughbook solution in combination with
intelligent transportation software from Trapeze Group enables PARTA to
locate its fleet of 56 buses remotely and relay information directly to
drivers, ultimately improving the quality of service to citizens using
public transportation on a daily basis.
“With CDW-G’s expert
advice and services, we were able to implement a ruggedized mobile
computing solution from Panasonic to use in combination with software
from Trapeze to enable real-time communication between drivers and
dispatch,” said Bryan Smith, PARTA manager of
business development. “The Toughbooks and
Trapeze software ensure we can get location information on our buses
anytime and anywhere and update a driver’s
route instantly so we can pick up more passengers in a shorter period of
time. This level of communication enables PARTA to provide our citizens
with the most efficient transportation throughout Portage County.”
PARTA ridership has increased dramatically over the last year, with
approximately 1.3 million trips made in and around the county in 2006 on
eight bus routes and via PARTA’s dial-a-ride
service, which provides door-to-door transportation and “will
call” pickups following doctor’s
appointments. In addition, PARTA’s
student-run service for Kent State University employs student drivers,
dispatchers and managers.
To keep up with demand and ensure quality service to citizens, PARTA
called on CDW-G for advice on a hardware solution that would assist with
driver productivity and internal communications across the
500-square-mile bus system. PARTA needed a solution that not only would
allow for near-instant communication between the drivers out on the
roads and dispatch, but also help dial-a-ride drivers navigate in and
around Portage County.
Under the guidance of CDW-G, PARTA selected the Panasonic Toughbook 19,
a fully ruggedized notebook PC that converts to a tablet PC. The
Toughbook features an optimized display with an extra-low reflection
rate so drivers can clearly view route information and messages from
dispatch in all lighting. With the Toughbooks, drivers now hit “arrive”
and “depart”
buttons when out on the road, eliminating the need to manually log
transit times, mileage and fares, while also providing the dispatch
center with instant access to route and driver information. The
Toughbooks also have an emergency communications feature, which allows
bus drivers to send an emergency message to the PARTA dispatch simply by
double tapping the Toughbook screen. The emergency function is a two-way
street – dispatch can also relay critical
information back to the drivers via text message.
Understanding the transportation authority’s
specific needs, CDW-G also called on its partner LEDCO, a leading
provider of rugged computer mounting systems to law enforcement, public
safety and emergency fleets, for notebook mounts that would meet the
authority’s safety and usability
requirements. Given PARTA’s diverse bus
fleet, comprised of multiple makes and models, a one-size-fits-all mount
would not fulfill the authority’s
requirements. Working directly with PARTA on-site, CDW-G and LEDCO were
able to identify the optimal mounting solution for each bus that was not
only user friendly, but more importantly, also met bus safety codes,
ensuring that in an emergency drivers have a clear path to both the
passengers and the exits.
“Although traditionally thought of as a
public safety and law enforcement tool, the Panasonic Toughbooks are a
great fit for public transportation and other citizen-service
organizations,” said Jim Grass, CDW-G senior
director of state and local sales. “In today’s
increasingly mobile and paperless world, the ability to instantly update
a bus driver’s route, as well as
automatically record fares and log times, increases PARTA’s
efficiency – providing better citizen
services and better return on taxpayer investment.”
CDW-G partners with leading IT companies to deliver best-in-class IT
solutions featuring top IT brands from more than 1,000 manufacturers,
providing state and local government customers with the technology that
best meets their unique needs.
About CDW-G
A wholly owned subsidiary of CDW Corporation, ranked No. 39 on Forbes’
list of America’s Largest Private Companies,
CDW Government (CDW-G) is a trusted technology advisor to federal, state
and local government agencies, as well as to educational institutions at
all levels. CDW-G offers best-in-class technology products and services
from top-name brands such as APC, Acer, Adobe, Apple, Cisco, EMC,
Fujitsu, HP, IBM, Lenovo, Microsoft, Panasonic, Quantum, Samsung, Sony,
Symantec, ViewSonic and Xerox.
For more information about CDW-G product offerings, procurement options,
service and solutions, call 847.968.0710, or visit the CDW-G Web site at
CDWG.com.
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