Inside Trapeze and Vontas

In the second part of our series ViewPoint plus, I'm talking with Esmy Jensen and Tyler Dvorak about how better data analysis is critical to creating effective schedules and plans for your agency.

You can also read more about this in their blog post on the Trapeze Blog: How to get a grip on your data to create the service you want and your riders need.

In the first in a series of episodes, I'm talking with Esmy Jensen, Solutions Consultant for ViewPoint, about how our advanced data and analytics solution brings out extra insight and value from all Trapeze products.

First up is Brett Koenig, Industry Solutions Manager for EAM, back on the show to tell us how ViewPoint helps you make sense of all your asset and maintenance data. EAM generates a gathers a ton of valuable information about your agency, but how are you going to learn from that data? ViewPoint is the 1+1=3 solution that lets you ask the questions that let you make decisions and power business transformation.

Read more in the companion blog post by Esmy and Brett on the Trapeze Blog.

Over the next several weeks we'll also be talking about how Mobility on Demand and Mobility Planning & Scheduling work with ViewPoint for more 1+1=3 examples.

I love trains. I love taking transit by rail whenever I can. Fast, no traffic to deal with (like buses still have to deal with), and just relaxing. I sat down with Marcelo Bravo the Director of Business Development for Rail at Trapeze to talk about his career journey, the future of commuter rail, and how Trapeze software powers and supports some of the biggest rail properties in North America and the world.

You can also read more in Marcelo's blog post on the Trapeze blog--5 Reasons why this is an exciting time for rail in public transit.

Tyler Dvorak is back on the show to talk planning and scheduling, but this time we're talking planning and scheduling for the next ten to fifteen years. Between now and 2040 public transit is going to switch from mostly diesel and CNG to battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell. This might be the single biggest change to hit transit since we stopped using horses.

It's going to take a lot of work to get ready for the switch and during the transition--probably most especially during the transition while an agency might have two or three types of vehicles in service.

Join Tyler and me for a discussion about all the facets of planning agencies will need to think and maybe some new ones like environmental justice and equity.

All this on Inside Trapeze.

Nila Zaman, Industry Solutions Manager for Mobility on Demand for Trapeze, knows a lot about getting people from A to B. In this episode of Inside Trapeze we talk about the mobility demand as an integral part of your community and how what you have running for mobility on demand is just a variation of microtransit.

And if you wanted to give your community a full-blown microtransit solution, you probably have everything you need right at your fingertips.

Learn how it's done and what you need to do to get started.

There is no question today’s large organizations—public and private—need ERPs to efficiently manage countless workflows related to employees, finance, and procurement workflows. For years, ERPs have brought tremendous value to organizations by helping them track these key resources with greater accuracy than manual or standalone solutions. But public transit agencies aren’t like other organizations. Transit assets—buses, trolleys, rail, and fixed assets—are far more complex than typical assets found outside transit.

Trapeze EAM Industry Solutions Manager Brett Koenig and I talk about ERPs, EAM, data silos, and how to get everything working together.

Read more in the blog post and learn about Trapeze EAM.

This is the first in a series of chats with the Vontas leadership team. As a "young-old" company, Vontas is stacked with talent from sister company Trapeze and across the transportation industry.

This week we're hearing about Vontas COO Erik Lehmann. Born and raised in Iowa, Erik started his career at Trapeze and became Vontas COO after rising through the product delivery and deployment ranks.

A dedicated father and self-described adrenaline junkie, Erik is passionate about the work he does and working to make the world a better place. He advocates for mental health awareness and diversity-inclusion inside and outside Vontas.

Listen to this great interview and learn more about one of the driving forces at Vontas.

Read more in the blog post on Vontas.com: Getting to know Vontas Leadership Series: Erik Lehmann, COO of Vontas

This week I have my first repeat guest on the show, Sabrina Blais! Sabrina is back to talk about the new eBook we worked on for Trapeze RISC (Risk, Incident, and Safety Compliance). We talk about why we wrote the eBook, what you'll learn, and a little more insight into some of the first use cases that shaped the product.

You can download the eBook for free from the Trapeze website and if you're interested in being part of the early adopter program, learn more on the RISC product page.

Music by Derek K. Miller

Automated Yard Management (YM) is an essential part running your bus depot efficiently. Buses are routed to the right lanes as they pull in. People walk the yard less locating buses and checking their status, because there is an up-to-the-minute map of the yard. Maintenance, planning, and dispatch workflows are automatically triggered saving re-work and errors.

But what about the rail yard? Can automated Yard Management make keeping the trains running on time easier and safer?

I chat with Hans Habenicht about Yard Management for Rail and how it's making rail yards more efficient and safer places to work.

Music by Derek K. Miller

The public transit industry took it on the chin during the pandemic. Beyond restrictions, reduced service, and drops in ridership, the industry lost hundreds and hundreds of bus operators.

Two years on, the industry is trying to get back on its feet but is stymied by a lack of people to drive the buses and trains.

Kristi Urich, Product Director for Workforce Management at Trapeze (see the WM solutions for bus and rail) has some big ideas--and some pretty revolutionary ones at that--for how to attract and retain drivers.

All this on this week's Inside Trapeze.

Read Kristi's post going into more detail about the topic--3 New Ideas to Tackle the Critical Bus Operator Shortage.