Suffolk Bus Corporation (SBC) chose Via as their new software provider as they transitioned their operation off of their legacy platform. The 900-square mile zone with complex geography and long trips made it challenging to serve their 2,500 daily rides. Their goals included streamlining their operations and improving the efficiency of their scheduling and dispatch systems, without compromising service outcomes and rider experience.
Via successfully completed a robust change management program for all roles that are affected by the software transition, including one-on-one sessions with drivers, reservationists, schedulers, dispatchers, and system administrators. According to the SBC team, "During launch, we had plenty of Via people here on a weekly basis. They were always available by text or phone call, pretty much 20 hours a day. They’re all very experienced individuals that made this transition possible."
Viaʼs data science team worked diligently to migrate 30,000+ rider profiles onto the Via platform. SBC saw meaningful improvements just weeks post-launch, including a 27% decrease in onboard time, even with a 6% increase in trip volume.
Hear what the Suffolk team has to say, in their own words:
Our reservationists used to have to manually figure out the best spot for a trip. With Via, that’s taken away. You put in the trip parameters, and it gives you the best solution. Then it’s all optimized in the evening. That created a big difference in limiting the time individuals sit on the bus.
—Team member, SBC
Riders now get a call 5pm the night before the ride, 15 minutes out, and when the bus arrives. We have a lot less calls coming in because people know how far the bus is out.
—Team member, SBC
Our operators were nervous about following tablets, but they feel very confident and comfortable with the system.
—Team member, SBC