TRC secures 22-vehicle partnership with the Chillicothe Transit System, marking its first order through the Ohio Department of Transportation State Contract
December 11, 2023 – New York, New York, USA: The Routing Company (“TRC”), a global on-demand vehicle routing and management platform partnering with cities to power the future of public transit, today announced it has received a five-year contract from the Chillicothe Transit System (“CTS”) to provide on-demand transportation in Chillicothe, Ohio. The contract includes 22 vehicles intended to provide fixed and on-demand service.
This marks TRC’s first order through the five-year Ohio Department of Transportation (“ODOT”) State Contract announced by TRC in October 2023, and its first deployment in Ohio. The State Contract named The Routing Company (in partnership with Optibus) to provide scheduling and dispatch software across Ohio. This means transit agencies across the state can use ODOT’s State Contract to purchase TRC products with a streamlined procurement process.
CTS is the public transit system operating in Chillicothe city limits and the surrounding Ross County. It operates fixed routes, paratransit services, county routes, and contract transportation services, supporting over 150,000 trips per year.
"To secure our first order soon after being named to the ODOT State Contract is an exciting point of momentum for TRC. There is great potential to supercharge transit service in Ohio and we look forward to delivering more accessible and efficient transit alongside CTS – a proven innovator and one familiar with on-demand transit,” said James Cox, Chief Executive Officer, TRC.
CTS will use operational funds from the Federal Transit Administration’s Formula Grants For Rural Areas (5311 funds) to support the service.
The new on-demand deployment will operate within city limits (including the Ohio State Route 159 to Ohio State Route 207 interchange, and Ohio State Route 104 to the Chillicothe Veterans Affairs Medical Center), leveraging TRC’s full suite of Pingo products – including features such as Transit Connect™, Pingo Journey™, and a shuttle application through Pingo Campus™. CTS will operate the service fare free.
“We are thrilled to partner with The Routing Company to bring our transit services to the next level of efficiency and reliability. With TRC’s cutting-edge technology and expertise in route optimization, we are confident that our passengers will experience a significant improvement in their commute. We are looking forward to a long and successful partnership that will benefit our community and take our transit system to new heights,” said Aaron Kennedy, Transit Director, CTS.
Pingo Journey™ is a multimodal journey planning feature integrating TRC’s real-time routing technology with public transport infrastructure. Using Pingo Journey™, riders can book on-demand rides and plan their ongoing fixed-route journeys from the single Ride Pingo™ app.
Transit Connect™ guarantees connections for riders to fixed route networks using real-time data. The feature was developed by TRC as a solution to improve the rider experience and guarantee a connection to onward transit modes. Transit Connect™ will be used alongside Pingo Journey™ to connect riders to other transit services in the area.
“Having lived in Ohio all my life, I have seen firsthand the need for more responsive transit for all Ohioans, namely those living in rural areas. This will be a game changing service to the Chillicothe community, and is the beginning of more efficient transportation at scale across The Buckeye State,” said Dick Alexander, Chief Development Officer, TRC. “We are so proud to partner with CTS and look forward to continuing TRC’s unmatched utilization and rider experience within on-demand transit service.”
TRC recently released new Pingo data that shows operators can regularly fill 18-person shuttles with on-demand service. TRC has proven it can deliver a higher utilization of vehicles compared to industry competitors, meaning more riders per vehicle per hour – in turn meaning maximized ride pooling to reduce single occupancy trips.
TRC’s award-winning Pingo platform includes the Drive Pingo™ and Ride Pingo™ apps and the Pingo Dashboard™ operations management tool, which together provide on-demand, paratransit, fixed, and flexible transit that enhances ridership of existing transit networks.
About TRC
Founded by MIT researchers and rideshare industry veterans, TRC is a global on-demand vehicle routing and management platform that partners with cities to power the future of public transit. Leveraging proprietary and unrivalled artificial intelligence, TRC delivers routing from multiple points of demand to one vehicle while enabling greater transit equity, accessibility, cost efficiency, and sustainability. Its leading product, the Pingo™ app, offers on-demand or advance trip requests and can operate in on-demand, flex, fixed, or paratransit mode.
With a team spanning nine countries, TRC directly supports international operations and customer growth through hubs in Canada, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Learn more at theroutingcompany.com.
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