Sta Puts New Computer System Into Gear System Will Help Plan New Bus Routes, Help Customers Find Bus Stops, Smooth Out Van Routes

In a leap similar to switching from a manual typewriter to a word processor, the Spokane Transit Authority has replaced scraps of paper with a sophisticated computer as its primary tool for planning daily van routes.

The route mapper is the first part of a $667,000 computer system STA officials hope to be using by the end of the year. When fully functioning, the system will help the agency pick the most efficient bus routes and keep customers apprised of delays caused by weather, traffic and other factors.

“It means we get a lot more efficient operation and a lot less empty time,” said Executive Director Allen Schweim.

STA already has switched to the computerized scheduling system for the vans used by disabled customers. On a typical weekday, about 1,000 people use the vans, which have no set routes, Schweim said.

The riders call a day or two in advance, tell STA dispatchers where they live, where they need to be and at what time. Until recently, dispatchers copied that information onto note cards - one for each rider each day - then tried to put the note cards into logical groups so van drivers could pick up several riders and take them to their destinations in a single trip.

The cards went into slots on a board, and when all the cards were gone, dispatchers knew their customers had the rides they needed.

The number of riders is growing at least 10 percent a year, making the old scheduling system inefficient and cumbersome, Schweim said.

“We were going to have to add space and add people (to handle the requests and map routes) or we were going to have to automate,” he said.

Now, basic information about regular customers is stored in a computer, so the dispatcher need only type in the destination and requested time. The computer lumps requests into logical groups and maps a route and schedule for each driver.

The second phase of the computer system will be used for periodic reviews of STA bus routes. It should be in use by summer.

In the final phase, operators will be able to tap into a computer when a customer calls wanting to know the location of the closest bus stop, or whether buses are running on time. It should be installed by the end of the year, Schweim said.

STA board members last year approved spending about $250,000 on the para-transit scheduling system. They approved another $247,000 in January.

In her first meeting as an STA board member, County Commissioner Kate McCaslin recently cast the lone vote against the $170,000 needed to complete the system.

“Ya know, that’s just a whole lot of money,” said McCaslin. “What guarantees do we have that it’s going to work?”

Schweim said the computer program is the most up-to-date available. The cost includes, hardware, installation and training to make sure STA can use the system as it’s intended, he said.

“This will not be like picking it up at your neighborhood software store and plugging it in,” Schweim said.

, DataTimes