Inside Trapeze and Vontas

How CENTRO Uses RISC to Improve Safety and Internal Processes

Modaxo — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 13:30:00 -0800

Recorded live at APTA TRANSform Conference and EXPO, Modaxo SVP Paul Comfort leads a panel with Sabrina Blais of Trapeze and Chris Tuff and Rahmin Azria of CENTRO https://www.centro.org/ talking about Trapeze RISC (Risk, Incident, and Safety Compliance) about implementing RISC and how it's transformed the entire agency

How Trapeze RISC and Vontas OnSite went from problem to solution to product--ThinkTransit Product Showcase 2023

Modaxo — Tue, 02 May 2023 16:45:00 -0800

This year at ThinkTransit we did something a little different. Instead of doing the usual PowerPoint product update looking at the state of Trapeze and Vontas products, I led a talk show-style discussion focused on just two products—Trapeze RISC and Vontas OnSite.

The premise here was that these two products typified the new product development process being deployed across both companies. Instead of either delivering an exactly proscribed solution outlined in an RFP or creating something in relative isolation from the customer, both teams took to the approach of understanding the problem, proposing solutions, and then developing the product a piece at a time.

This process based on the Agile Product Development Framework, doesn’t presume what the problem is or how to solve it until working with customers and the people who will use the product first.

In this 45 minute discussion, you’ll learn how Trapeze RISC (Risk, Incident, and Safety Compliance) didn’t start out anything like it is today and Vontas OnSite came from turning an RFP on its head and trying something completely new and revolutionary. Listen to the whole discussion here or on your favorite podcast app.

Charting the path forward for public transit with Dr. Karen Philbrick

Modaxo — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 19:50:00 -0800

Recorded live at ThinkTransit in Nashville, TN, April 3rd, 2023, Dr. Karen Philbrick, Executive Director of the Mineta Transportation Institute, giving the Day One keynote address on the challenges, and opportunities, facing public transit today.

Dr. Philbrick talked about:

Building a stronger, more inclusive, and more resilient workforce by helping spread the word that there are more careers in public transit than drivers and mechanics
Taking care of ourselves. Being mindful of our own mental health and overall health
Facing the challenges of ridership and the new three-day cities by modeling what we want transit to be...and making it happen.

Included in this episode is the Q&A after her address where she dives even deeper into workforce, equality, and making transit work for everyone.

In conversation with ThinkTransit keynote speaker Dr. Karen Philbrick

Modaxo — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 23:31:00 -0800

Dr. Karen Philbrick will kick off ThinkTransit with our Day One Keynote. In this interview, learn about Karen, her passion for transit, her vision for the future of transit, and what we need to do to get there.

All about the Executive Summit at ThinkTransit

Modaxo — Tue, 21 Feb 2023 17:43:00 -0800

Randi and Tris sat down with Paul Comfort, SVP of Modaxo and host of Transit Unplugged to talk about the Executive Summit Paul hosts each year during ThinkTransit. Learn about the event and some of the special sessions and guests he has planned for attendees.

Learn more about the Executive Summit and register for the event.

5 ways to set your agency up for success in 2023 with EAM

Modaxo — Wed, 01 Feb 2023 17:45:00 -0800

We're kicking off the year with the team from EAM (Enterprise Asset Management), Brett Koenig, Satpal Bamrah, and Bill Boston join me to talk about how to set yourself up for success this year by focusing on:

Reviewing your KPIs
Making sure you have all the data you need
Taping into EAM workflows
Getting prepared for NTD and TAM reporting with State of Good Repair tools
Using EAM in your capital planning and grant writing process

Listen in and enjoy!

ThinkTransit Awards of Excellence with past winner Jay Washburn

Modaxo — Wed, 25 Jan 2023 17:17:00 -0800

Randi and I got to experience these awards for the first time last year and it was really inspiring to learn how agencies and people are pushing the boundaries of transit today. As people new to the industry, learning about the passion and drive people have for what they do gave us a real sense that what we do matters.

While innovation appeals to the transit geek in me, as a former teacher and speaker, I have a special place in my heart for the best live session award. It takes a lot of work to pull off a great session. The best sessions always seem so smooth and effortless—and that’s the magic, that’s where the hard work comes in—and it’s that hard work and dedication we honor with the award for Best Live Session.

Don’t believe us? Listen to last year’s Best Live Session winner Jay Washburn of San Diego Metropolitan Transit talk about his session, what he loves about the transit industry, and why he comes back to ThinkTransit every year.

Randi and I chatted with Jay and his enthusiasm is infectious. Listening to him, you just can’t wait to get to ThinkTransit and start connecting with people. I was lucky enough to interview him before about his work in San Diego MT’s paratransit operation but hearing him talk about his approach to operations in this interview is something we should all take to heart.

Learn more about ThinkTransit, the Awards of Excellence, and how to register on the ThinkTransit website.

ThinkTransit Registration is Open!

Modaxo — Tue, 13 Dec 2022 17:05:00 -0800

Randi and Tris are back for Season 2 of Destination: ThinkTransit. We're kicking things off this year with ThinkTransit registration, some trivia about Nashville and some memories about ThinkTransits past. Join us in future episodes to learn about the speakers, the agenda, and everything else about ThinkTransit.

ViewPoint Plus Mobility on Demand: Let's get that data reined in

Modaxo — Mon, 21 Nov 2022 23:35:00 -0800

In this continuation of the ViewPoint plus series, Esmy Jensen and I talk with Nila Zaman about how ViewPoint helps you harness your mobility on demand data to get a handle on everything going on with your paratransit service. Paratransit is one of the most essential, and expensive, services agencies run. In order to make sure they can meet the demand, and even offer service to more people, agencies need to see where they can optimize.

ViewPoint helps agencies see where inefficiencies are and then make good decisions for how to fix them.

Everything you want to know about Trapeze RISC

Modaxo — Tue, 15 Nov 2022 01:31:00 -0800

This is a deep-dive chat with Risk Incident and Safety Compliance (RISC) Product Manager Sabrina Blais. Sabrina talked to me more about why RISC is important now and what she's learned from deploying RISC at pilot and early adopter agencies.

You can read more in her post about RISC on the Trapeze Blog--Everything You Need to Know About Managing Safety at Your Agency with RISC.

ViewPoint Plus Mobility Planning and Scheduling -- Figuring out how to untangle your routes and create a better network

Modaxo — Mon, 07 Nov 2022 22:33:00 -0800

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.

ViewPoint plus EAM--Getting the most out of your asset and maintenance data

Modaxo — Mon, 17 Oct 2022 20:59:00 -0800

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.

The Bright Future and New Opportunities for Commuter Rail in North America with Marcelo Bravo

Modaxo — Mon, 26 Sep 2022 21:22:00 -0800

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.

Planning and scheduling for the zero-emissions transit future with Tyler Dvorak

Modaxo — Tue, 20 Sep 2022 02:14:00 -0800

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.

Deploying Microtransit from Its Mobility on Demand Roots

Modaxo — Mon, 12 Sep 2022 22:50:00 -0800

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.

ERP and EAM isn't either or, but yes and. Talking transit EAM with Brett Koenig

Modaxo — Thu, 21 Jul 2022 22:27:00 -0800

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.

Getting to Know the Vontas Leadership Team: Erik Lehmann, COO

Modaxo — Tue, 19 Jul 2022 16:42:00 -0800

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

Announcing the RISC eBook: Completing the Safety Picture at Your Agency with Sabrina Blais

Modaxo — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 13:00:00 -0800

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 for Rail is more than keeping things on track with Hans Habenicht

Modaxo — Wed, 29 Jun 2022 16:21:00 -0800

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

Kristi Urich -- New ideas and solutions for hiring and retaining bus operators

Modaxo — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 00:07:00 -0800

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.

Tyler Dvorak--What is Mobility Planning and Scheduling?

Modaxo — Wed, 01 Jun 2022 16:57:00 -0800

What does mobility planning really mean today? Let's get the answer.

Mobility Planning and Scheduling, the MPS product group, encompasses more than just planning or just scheduling. It’s bigger. It’s aspirational. It’s an ethos that moving people from A to B is less about what moves them, and more about getting people to the places that will make their lives better.

I sat down with MPS Product Director to talk about MPS, what it means, and how it is helping reshape how we think about delivering public transit.

Learn more about MPS or download the Future of Mobility Planning ebook.

Creating a nerve center for transit business operations with Garrett Vandendries

Modaxo — Thu, 26 May 2022 20:14:00 -0800

Transit agencies are awash in data. From vehicles to passengers to demographics to everything else, public transit thrives on data. The challenge is there is so much data it can be hard to make heads or tails of it, much less use it to make business decisions.

Garrett Vandendries is the Product Director for Data and Analytics and he talks with Tris about ViewPoint and how it can become your agency's operations nerve center. Built on 30 years of transit data experience, ViewPoint gives you easy tools to answer your more important questions.

Joanne Scattolon and Eliot Bacon -- What takes a grant proposal from good to great

Modaxo — Wed, 25 May 2022 20:59:00 -0800

Competitive grants are an essential component of every transit agency's funding and budget. Many projects, big and small, capital or not, rely on government grants to make them happen.

Joanne Scattolon of Trapeze and Eliot Bacon of Vontas help agencies with their grant applications an offer some advice on how to write better, or even great, grant proposals.

Music by Derek K. Miller

Solutions for Disruption Management with Matt Goedken

Modaxo — Tue, 24 May 2022 23:09:00 -0800

Tris Hussey, Producer of Transit Unplugged, and Langdon Kessner of Vontas chat with Vontas Technical Sales Specialist Matt Goedken about service disruptions and Disruption Management. It's a fact that in public transit, things don't always go to plan, but Vontas TransitMaster gives agencies powerful, flexible, and easy-to-use tools to manage disruptions, notify drivers, and communicate with riders almost like magic.

Music by Derek K. Miller

Satpal Bamrah on State of Good Repair, Transit Asset Management, and Trapeze EAM

Modaxo — Fri, 20 May 2022 16:14:00 -0800

Tris and sales engineer Satpal Bamrah talk about State of Good Repair (SGR), TAM reports (Transit Asset Management), and Trapeze Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) solutions. This year transit agencies across the U.S. have to submit their TAM reports. These massive reports need to detail every asset at an agency.

Satpal explains SGR, TAM, and how EAM helps take the pain out of compiling these reports.

Music by Derek K. Miller

The inside story about Inside Trapeze and Vontas

Trapeze Group and Vontas — Fri, 13 May 2022 15:17:04 -0800

So what's the deal here? It all started with talking with the keynote speakers for ThinkTransit and how to share more about what we do with you.

Music by Derek K. Miller.

Blockchain and Distributed Ledgers in Public Transit with Mark Godin

Modaxo — Mon, 09 May 2022 21:58:00 -0800

Mark Godin was one of the editors of the UITP report on Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) and the Blockchain in public transit. You might not think public transit and the blockchain as two things that go together, but there is a lot of promise to using secure and trusted transactions in transit.

Mark goes into what DLTs are, what they could be used for in transit, and some of the experiments already being tested around the world.

Read Mark's post on the Trapeze blog about the report and his thoughts on DLTs.

Music by Derek K. Miller.

Diving into data for mobility planning

Modaxo — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 16:03:00 -0800

This is a "director's cut" of an interview with Tyler Dvorak, Product Director for Mobility, Planning, and Scheduling for Trapeze, and Terry Bills of Esri talking about the role of rich datasets in mobility planning today.

This interview was recorded in August of 2021 and part of a Transit Unplugged episode.

Music: Dodging Buses by Derek K. Miller

Breaking Down Safety Data Silos with Trapeze RISC

Modaxo — Wed, 06 Apr 2022 16:51:00 -0800

Tris Hussey and Product Manager Sabrina Blais talk about Trapeze RISC (Risk, Incident, and Safety Compliance) and how to break down data silos. Transit and rail agencies have built their Safety Management Systems (SMS), but now face the task of tracking progress to goals. The big challenge: data silos. Safety and incident data is trapped in departmental data silos. Learn how RISC is going to change that.

Read more in Sabrina's blog post: Breaking Down Safety Data Silos.

Music "Dodging Buses" by Derek K. Miller.

Destination: ThinkTransit with Trapeze GM Teresa Domingo and Vontas GM Peter Aczel

Modaxo — Wed, 16 Feb 2022 19:20:00 -0800

In our fourth episode, Tris and Randi talk with Trapeze GM Teresa Domingo and Vontas GM Peter Aczel about their first year on the job, their visions for public transit, how we help customers, and what they are looking forward to at ThinkTransit.

Teresa and Peter will kick off ThinkTransit with their opening address before Terry White's keynote address. These two dynamic leaders have strong and compatible visions for their respective companies and how we work together.

ThinkTransit is coming up March 20-23 in Forth Worth TX. Register now to experience all the sessions, hands-on training, and inspiring speakers over the three days of the conference.

Destination: ThinkTransit with Erin Skimson and Sebastian Vaitus

Modaxo — Tue, 08 Feb 2022 22:53:00 -0800

This week Tris and Randi take a deep dive into product visions with VP of Product at Trapeze Erin Skimson and VP of Innovation at Vontas, Sebastian Vaitus. We talk with them about technology, what excites them about transit tech, and what they are looking forward to at ThinkTransit this year.

Erin and Sebastian will be giving a keynote product showcase on Day 2 of ThinkTransit expanding on everything you hear in this interview and talking about the vision Vontas and Trapeze have for the future of transit technology.

To learn more about ThinkTransit and register for the conference, visit the ThinkTransit website. Early bird pricing ends February 11th! So don't delay!

Destination ThinkTransit: Paul Comfort on the Executive Summit and Transit Unplugged Live

Modaxo — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 21:48:00 -0800

Continuing the Destination ThinkTransit series, Randi and Tris sat with Trapeze and Vontas Chief Customer Officer, SVP, and the host of Transit Unplugged, Paul Comfort. In our chat, Paul talks about some of his favorite memories of ThinkTransits past and what he's most looking forward to during ThinkTransit this year.

Don't forget to register for ThinkTransit. Early bird discounts have been extended to February 11th!

Destination: ThinkTransit Ashley Di Iorio on the ThinkTransit Awards of Excellence

Modaxo — Fri, 28 Jan 2022 20:47:00 -0800

We connected with Ashley Di Iorio, Manager, Events and Marketing Analytics, at Trapeze Group to kick off the series. Ashley oversees the ThinkTransit Awards of Excellence, which recognize those who are creating change and innovating in our industry.

ThinkTransit brings together over 500 transit industry experts across North America and provides agencies the opportunity to learn, connect, and discuss the future of transit. There's a massive wealth of knowledge at ThinkTransit that creates an industry-wide ripple effect; What you learn at ThinkTransit can be taken back to your agency and applied to make real, impactful changes.

Blog and Podcast Manager, Tris Hussey, and Social Media Marketing Specialist, Randi Reshef, have teamed up to bring you a behind-the-scenes interview series, aptly named "Destination: ThinkTransit." "Destination: ThinkTransit" covers your need-to-know questions featuring ThinkTransit keynote speakers, Trapeze Group and Vontas employees, and key players that help bring the conference to life each year.

Want to attend ThinkTransit? Register here! Early bird pricing ends January 31st.

Music: Dodging Buses by Derek K. Miller.