Yakima Transit is the primary mass transportation provider in the City of Yakima. It operates a fleet of 26 fixed-route buses along nine fixed routes servicing 623 stops. Transit fixed route (bus) ridership consistently exceeds one million passenger boardings annually.
For almost forty years, Yakima Transit has continued to provide the Yakima area with public transportation services!
In August 2023, the City of Yakima Transit Division requested proposals for Fixed Route Onboard Integrated Technology System equipment and servicing to replace its existing Doublemap solution, as the provider discontinued its service.
Connexionz responded to the City of Yakima Transit Division's request for a proposal with a comprehensive solution. After a compelling presentation and being shortlisted for the best and final negotiations, Connexionz was awarded the contract, a testament to our readiness and competence.
Our goal was to provide Yakima with tried and trusted solutions that deliver a valuable and equitable experience to their passengers and a system that creates instant efficiencies and ROI in the transit office.
We were awarded the City of Yakima Transit Onboard Integrated Technology System – RFP in January 2024.
The implementation followed our proven phased implementation approach, led by our dedicated Project Manager. The phases included:
Project Initiation: This phase included team introductions, confirming meeting frequency and suitable dates to meet, formalizing the scope, roles, and responsibilities, confirming and baselining the project schedule, confirming the approach to issue, risk, and change management, creating a base set of risks, agreeing on mitigation strategies, and assigning owners.
Figure 2. Tim Torpey, Yakima Dispatcher using the Connexionz Dispatch application.
Solution Discovery and Design Prep: This phase included a requirements workshop, completing the onsite bus stop GPS location and vehicle hardware requirements, signing hardware requirements surveys, and approval of the design document and hardware installation schematics.
ITS Hardware Procurement and Shipping: This phase included the procurement, configuration, testing, and shipping of all hardware.
Solution Installation and Configuration: This phase focused on the configuration and testing of the solution, including all ITS, scheduling, pre and post-trip inspecting SaaS system components, routes, and schedule configuration, and the customization public of the website and mobile app.
Vehicle Installation, Testing, and Sign-off: This phase included the fit-out, testing, and customer approval of all vehicles.
Training: Onsite training was delivered for all SaaS solutions.
Acceptance Testing and Approval: System acceptance testing was conducted, and support to operate the system was provided.
Yakima and Connexionz share a primary goal of increasing ridership and confidence. Therefore, our turnkey “out-of-the-box” offer includes “Yakima” branded mobile applications for iOS and Android. The public website and applications include options for riders to organize very specific alerts/subscriptions for their trips. GTFS feeds are included as a standard, which makes third-party integration simple.
As part of the implementation, Nune developed a training plan and submitted it to Yakima for approval. Once Yakima approved it, Nune scheduled an onsite training workshop.
Nune visited Yakima for the hands-on training workshop scheduled for June 2024. Connexionz initiates the training phase after we have installed our solution, enabling the trainees to learn the system in real-world, hands-on, practical scenarios.
After the Dispatch Cloud training for dispatchers, Nune joined Kevin Cameron (Yakima Project lead), one dispatcher, and the lead mechanic for a ride on a bus on Route 1 for a ride along. Everything worked perfectly on the ride; they were impressed with the system, especially the automatic headsign change and onboard announcements.
“It’s very easy and user-friendly.” – Yakima Bus Driver
Nune met with Alvie Maxey (Yakima Transit Manager) and presented the system and its capabilities; his feedback was all positive.
Yakima struggled with their previous provider, which never worked; they never got any assistance, and no one ever visited Yakima, so he appreciated Nune being there, giving hands-on training, and ensuring their questions were answered as they moved through the deployment phase.
At Connexionz, we believe quality extends beyond the completion of the project and contributes to long-term success and growth. We managed quality at implementation and throughout the maintenance of the contract.
Please explore the Yakima bus tracking website created by connexionz here: https://yakima.connexionz.net/rtt/public/.
For more details about Yakima, visit their website here: https://yakimatransit.org/.