February 26, 2007—Orbital Sciences Corporation has announced that its Transportation Management Systems (TMS) division has signed a $6.2 million contract to provide its OrbCAD XP Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) and Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) system for Pierce Transit in Tacoma, Washington. The company will also supply Pierce Transit with a suite of real-time information and analytical tools that will assist in the day-to-day management of the 391-vehicle fleet of local, paratransit and demand responsive bus services, says the company.
In addition to OrbCAD’s suite of fleet management tools, Orbital will integrate wireless internet connections to more than 40 mobile workstations in the vehicles of Pierce Transit’s supervisors. This new mobile workstation feature will enable supervisors to access the same information and perform the same functions as a dispatcher in Pierce Transit’s Operations Control Center, notes Orbital. Supervisors will be able to manage situations with up-to-date operational information. This ability ultimately will benefit Pierce Transit’s passengers through improved information flow to supervisors who will be able to respond more effectively to events requiring their attention.
Orbital is teamed with Motorola Corporation, which will serve as the project’s prime contractor. The entire system will feature the latest technologies in public transit system management, says Orbital.
Orbital TMS is a leading integrator of products for fleet and workforce management, mobile data communications, data management, and advanced traveler information systems. For more information, visit the Web site.
