Wayne County in Detroit, Michigan has released an innovative new portal called Compass. Combining information from many different sources, including real-time information from our InterFleet solution, citizens can see what is happening on their streets as they happen.
Dealing with snow and keeping roads clear is a challenge for Wayne County. In the article Wayne County drivers get high-tech link to roads, The Detroit News documents how Wayne County is deploying Compass so that citizens can both see what roads have been plowed and view projections of where the snow plows will be next.
Wayne County, like many of our clients, use the unique features of InterFleet to provide a seamless view to stakeholders by using the information interfaces of InterFleet to connect disparate systems together. The creativity of customers like Wayne County results in an enhanced user experience for the viewer.

As the article reminds us, InterFleet also provides critical information such as the speed of snow plows, salt usage, and coverage. Customers use this information over time to reduce their winter material costs by up to 30%.
How can you use real-time GPS and Automatic Vehicle Location information to create information for your stakeholders?

As the #1 winter fleet GPS and AVL (Automatic Vehicle Location) solution in North America, we know what it takes to get ready for winter. All fall we have been helping organizations like the City of Chicago, Ville de Québec (City of Quebec), and the City of Ottawa prepare their winter fleets to be ready for when it starts snowing. We work with Departments of Public Works, Ministry of Transport, and Departments of Transport to give them the solutions they need for their snow plows and winter fleet operational information. Our years of experience have taught us that this is what to look for in a top performing winter fleet telematics solution:

Real-Time Information. When a storm event occurs, supervisors need to know what is going on in their jurisdiction every moment. Our InterFleet ten-second reporting and automatic map updates, means that you have the information you need to make decisions as events occur.

Working With You. We work directly with our winter fleet customers to prepare them for winter. We collaborate to make sure that everything is working before the first storm arrives. Because we work with the largest set of spreader controllers of any vendor, our customers know that their equipment will be reporting and responding correctly when it is needed.

Salt Management. We save our customers millions of dollars every year in the cost of salt, by monitoring and automatically adjusting the amount of salt being put down on the roads. We provide management with year by year reporting so that they can compare and improve their salt use and costs, no matter what the weather is.

It is easy to take it for granted that your streets are cleared when the winter storms arrive. The truth is that it takes a great deal of planning and work to make sure that everything is ready. Top performing organizations work with us to look after their citizens, while saving money, and ensuring that the roads are clear once the snow starts falling.

While we operate on a global basis, our manufacturing facility is located in Burnaby, BC a suburb of Vancouver. At Webtech Wireless, we develop and support end-to-end solutions.  We manage the software and manufacturing processes for all of our devices through to our various software platforms.

This end-to-end control allows us to provide innovative and complete solutions to our customers. The photo above is of our manufacturing facility. While we subcontract circuit boards and individual parts, all final assembly, software verification, and testing is done in our Burnaby facility. We want to make sure that everything we produce will work out of the box as part of a complete system.

We recently moved the manufacturing of our Interfleet division from Toronto to Burnaby. We are applying the same proven manufacturing processes to our Interfleet devices that we have developed for our Quadrant product line.

Our focus is to give our customers the best possible experience with the highest reliability. It is not enough to deliver a working device to our clients. Our devices are part of a system that delivers business value. Having our own manufacturing and final assembly right next door to our headquarters, ensures that we can deliver on our promises.

Saint John Transit bus on King Street soon to be equipped with NextBus AVL solution

Back in February 2010, Webtech Wireless expanded its InterFleet® implementation with the city of Saint John, New Brunswick to include an additional 100 public works and police vehicles—a contract valued at over $100,000. Now to complement the city’s Interfleet solution, Saint John Transit also plans to deploy a Webtech Wireless solution—NextBus.

NextBus will provide Saint John Transit with an AVL tracking solution for its 60 buses, allowing riders to check bus arrivals in real-time. Using PCs, landline phones, cell phones, or SMS text messaging, riders get real-time travel information (each bus is fitted with a satellite tracking system) designed to help them decide whether catching the next bus is a sprint or leisurely stroll. Currently, riders can only view a static schedule of intended bus arrivals and departures on the company’s web site.

NextBus will also install five LCD screens at various locations around the city, including McAllister Place Mall and the university campus (UNBSJ) and LED screens at bus stops. To help make public transport more attractive to potential riders (and as a nod to Saint John Transit’s already existing environmental initiatives), the service will add to the city’s existing hot spots with free WIFI for riders on all its buses.

About NextBus

A subsidiary of Webtech Wireless, San Francisco-based NextBus implements real-time passenger information systems used by dozens of transit agencies, universities and other transit operators across North America. Because traffic variations, breakdowns, and day-to-day problems faced by any transit provider can interrupt service, NextBus was designed to help keep riders on schedule even if their buses aren’t. NextBus uses satellite technology and advanced computer modeling to track vehicles on their routes.

About Saint John

Historic Saint John has been a transportation hub since long before confederation

As Canada’s oldest incorporated city and New Brunswick’s largest municipality, the city of Saint John has been providing municipal services for more than two centuries. According to Statistics Canada, the Saint John municipal area has a population of 122,389, with a population density of 36.4 persons per square kilometre.

The Port of Saint John is one of Canada’s most important ports (its relatively mild maritime climate keeps its deep-water harbour ice-free year round when inland ports in the St. Lawrence Seaway must contend with ice). This keeps the city’s businesses and industries bustling throughout the year. In 2010 for the first time ever, the Port of Saint John exceeded 30 million metric tonnes of cargo in a single year.

About Saint John Transit

Saint John Transit was established in 1979 to provide scheduled transit service to the city. It replaced City Transit Limited (1948-1979) and a string of others dating back to the People’s Street Railway Company (1869-1876). Saint John Transit is the largest public transit system in the province, both by mileage and passengers.

Saint John Transit bus now equipped with NextBus wireless AVL solution

Saint John Transit Statistics

Saint John Transit’s ridership is approximately 50 percent higher than the average for Canadian cities with a population of between 50,000 and 150,000.

• Number of vehicles: 60
• Ridership: 2.5 million riders per year

Current active fleet bus types:

• GMDD/MCI/Nova Bus Classic
• Nova Bus LFS Artic (Ex. NovaBUS demo 40881 and 40882)
• Nova Bus RTS
• Orion VII and Orion VII “Next Generation”

Greening Saint John

Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census of Population.

To reduce auto emissions, the City of Saint John, along with the Federal and Provincial governments, is investing in public transportation between uptown Saint John and outlying communities. Branded as ComeX (Community Express), it provides a rapid bus transport service during peak commuting times. With the implementation of ComeX, greenhouse gas emissions are projected to drop by 1,500 metric tonnes and downtown traffic will decrease by 800 vehicles a day over the next five years.

Additional reading:

• City of Saint John
• City of Saint John Transit Strategic Plan
• Saint John Transit on Wikipedia
• Saint John Transit site

Webtech Wireless announces the launch of its new corporate identity, unveiled last week to employees worldwide, and being rolled-out across all of the Company’s operations over the coming months. The new identity will be applied to all marketing and communications materials, including the launch of a new website slated for early next month.

The new identity organizes and rationalizes the Company’s brands under a single corporate (umbrella) brand, with its three distinct product brands. Each is based on a common visual platform of icons, typefaces and colours, effectively creating a unified brand family.

“The idea of rebranding Webtech Wireless was first raised following the acquisition of Grey Island and its InterFleet® and NextBus® brands. It was clear that we were transitioning from a single solution company (Quadrant®) to one that could offer a comprehensive set of tightly integrated business solutions to an ever increasing variety of customers,” said Scott Edmonds, Webtech Wireless’ President and Chief Executive Officer. Adding, “The new brand identity is a logical step that communicates, to all stakeholders, that we continue to provide very specialized products and services, and that these are strengthened even more as an integral part of the new Webtech Wireless brand family.”

Introduction of new brand identity brings together the Company’s three product brands under one corporate umbrella brand

The new Webtech Wireless logo icon, a “W” constructed of three stylized arrows, will be used for the Corporate, InterFleet and Quadrant brands. Its design subtly conveys both corporate and product brand attributes: precise, efficient, direct, purposeful, fast and focused. The NextBus brand, a leading brand in the transit sector with a significant end-user audience, will sport its own icon—an “N” constructed of two stylized arrows in motion – that additionally conveys a dynamic, friendly brand personality to resonate with transit authorities and transit users. Both icons were designed to work well in web and mobile applications, where their use has superseded more traditional communications mediums.

With the launch, the Company will also reinvigorate its “Telematics for the Planet®” tag line, by applying it to all of its activities. Telematics for the Planet represents a multifaceted commitment to develop cost effective, location-based technologies that benefit our environment by reducing vehicle use and resultant CO2 and pollutant generation, as well as making reference to the Company’s global presence.

The new branding platform also sees the introduction of terminology that groups the Company’s various products into subgroups—MANAGER, LOCATOR, IN-CAB, etc.—thereby presenting a more cohesive and comprehensive solution to the marketplace. The platform also has the flexibility to incorporate additional brands in the future.

Webtech Wireless’ new identity not only encompasses the values of the Webtech Wireless brand and its products, but will also help it stand out against its competitors in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

WebTech Wireless attended the American Public Works Association’s annual Congress & Exposition, held in Boston, Mass., August 15-18. A great turnout and a great opportunity to connect with representatives from municipalities from across North America. Many thanks to our customers who dropped by our stand to see us, and also to those public works professionals looking for an AVL/GPS solution for their fleets that took time to chat with our team. Hope to see you all again next year in Denver.

CTV Winnipeg recently reported on the use of InterFleet by the Province of Manitoba’s ambulances. The clip can be seen here, and the related News Release can be read here.

Recently one of our InterFleet customers, Hennepin County, Minnesota, appeared in the local television news (03/23/2010). The story illustrates how city governments like Hennepin County are using our GPS remote vehicle location systems to improve workplace performance, accountability and service to city constituents. Excerpts from this story and link to the television report below:

KSTP TV – Minneapolis and St. Paul – Who makes sure city workers are doing their jobs?

Hennepin County invested in automated vehicle location devices or AVLs. They can track where pothole patch trucks are located and when the patch mix is pouring out, down to the minute.

Public works officials said the system not only holds workers accountable, it also makes repairs more efficient.

Chris Sagsveen with the Hennepin County Public Works Transportation Department said, “It also assures us that where we’re say getting complaints, AVL will prove we’ve been there.”

Gov. Steve Beshear

State of Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear yesterday held a press conference to review progress on his state’s aggressive Smart Government cost-cutting program; announcing further measures to increase the already US$900 million that have been shaved off the state budget over the last two years of his administration.

Of note is Governor Beshear’s reference to the state’s ongoing review of its business solutions, and a fleet management pilot completed by the Dept. of Administrative Services, in which AT&T Mobility and WebTech Wireless played a key role.

From the Office of the Governor’s Press Release (January 13th, 2010): 

The full Commonwealth of Kentucky Press Release can be seen on their website.

We’re thrilled that the Commonwealth of Kentucky has seen such significant cost-cutting results − and in such a short period of time. That the governor himself is aware of the program and sees it as an important component in meeting his state’s budgetary obligations is indication that remote fleet management is today a necessity for government at all levels and sizes.

For more information on WebTech Wireless’ solutions for government, including our recent acquisition of the government focused InterFleet brand, please visit our website.

From NBC4 Television News in Columbus Ohio, comes this report on the city’s implementation of WebTech Wireless’ InterFleet solution for snow plows and salt spreaders. The online article from reporter Tom Brockman can be read here.

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