Maximus announced recently that it has signed a new fleet management software and implementation services contract with Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART) in Iowa. Serving the cities of Altoona, Ankeny, Clive, Des Moines, Urbandale, West Des Moines and Windsor Heights, DART operates the fixed-route bus system and rideshare transportation services for Polk County, Iowa. DART operates one maintenance and collision repair facility, staffed by 21 technicians, which services 160 buses and 80 rideshare vans.

After a competitive procurement process that included on-site demonstrations, as well as a full analysis of fleet EAM software vendors serving the transit industry, DART selected Maximus FleetFocus software suite. DART was looking for an experienced provider with a track record of success in public transportation deployments. DART required an EAM software solution that is easy to use, that is deep in functionality and offers out-of-the box transit functionality, reporting and analytics. Additionally, the authority required an integrated EAM and enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution. DART selected Maximus FleetFocus and Microsoft Dynamics GP as its combined EAM/ERP solution.

“Maximus is well known within the public transportation industry,” said Sharon Scheip, chief financial officer for DART. “We came to the conclusion that the combination bid of Microsoft Dynamics GP and Maximus FleetFocus was the best proposal for DART to manage financial reporting, maintenance work order management and work/data flow between various departments.” Scheip continued, “We feel that this combined solution will help us to become more productive, to increase efficiency, to ease reporting and ultimately, to minimize our expenses.”

Maximus FleetFocus is a complete solution for managing the complex asset and maintenance management fleet and facility needs for public transportation authorities. FleetFocus allows transits to proactively manage inspections and preventative maintenance schedules with a keen eye on safety and compliance. FleetFocus helps authorities manage labor, parts inventory and materials, warranty claims, procurement, availability and bus utilization. Maximus increases vehicle up-time while capturing and analyzing all costs associated with operating a public transportation fleet.

Maximus FleetFocus integrates with all major ERP applications and has had particular success with Microsoft Dynamics GP in the transit industry.

“Maximus is proud of our history and success in serving public transportation. Our application has the longest tenure, most customers, and the greatest depth and breadth of functionality for transit properties, both large and small. We are proud to add DART as a client and we look forward to a successful implementation.” stated Jim Schnepp, vice president of sales and marketing, Maximus Asset Solutions.

More than eighty public transportation customers in North America use Maximus FleetFocus, including six of the top-10 U.S. transits.

Maximus recently signed C-Tran, the Clark County-Vancouver, Washington transit and is implementing at both AVTA in Lancaster, California and HART in Tampa, Fla., — all of which are Microsoft Dynamics ERP customers.

Other MAXIMUS public transportation customers include: the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), King County Metro (Seattle), St. Louis Metro, SEPTA in Philadelphia, New Jersey Transit (NJT), Metrolink in Los Angeles, Calgary Transit, LYNX Orlando, Sun Tran in Tucson, Monterey-Salinas Transit Authority (MST), Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (MTD), the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA), and many other leading public transportation authorities.

More Related Information:
Archived Article: Cost-Cutting Measures
Archived Article: Maintenance Matters—Seamless Integration
Mass Transit Buyer’s Guide: Computer Hardware, Software