By Sebastian Vaitus
At Vontas we believe the future of transit is zero emissions. We are developing, integrating, and innovating bus and rail solutions to help agencies switch to zero emissions with support for no emission vehicles of all kinds across all our products. We’re committed to easing the transition away from fossil fuels in transit and making sure all your systems support you along the way. Vontas is at the forefront of this transition and providing guidance based on our experience with agencies across North America and around the world.
For transit agencies to go green, there is more to it than deploying new vehicles. Regardless of the zero-emission solution you choose, the systems that run and manage your fleet have to be able to support the unique requirements of no-emission vehicles. These aren’t your parent’s buses or trains, these are technologically complex pieces of equipment with their own needs that touch every part of your agency. You must account for how long it takes to re-charge a bus, new maintenance regimes, new safety requirements, new scheduling requirements, and new workforce training—and not all software providers are stepping up to the challenge.
We’ve looked at the state of the industry. We’ve looked ahead to the obstacles we have to overcome. And we’re more galvanized than ever to step up to the challenge head on.
One thing that drives us at Vontas is our spirt of innovation. We see the tremendous opportunity public transit has right now to make even more of a difference in people’s lives—and the environment. But to fully leverage this opportunity for a new public transit renaissance, we need newer and more advanced management technologies than we’ve had before.
Switching to zero emissions fleets will be a decades-long process. There isn’t a quick fix. There’s no magic bullet. Simple solutions, simply won’t work. To reach the goal we want to achieve—zero emissions and carbon neutral fleets—it’s going to take a concerted effort from all of us. Only when technology partners, manufactures, agencies, cities, and utilities collaborate is it going to work.
Vontas is here for the long haul to support this bold vision—a 21st century Moon shot—and develop the software solutions needed for the green transition.
Even today’s fossil fuel-powered buses are more advanced than those just a few years ago. Onboard telematics, Wi-Fi, and passenger information solutions need to be integrated with ITS and yard management (YM). Then these must integrate with asset management (EAM), workforce management (WM), and scheduling systems. And everything must come together into single views for reporting and dashboards.
You can’t run an agency when systems run in isolation from the rest of the organization. Everything in the office, outside in the yard, CAD/AVL for operators, even traveler experience solutions for customers need a 360-degree view of the operation. EAM and YM make sure buses are lined up and ready to pull out. ITS, Dispatch, and WM give drivers exact details of where their bus is and once they get behind the wheel, how it’s doing. These systems work together help your agency meet its environmental goals. Knowing and seeing the big picture, being able to see the forest and the trees, gives your agency the information to make real data-driven decisions that help the community, passengers, and the larger world.
A key part in transitioning to a greener future is training new and existing employees on how green technologies work, managed, and maintained. As an OEM provider of key components for bus operators, we’re dedicated to supporting you with programs to bring everyone up to speed and build a solid workforce for the future. As we transition fleets to zero-emissions, we need to help train a new generation of operators, mechanics, and support personnel how these systems work and integrate with each other.
As part of Modaxo, Vontas is in a unique position to help transit agencies across departments and systems. Vontas ITS and YM solutions integrate with Trapeze EAM, WM, MPS, and MoD solutions to give your agency the 360 degree view you need of your entire operation.
Sebastian Vaitus is the vice president, new product initiatives at Vontas, where he focuses on bringing new innovative products to the market based on evolving industry trends and customer needs. Sebastian’s 20-year career in transportation started with launching new self-service solutions in the airline industry with IBM, followed by dedicating his focus to the planning and implementation of Ontario’s PRESTO fare collection system alongside Metrolinx and Scheidt & Bachmann, and finally driving new Mobility on Demand solutions with TripSpark Technologies before joining Vontas.