Pantonium Deploying On-Demand Transit for Chatham-Kent
TORONTO, March 13, 2020 — Pantonium Inc., a software company offering on-demand transit solutions, today announced that a new night-time on-demand transit service will be launched by Chatham-Kent Transit for residents of Chatham on March 16, 2020.
Through this partnership, Chatham-Kent will offer an on-demand transit service allowing riders to book bus trips from an app, online portal, or by calling an agent and control where and when they travel. Boarding a bus without booking in advance is possible too; drivers simply input the rider’s trip and take them to their destination. Riders will be able to travel to and from any two transit stops in the city without the need for transfers. This on-demand service will improve mobility for people who need to travel at night.
The new service is powered by Pantonium’s EverRun software which autonomously routes buses in real-time to optimize for productivity. In contrast to traditional demand-response or microtransit services, Pantonium’s solution helps operators maximize operational efficiency while providing a more convenient service, expanding service area, and increasing ridership.
Pantonium currently provides the City of Belleville a similar night-time on-demand transit service which has resulted in a 300% increase in ridership, 70% increase in service area, and a 30% reduction in vehicle mileage. Pantonium hopes to build on that success and bring positive results for both the citizens and municipality of Chatham-Kent.
In a recent interview with the CBC about on-demand transit, Ian Clark, the municipality’s transit project manager said, “A lack of evening service after 7:30 … it’s been a long standing gap, with on-demand, it’s far more cost efficient. There’s typically lower ridership during the evening, so now we’ll be able to match our capacity to demand.”
Residents of Chatham can start booking trips on March 16th, 2020. Riders will be able to access this new transit service from 7:15 PM to 12:15 AM, Monday to Friday. More information about the service can be found at: www.cktransit.ca/onrequest
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