Utah Transit Authority Improves Operations and the Passenger Experience for 2 million residents

UTA awarded a contract to AT&T for mobile communications services and the InMotion Solutions team for related communications equipment, including oMGs.

“We chose the InMotion Solution because it offered an end-to-end mobile wireless technology that was secure and manageable and able to work with any wireless network with policy management,” said Clair Fiet, Chief Technology Officer for the Utah Transit Authority. “This one solution will enable us to improve operations and enhance the passenger experience in many ways.”

Over a 6 month period, UTA installed over 500 oMGs in their fixed route transit fleet. “Our collaborative working relationship helped when we were trying to meet such an aggressive schedule. The InMotion Solutions team stepped up to the plate and worked closely with our team to ensure success. In the process, we identified product features and enhancements we needed, and the development team was open to changes and able to meet our needs.”

The oMG creates a wired and wireless local area network on transit vehicles, providing reliable connectivity for a variety of onboard systems. For example, the oMG enables UTA passengers to pay fares with credit cards and validate bus passes, providing convenience for passengers and increasing operational efficiency. On-board systems for route, schedule and service information are updated in real time or in the bus yard. On express bus routes, the system also provides firewalled Wi-Fi access for passengers, who can use the Internet from laptops, PDAs or smartphones.

The oMG is able to sense and select the best available wireless network, and roam across a variety of networks, including commercial cellular, 3G, 700 MHz and municipal Wi-Fi. This means that while a vehicle is traveling on its route, it is connected using the most reliable network available. At UTA, vehicles utilize AT&T’s HSPA networks while on their routes, and when they return to the yard, connect to UTA’s Wi-Fi network. This multi-network feature ensures the greatest bandwidth, robust data reliability, and the most cost-effective delivery of wireless communications to the fleet.

The oMM gives UTA’s IT team a high level of information and control over its wireless communications. The oMM receives and analyzes information from oMGs to provide headquarters staff with a virtual dashboard of information about networks, devices and vehicles in the field. It also enables UTA to monitor its network and diagnose communications problems as its fleet of buses travels throughout the Wasatch Front.