MBTA, Transdev partner with Orion Labs for advanced communication, dispatch and auditing

Transdev, in service to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), has announced it will implement Orion Labs to deliver critical transport services as part of the response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Transdev is the operating partner for MBTA’s door-to-door paratransit service, The RIDE, an essential transportation for seniors and the disabled to access critical services. Orion’s platform enables dispatchers to communicate with and manage hundreds of buses and vehicles while their dispatch teams are able to work from home.

“Greater Boston Area residents depend on The RIDE to access essential services,” said Jim Nihan, manager of Paratransit Operations at MBTA. “Transdev chose Orion’s dispatch and cloud communication platform to ensure reliable public transportation and to protect the health of our customers and our contractor’s employees.”

Transdev is using multiple Orion services, including the Orion Dispatch Console, location services and Orion’s advanced automation and workflow tools. Transdev is also automating its regulatory compliance by utilizing Orion message recording, archiving and retrieval features.

“The MBTA RIDE service requires a modern, voice-first communication platform for their essential work,” said Gregory Taylor, CEO of Orion. “Orion’s real-time voice communication, context and automation enables Transdev and MBTA to support a greatly increased level of service with improved efficiency and flexibility. Orion’s solution solves an urgent need for companies like Transdev when serving workers on the frontline. We are honored to be part of this important work to keep dispatchers, drivers, and customers safe and connected to critical services.”