Ecolane
Streamlining On-Demand Transit Scheduling

The concept of sisu, or the stoic determination to go beyond all adversities, has historically been a part of the Finnish lifestyle. Founded in Finland and re-planted in the U.S., Ecolane is the perfect confluence of this Finnish sisu spirit and the American Dream.

Ecolane started its journey in Finland two decades ago with its dynamic rideshare platform. Having carved a strong position in the market, the company set sail across the ocean to enter the U.S. market. With an undying spirit, it did not take long for Ecolane to gather a loyal client base and plant its presence in the on-demand transit scheduling space.

At its core, Ecolane develops superior transit scheduling software that provides transit agencies with the capability to increase productivity, maximize efficiency, and improve the rider experience. “Our mission is to provide an end to end, planning, booking, scheduling and managing software platform and services that enable transit service providers to better serve their communities and yield an immediate increase in productivity and efficiency,” says Spiro Gjorgjievski, President, Ecolane.

Ecolane’s easy-to-deploy, on-demand scheduling and dispatching platform helps transit agencies with real-time route and ride optimization, which in the wake of driver shortages and increasing fuel prices helps transit agencies better utilize existing resources. This ensures safe, accessible, and equitable transportation alternatives to communities that might not otherwise have means of transportation. The company’s solutions for on-demand transportation include Paratransit module for scheduling, dispatching, and monitoring disabled and aging people who cannot use fixed-route public transit services. Its Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) makes transportation service convenient and easy for individuals who otherwise would have no access to and from critical care and procedures, such as cancer treatments, dialysis, and other medical appointments. Their future-focused MicroTransit is particularly valuable to agencies looking to deploy demand-response vehicles for geographic areas with limited transportation availability.

Upping its ante in the transit management space, Ecolane released the Evolution platform in 2021. It allows an organization to improve its responsiveness to customers in real-time by bridging the gap between scheduling, planning, and billing. Real-time optimization provides effective and reliable route analysis and planning using a multipoint algorithm.

The Ecolane platform also provides unparalleled self-service capabilities to transit agency riders through an industry-leading mobile app. They can book trips in real-time without the need for manual intervention by reservation or dispatch staff.

Ecolane has also launched a robust AI-powered business intelligence tool that enables transit agencies to better plan for their future demand and optimizes fleet operations.

In a nutshell, by optimizing the schedules, the company provides transit agencies with the capability to work in a more synchronous way with all the stakeholders in the transportation ecosystem.

Ecolane takes a holistic approach to ensuring customer satisfaction. The company engages with multiple stakeholders, riders, drivers, dispatchers, managers, and shift supervisors. This client-centric approach is best exemplified in its partnership with Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT), an agency responsible for public transportation in the Sacramento, California area during the height of the pandemic.

SacRT had a manual dispatch process and was operating 1.6 trips per hour. With increased demand, the service agency needed a more robust and easy-to-deploy system that could provide effective and equitable transportation. Ecolane checked all the right boxes.

Deploying Ecolane, SacRT gained visibility into their Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and improved the rides per hour by 25-percent. SacRT’s paratransit operations also benefitted from Ecolane’s real-time scheduling flexibility. The enhanced mode of operations included not only transportation but deliveries of meal and grocery purchases. In addition to improving the services and achieving double-digit ridership growth, SacRT was also awarded Outstanding Public Transportation System of the Year by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), underscoring the success of their collaboration with Ecolane.

Ecolane believes in the future of free and sustainable mobility, centered on inclusive experiences. To this end, the company is addressing all personalization, convenience, and accessibility requirements. They also plan to continue designing products that will empower transit agencies to operate efficiently and enhance productivity, as well as cost savings and sustainability —all while fostering community relationships.

Our mission is to provide a complete line of products and services that enable transit service providers to better serve their communities and yield an immediate increase in productivity and efficiency

“Our product development roadmap will enhance the safety and security of all participants, provide end to end trip planning for the riders, while empowering agencies to do better planning and future expansion utilising Ecolane intuitive technology,” says Gjorgjievski. The next steps for Ecolane include expanding sales in the U.S., exploring opportunities in other geographies, and developing the next-generation Ecolane multi-modal platform.