Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Technology Operations topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Brainerd transit buys Spare trip-optimization software as ridership rebounds
Summary
Staff said the transit division purchased Spare software this year to automate trip optimization, add a customer app and AI voice booking, and expects improved efficiency and ridership growth; the purchase fits within current technology budgets after a prorated credit.
Brainerd transit staff told the advisory committee they have purchased a new trip-optimization software package, Spare, and that the system is expected to improve dispatching efficiency and customer access.
Crystal, transit staff, said the city purchased the software using reserve funds and a prorated credit for the shortened first year of service, and that the purchase is within this year’s technology budget. She described the system as an automating tool that “will optimize all the trips for us” and allow dispatchers, riders and drivers to manage trips more efficiently. Staff said the system provides real-time vehicle location, a rider-facing app and website for booking and payment, and an AI voice-agent option to handle after-hours booking.
Committee members asked operational questions about whether the system can optimize same-day requests and reroute buses to combine nearby pickups. Crystal said the software “continuously optimize[s] and reroute[s]” and can reassign trips among vehicles to improve efficiency. Staff noted drivers will receive a routed manifest and turn-by-turn directions on a tablet rather than manually constructing routes.
Staff tied the software purchase to service and cost goals: more efficient routing could reduce vehicle miles and therefore maintenance costs, a point several committee members raised during discussion. Members also asked for city/county breakdowns of the reported 11% ridership increase; staff said the 11% figure was an overall increase through April and that more detailed city-by-city breakdowns were available in staff materials but were not included in the verbal update.
Staff said they expect ridership growth to continue; in a later staff report Crystal said the system and operational improvements helped produce nearly 14,000 rides from January through April 2025, an 18% increase over the same period last year. The committee heard that a new bus ordered in 2022 recently arrived and will be held at the city yard until staff are confident it can be maintained to expected service life.
