Earlier this year, Blaise Transit began a new partnership with the Klamath Tribes in Southwestern Oregon. This collaboration marked a significant milestone in providing innovative, on-demand transit solutions to the Chiloquin and Klamath Falls regions, further underscoring the critical need for accessible and efficient transportation in the 574 tribal communities across the United States.
The Klamath Tribes have long been at the forefront of offering essential transportation services through their fixed route Quail Trail Bus, which operates fare-free services within the region. With one fixed route available Monday through Friday and another exclusive Thursday service, the initiative has been crucial in connecting members of the Tribes.
However, recognizing the evolving needs of their community, the Klamath Tribes began to expand their offerings to include on-demand services that are set to enhance residents’ access to medical transport, tribal health medical trips, and meal site transportation. This transition caters to the community's immediate needs and aligns with broader efforts to ensure sustainable and inclusive mobility solutions.
The change also meant Michelle Carson, the Transit Program Manager for Klamath Tribes, was eager to find a new software provider to support their expanding service. She notes “When we were looking for scheduling software, we knew we had to change because the company that we were with increased the yearly costs by almost 75%. As a small, rural Transit Agency we could not afford it and the company wasn’t willing to work with us because they were a very big company. Our scheduling software was not easy to use, and it took a long time for someone to put the numbers into the database. So, we went out to seek what was out there and we found Blaise.”
Blaise Transit's quick to implement platform played a pivotal role in Klamath Tribe’s transition to on-demand service. One of the most notable advancements brought by this partnership was the immediate availability of critical data and analytics through the Blaise Transit dashboard. This represents a significant leap forward from the previous system, where reporting could take multiple days to export vital information for reporting. Michelle’s team can now access up-to-the-minute information, enabling more responsive and informed decision-making to better serve their community. She emphasized this saying, “I can’t tell you how happy we are to have made this change. We were scared at first that it wasn’t what we wanted but after a while with all the changes we now have scheduling software that is doing exactly what we wanted and then some. It was designed for our specific needs of a small rural area to accommodate a commuter bus route and medical rides. We love that the company has been so easy to work with and that the designers have made almost all the changes that were needed to make the software match our needs.”
The personal, hands-on approach that Blaise takes in implementing our software is pivotal to the success of our client’s projects. With Michelle’s team at Klamath Tribes, we made sure to consider all their feedback and feature requests to ensure their system was fully customized to meet their needs. Michelle expanded on this in saying, “Blaise has the feel of family and small business. The Blaise company truly wants to help you. They said they would design our database to meet the needs of our Transit Agency and they did just that. Our drivers say that it is easier than doing all the paperwork they used to have to do. This was one of the best things that we have done for our Transit Agency.”
We are proud to partner with Klamath Tribes and bring robust transit software solutions to their community. The collaboration between Blaise Transit and the Klamath Tribes highlights the transformative power of accessible, efficient, and responsive transportation solutions in enhancing the quality of life for tribal communities.
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