DATE: August 20, 2014 TO: Susan Friend, Director Accounting

Exhibit 2
Page 1 of 2
Transportation Department-Administration
1 N. University Drive, Suite 3100A • Plantation, Florida 33324 • 954-357-8300 • FAX 954-357-8339
DATE:
August 20, 2014
TO:
Susan Friend, Director
Accounting Division
FROM:
Chris Walton, Director
Transportation Department
RE.:
International Travel for five Transit Division (BCT) employees to Montreal, Canada to attend GIRO’s
HASTUS International User’s Group Conference and CAD/AVL Transit Site visits.
We are requesting that a total of five BCT employeees (two BCT Transit Schedulers, Paul Strobis, Sr. and
Jared Fried; Doris Williams, Acting Transit Manager-Customer Service & Communications; Corwin Gibbs,
Transit Manager - Operations, and Tommie Jones, Information Systems Analyst IV) be permitted to travel
to Montreal, Canada, September 30 to October 3, 2014. The two BCT Transit Schedulers, Paul and Jared,
will attend the GIRO’s HASTUS International User’s Group Conference. The other three employees, Doris,
Corwin, and Tommie will participate in site visits to Canadian Transit authorities to examine and gather
knowledge about the CAD/AVL Real Time Passenger Information System implemented in Canada by
Integrated Systems Research (ISR).
HASTUS is a software product used by BCT’s Transit Schedulers and staff as well as dozens of transit
agencies around the U.S. for scheduling, operator work selection, operations management, and
timekeeping. BCT has used various versions of HASTUS to develop its schedules for bus service since
2001. The schedules define the planned activities of each vehicle and employee throughout the service
day. Over the years, BCT has continued to invest in its scheduling process and technology to improve
operating efficiencies and will be utilizing HASTUS modules including ATP to modify running times with
data from CAD/AVL and to record customer comments and complaint/information data.
The 14th International HASTUS User Group conference (October 1-3, 2014) provides a variety of learning
and networking opportunities, including dozens of workshops, training sessions, case studies,
presentations, and roundtables with HASTUS solution experts and users from around the world. Topics
cover GIRO’s public transportation software solutions for data analysis, planning, scheduling, operations,
and customer information. Presenters from leading transit organizations will be on hand to share valuable
insights from timetabling to yard management experiences. Additionally, this opportunity will present
discussion time with Transit HASTUS schedulers who currently use the ISR CAD/AVL system which BCT
is in the process of implementing. Their experience and advice on the use of the two major software pieces
will be of immeasurable help to staff.
The cost of registration for the two schedulers to attend HASTUS Training ($690 per person including daily
continental breakfast, lunch, and dinner Thursday night) and hotel accommodations (Hotel Omni MontRoyal at $160 per night per room) are included in the County’s Software Maintenance agreement with
GIRO as days of training allowance and do not require any additional disbursement of funds. The only
Broward County Board of County Commissioners
Sue Gunzburger • Dale V.C. Holness • Kristin Jacobs • Martin David Kiar • Chip LaMarca • Stacy Ritter • Tim Ryan • Barbara Sharief • Lois Wexler
www.broward.org
Exhibit 2
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costs to the County for two staff to travel include per diem, roundtrip airfare, and transportation to and from
the hotel which is estimated at $1242.36.
ISR has been awarded a $12.5 million contract to implement the CAD/AVL system in the U.S. for Broward
County Transit. The information obtained from the site visits by Doris, Corwin, and Tommie will be from a
proven technology and those established methodologies will be transferred to BCT’s user groups of the
CAD/AVL system. The idea is to merge the international travel into an event that will benefit BCT in the
form of gaining knowledge of computerized systems and the technology actually implemented by the
County’s contracted vendor in Montreal, Canada. The costs for the three employees to travel to conducting
site visits associated with the CAD/AVL project are estimated at $ 4,437.
Please process this request for approval by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners on the
September 9, 2014, agenda. If you need additional information, please call me at 954-357-8361.
CW/CCE

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