Project Adiona (AI Routing & Telematics)

First Student | 2018–2019 | Program Manager

Connect

Available on Upwork

Challenge

First Student, North America’s largest student transportation operator (40,000+ buses), needed to modernize its routing and dispatch operations:

• Manual dispatch processes were inefficient and prone to errors
• No real-time visibility into driver performance or vehicle utilization
• Legacy routing algorithms didn’t account for modern traffic patterns
• Safety compliance and liability risks
• High operational costs due to inefficient routing

Approach

1. Built the business case — ROI model, capex/opex analysis, three-year deployment plan

2. Defined architecture — Partnered with AI/ML vendor (routing engine), Android dev team, AWS cloud infrastructure. I owned the product surface for two core applications: the Dispatch Daily Screen (task-ready driver visibility, real-time scheduling, and ML-driven fleet analysis and route correction) and the Driver Workflow App (end-to-end driver experience: clock-in, bus assignment, timed pre-trip inspection with ECM integration, turn-by-turn navigation, guided sleeping child check, and post-trip sign-out)

3. Owned the data model — APIs connecting routing engine, telematics system, ERP (JD Edwards)

4. Managed complexity — 12+ vendor partnerships, multi-state rollout, 500+ user training

5. Drove adoption — Phased deployment across 600+ districts, change management across 500+ field managers

1. Built the business case — ROI model, capex/opex analysis, three-year deployment plan

3. Owned the data model — APIs connecting routing engine, telematics system, ERP (JD Edwards)

4. Managed complexity — 12+ vendor partnerships, multi-state rollout, 500+ user training

5. Drove adoption — Phased deployment across 600+ districts, change management across 500+ field managers

Results

✅ 96% five-year IRR (exceeded 70% target)
✅ 10,000+ Android tablets deployed & adopted
✅ Improved routing efficiency, fuel & overtime savings
✅ Enhanced safety compliance via real-time monitoring
✅ Better customer satisfaction via improved route management
✅ ERP integration (zero downtime)

Budget: $12M | Timeline: 18 months | Deployment: 10,000+ tablets

Skills Demonstrated

• Large-Scale Technology Deployment
• Vendor Management & Coordination (12+ vendors)
• ROI Modeling & Business Case
• Operational Transformation
• IT Infrastructure & Cloud (AWS)
• Change Management & User Training
• Budget & Financial Oversight ($12M)
• Risk Management (phased rollout)

Quick Links

Get In Touch

ekloss5156@gmail.com

239-297-0188

Upwork

Quick Links

Home

About