Project Adiona (AI Routing & Telematics)
First Student | 2018–2019 | Program Manager
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
Developed and executed a $12M AI-enabled routing and telematics platform (Project Adiona) that transformed daily operations:
• Designed full business case, ROI model, and 3-year deployment plan
• Managed vendor partnerships for AI/ML routing engine, Android development, and cloud infrastructure
• Oversaw deployment of 10,000+ Android tablets across the national fleet
• Led integration of routing engine, telematics system, and ERP (JD Edwards) and AWS cloud
• Trained field managers and 1000+ drivers on new system
• Executed phased rollout across 100+ districts over 18 months
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)
![](data:image/svg+xml,<svg display="block" role="presentation" viewBox="0 0 51 17" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"/>)