How Georgetown Township modernized senior & disability transportation—without adding staff—by switching from ParaPlan to TripMaster in just days.

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For Georgetown Township’s senior and disability transportation program, transit is more than community logistics—it’s a service residents depend on for everyday life.

In the harsh winter months of West Michigan, reliable transportation means seniors can get to medical appointments. People with disabilities can get to work. Riders can safely reach the grocery store, the senior center, or critical services—without risking icy roads or isolation.

But in Georgetown Township, keeping that lifeline running smoothly falls on a uniquely lean team.

With just seven vehicles, twelve part-time drivers, and two job-share administrators, the margin for error is thin. There are no full-time schedulers. No dedicated dispatch department. No buffer staff to absorb delays, cancellations, or operational disruption.

And then came the looming threat: Georgetown’s longtime transportation software—ParaPlan—announced it would be discontinued.

The Township had only months to make a high-stakes decision: migrate to a new system without interrupting service for some of the community’s most vulnerable riders.

The transition couldn’t be slow. It couldn’t be complicated. And it couldn’t be risky.

It had to be seamless.

TripMaster delivered exactly that.

The Challenge: A Lean Team Running a High-Impact Program

Georgetown Township operates under a staffing model that would overwhelm most transit software:

• 2 job-share administrators, each covering different days
• 12 part-time drivers, nearly all retired from previous careers
• 7 vehicles, including buses and vans
• 0 full-time transportation staff

This structure works because the people are deeply committed. But for it to stay sustainable, the tools must support speed, clarity, and low training burden.

The riders book trips the “old-fashioned way”—by phone. For decades, the office scheduled service using a three-ring binder, with one binder page representing an entire day of trips. That visual simplicity made it easy for schedulers to answer a rider quickly: Is this time slot feasible? Can we fit this in?

But everything after the phone call depended on software: routing, dispatching, cancellations, and driver communication.

When ParaPlan announced end-of-life, Georgetown needed a platform that could preserve what worked in their workflow—while modernizing the engine beneath it.

As scheduler Dawn Van Koevering put it:

“Efficiency is everything. We have zero full-time staff. The tools have to work for us, not the other way around.”

Why TripMaster: Confidence, Simplicity & High-Touch Support

TripMaster stood out for several reasons, but for Georgetown, two mattered most:

1) Drivers Needed an Easy App—Fast

Many Georgetown drivers are retirees who had spent years using paper route sheets. The move to tablets created understandable anxiety.

“They were nervous to use a tablet,” said Van Koevering.

TripMaster’s driver tools were simple and intuitive enough that adoption happened quickly.

“The TripMaster system is so user-friendly that they caught on right away. Within a few days, the entire team was familiar and saying the new system was a serious improvement.”

2) Onboarding Had to Be Hands-On

Georgetown couldn’t afford a long ramp-up, confusing remote training, or weeks of trial-and-error.

They needed a partner who would show up—and ensure success in real time.

TripMaster implementation specialist Ashlyn Orem helped import rider data and traveled onsite for go-live, training drivers and staff face-to-face.

“We haven’t needed to contact support since,” Van Koevering said. “Ashlyn prepared us so well.”

Implementation: A Seamless Three-Day Transition

From import to go-live, TripMaster’s onboarding process exceeded expectations—and delivered the kind of confidence a small team needs.

Key implementation wins included:

• All rider data pre-loaded before day one
• In-person driver training customized for each user
• Real-time troubleshooting as drivers ran live routes
• A complete transition completed in just days, not weeks

Support wasn’t just responsive—it was proactive, personal, and present.

Immediate Operational Improvements

Once TripMaster was live, the office felt the difference immediately. For a program that relies on constant adjustments—weather delays, rider needs, last-minute changes—TripMaster gave Georgetown the visibility and control they needed.

Instant Cancellation Updates

Under ParaPlan, cancellations required phone calls and texts to drivers one by one.

Now, when schedulers remove a trip, it disappears instantly from the driver’s iPad route.

“When we get a cancellation, we can just remove it from the driver’s route without having to call them or send a text… it’s just deleted from their iPad.”

This improvement alone saved significant time each week—and reduced the risk of miscommunication.

Integrated Mapping (No More Personal Phone Navigation)

Previously, drivers had to open mapping apps on their personal phones.

With TripMaster, navigation is integrated into the system—ideal for drivers unfamiliar with certain neighborhoods or less comfortable switching between devices.

Click-and-Swap Locations

Frequent destinations populate instantly. Less typing, fewer errors, faster scheduling.

“It’s a huge time saver,” Dawn emphasized.

Real-Time Communication

Schedulers can message drivers directly through TripMaster—without juggling multiple apps, devices, or manual workarounds.

Drivers Actually Like It

Most importantly: the driver team adopted the system quickly.

“It was a learning curve, but they caught on quickly.”

That’s a major success metric for a small operation where driver confidence directly impacts service quality.

Rider Experience: Quiet Improvements That Matter

While riders may never see the scheduling platform, they experience the downstream benefits every day:

• Fewer delays caused by missed cancellations
• More accurate pickup windows
• Drivers with more confidence navigating routes
• Better planning for mobility needs

As Van Koevering shared:

“They might not see the software change, but the ride is smoother.”

The Path Ahead: Grow Ridership Without Adding Staff

Georgetown Township hasn’t yet completed a long-term KPI analysis, but early signs are clear:

TripMaster is positioning the program to scale—without expanding the part-time office team.

With more efficient routing and improved communication, Georgetown is building toward:

• Supporting growing ridership with the same staffing model
• Increasing rides per hour through better scheduling efficiency
• Reducing stress and risk for both drivers and staff
• Improving reporting readiness for audits, funding, and compliance

TripMaster reporting is also expected to replace time-consuming manual state reporting and audit preparation—giving leadership better data with far less administrative effort.

Conclusion: A Stronger, More Confident Program

Georgetown Township entered the year with a serious operational risk: their longstanding software was going away, and they needed a replacement immediately—without disruption.

TripMaster delivered:

• A seamless migration from ParaPlan
• Fast adoption among tech-apprehensive drivers
• Immediate gains in scheduling, routing, and communication
• A sustainable foundation for growth—without adding staff

Most importantly, TripMaster ensured Georgetown seniors and riders with disabilities continued receiving dependable transportation through every season—without confusion, without disruption, and without overloading the Township’s lean team.

TripMaster didn’t just replace ParaPlan.
It strengthened the entire operation.