Intelligent transportation systems like Streets,  Novus, and RidePro are proven solutions for improving operations and offering exceptional customer journeys to your riders. Software maintenance plays a critical role in ensuring your solution maintains its high-quality and you can continue to use it with the confidence the product is stable and reliable.

But you may be questioning why agencies pay maintenance fees for software that appears to be working perfectly fine? Or wondering what TripSpark does with maintenance fees? Let’s dig deeper into why software maintenance is essential for transit agencies.

Why Does Software Require Maintenance?

Software development is not a one-and-done process but a constantly evolving lifecycle where the solution is monitored and updated to meet your agency’s changing needs, as well as adapt to how technology is transforming the public transportation industry.

Maintenance fees are funneled back into TripSpark solutions so they continue delivering value. Transit technology is complex and the functionality that helps you plan and schedule trips, operate vehicles, communicate with drivers, and collect vital reporting data demands frequent upkeep to run without a hitch.

Software maintenance is also labor-intensive and requires a dedicated team of experts to address numerous issues, including:

Fixing bugs and defects
Optimizing performance
Improving or adding functionality
Removing outdated or unused functions
Ensuring the solution is secure and stable
Testing and validating changes
Solving unexpected issues
And much more!

Research shows that regular software maintenance is crucial for maintaining the effectiveness, dependability, and integrity of your software. In one study, 72% percent of participants noted that without routine care, the quality of their software was reduced and problems could have been avoided with regular maintenance.

In addition, The Cost of Poor Software Quality in the US: A 2022 Report estimated that software operational failures because of bugs and defects would cost U.S. companies $1.8 trillion in 2022. When riders expect responsiveness and depend on your agency’s services, not maintaining the quality of your software is a risk with potential serious consequences.

What Does TripSpark Do With Your Maintenance Fees?

At TripSpark, we reinvest your maintenance fees back into our software and hardware solutions so they remain best-in-class, competitive, and help your agency deliver transit excellence to the community. What your maintenance dollars goes toward includes:

Adding new features
Enhancing existing features
Creating new modules
Product integrations
Useability improvements
Research and development

So far in 2023 Trip Spark delivered 24 major releases over 16 different products like our myDrive MDT and Rides on Demand microtransit app, with 17 minor releases. In fact, most if not all releases are based on feedback by our customers!

Plus, maintenance fees help us innovate and meet the ongoing needs of our customers. For example, we adapted our rider information system, MyRide, for integration with Routematch Fixed. Our Routematch customers can now offer real-time trip information and better communicate with their riders via a mobile app or web portal.

Maintenance Fees Drive Your Future Success

Implementing an intelligent transportation system is a long-term investment in your agency’s success. Because software is complex, the robust functionality you use everyday in your transit operations requires frequent monitoring and updating to preserve its high-quality. With the peace of mind that comes with knowing your system is stable and reliable, you can focus on delivering seamless customer experiences to your riders.

Maintenance fees are a significant expense for your agency and we don’t take that lightly. Since product innovation at TripSpark is driven by feedback from agency partners, maintenance fees are reinvested in our software and hardware solutions so you get the most value from your technology investment.

TripSpark is your trusted partner in navigating the challenges of public transit. If you have a feature request or a great idea for enhancing our products, get in touch or submit your idea to TripSpark’s Innovation Hub. We’d love to hear from you!