Vontas, a provider of intelligent transportation solutions owned by Modaxo, has gained considerable traction in the transportation industry due to its flagship offering, Vontas OnTransit. This comprehensive platform combines real-time vehicle tracking, passenger information displays and incident management functionalities to streamline operations and improve service delivery.
However, the lack of a robust communication module remained a gap in Vontas OnTransit’s capabilities. This need prompted Vontas to acquire Orion Labs, a San Francisco-based innovator in voice-first collaboration platforms.
Orion Labs’ expertise lies in developing secure, voice-centric platforms for mission-critical environments. Their core product, Push-to-Talk 2.0, delivers instant and secure voice, location and data messaging across connected devices and applications. This communication flow ensures situational awareness and facilitates efficient coordination among transit personnel.
The acquisition integrates Orion Labs’ Push-to-Talk 2.0 capabilities directly into Vontas OnTransit, creating a powerful communication module. The integration means individual, group and fleetwide calls can be made and provide immediate response to situations requiring swift action. Voice and data redundancy safeguards communication even during emergencies or network disruptions.
Vontas also plans to extend beyond mere integration. The company intends to combine Orion Labs’ features with its existing Vontas OnRoute module, dedicated to computer-aided dispatch and automatic vehicle location functionalities. This will create a unified platform offering comprehensive operational control and communication capabilities for transit agencies.
"Orion's products help to improve our best-in-class IP based communication solution in our OnTransit product portfolio, enabling us to deliver exciting new solution modules like translation and digitalized vehicle inspection capabilities that transit agencies are looking for,” said Peter Aczel, General Manager at Vontas.
By prioritizing reliable and efficient communication through the Orion acquisition, Vontas now empowers transit agencies to operate with better transparency and agility especially in emergency situations.
“Orion's expertise in voice communication, powered by AI, is a strong complement to the solution offerings provided by Vontas and our other Modaxo businesses,” said Simon Ferguson, Senior Vice President with Modaxo. “There is a great opportunity to utilize Orion to digitize voice and other critical workflows within the people transportation industry.”
Edited by
Alex Passett
