First Transit Inc. was awarded the transportation contract for the Savannah College of Art and Design, effective Sept. 1, 2009. First Transit is part of Cincinnati-based FirstGroup America.

The contract is a five-year agreement that includes the operation, maintenance and management of a fleet of 29 fixed-route shuttle buses. First Transit will be installing the TransLoc visual tracking service on these buses, which displays the location of vehicles and animates their motion in real time against a detailed map.

"First Transit is pleased to provide the Savannah College of Art and Design with safe, cost-effective transit services," said Brad Thomas, president of First Transit and First Services. "By utilizing some of the most innovative industry technologies, such as the TransLoc real-time passenger information system, we can provide the most efficient and reliable management of transit services."