American Logistics Co. (ALC), a national passenger transportation management company, was awarded a contract by Lancaster, Calif.-based Antelope Valley Transit Authority (AVTA) to operate the agency's dial-a-ride paratransit services program for seniors over the age of 65 and disabled residents living in the Antelope Valley.

ALC was selected because of its "innovative Coordinated Transportation Model." AVTA expects to save $5 million over the potential life of the contract compared to the agency's previous dial-a-ride contract.

ALC's Coordinated Transportation Model provides paratransit solutions that yield significant cost savings with unyielding customer service. Through the use of proprietary trip optimization technology (ParaMax) and intelligent transportation systems (ITS), ALC is able to deliver on its promise of reduced costs and improved service.

In most cases ALC can reduce the cost of paratransit programs by 20 to 30 percent, regardless of the size of the paratransit program. ALC's ParaMax technology reduces transportation costs by analyzing all trip reservations, to "right size” the route and fleet.

ALC will begin operating AVTA's dial-a-ride paratransit service on Jan. 1, 2012.