FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Jamie Panian, (425) 432-2233 Planware Systems, LLC. 23220 Maple Valley-Black Diamond Road SE, Suite 202 Maple Valley, WA 98038 BROKEN ARROW PUBLIC SCHOOLS SAVES $250,000 USING PLANWARE'S MASTERPLAN SOFTWARE August 21, 2003 -- Maple Valley, Washington - Broken Arrow Public Schools, in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, saved $250,000 in transportation costs by switching to Planware Systems' MasterPlan for Transportation software suite and its flagship program DISPATCH. The district had used other transportation software previously, but decided to switch to the MasterPlan system in early 2001. After switching to MasterPlan, the district began work revamping the way it routed its buses. The results were astounding. "When we implemented Planware's MasterPlan software, we redesigned our bus routes and eliminated 15 [bus] runs the first year," explains Assistant Superintendent Dr. Gary Gerber. "This saved the district $250,000." The point-and-click interface of DISPATCH allows users to easily design bus runs in a visual way that is impossible with traditional methods. DISPATCH can automatically create bus runs based upon user-defined variables such as desired and maximum loads and desired and maximum run times. It is capable of solving the problem with the fewest buses possible to meet the entered parameters. Additionally, users can create multiple "what-if" scenarios that can be compared to the original configuration. DISPATCH also has extensive reporting capabilities built into the software. "[Our] drivers love the printout showing students [at each bus] stop," said Routing Technician Jerry Lyons. The transportation department has also found the driver direction report to be useful, as they can easily keep track of left and right turns and how many students should be picked up at each bus stop. Broken Arrow Transportation continues to use MasterPlan to optimize their routing, and hopes to eliminate 5 additional bus runs this year, which could save the school district an additional $80,000. ABOUT PLANWARE SYSTEMS, LLC. Planware Systems, LLC is located in Maple Valley, WA. Planware is a leading provider of solutions for school district boundary planning, enrollment forecasting, and transportation optimization. Originally the planning division of Educational Data Systems (1973), the company draws from more than 30 years of providing educational solutions. Its flagship product, MasterPlan, enables school district administrators to gain insight and solve a variety of transportation and planning problems -- all using actual enrollment data. For more information about Planware Systems, go to www.planware.net or call 1 (866) 572-6426.