TransPar has formed a strategic partnership with fleet management firm Mercury Associates Inc.

TransPar, which is part of the TransPar Group of Companies, offers transportation management and staffing solutions for the school bus industry.

Mercury Associates provides independent technical assistance and advice to public and private fleets. The firm works to reduce costs and improve performance by using technology, real-time fleet operating data, and analytics.

“With Mercury’s expertise providing solutions through a highly disciplined and focused approach towards fleet management, there are some great synergies for both of us,” said Doug Martin, president of TransPar. “The combination of our subject matter expertise in fleet consulting and management services provides a unique opportunity for public and private sector organizations where transportation or fleet management is a mission-critical function.”

Mercury has clients in 42 U.S. states, plus the District of Columbia, and has worked in six of the 10 Canadian provinces and all of the territories. The firm’s clients include government agencies, utility companies, Fortune 500 companies, small businesses, transportation services companies, transit authorities, school districts, and colleges and universities.

“TransPar is a great group of transportation experts, and we look forward to partnering with them and benefitting from their knowledge, products, and services,” said Paul Lauria, president of Mercury Associates. “Since Mercury works with fleet owners across a broad spectrum of industries, we also look forward to bringing our deep and varied knowledge of fleet asset management practices and technology to bear on some of the challenges facing the student transportation industry.”

In other news, TransPar reported recent success in expanding outside of the school transportation industry and delivering customized transportation solutions to the college student housing market. TransPar was recently engaged by a large owner/operator of college and university student housing communities in the U.S. that decided to outsource its shuttle services.

According to TransPar, the property management company realized that transportation was not a core competency and that it needed a specialized firm to manage hiring and training of drivers, shuttle maintenance, monitoring, scheduling, and other aspects of providing campus shuttle service.