It's nice to have money, but better shopping would pay

Orbital Awarded $3.5 Million Contract for Vehicle Tracking and Dispatch System by Culver City, California

http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20050902005260&newsLang=en

I don't normally comment on the competition, but this press release caught my eye. It's well known that some businesses and government agencies are still avoiding the advantages of GPS tracking due to cost. It's also becoming well known that costs have come down significantly in recent years.

But not for Culver City! Either there's a significant math error in the article, or the city is paying $66000 per bus! for a "smart" transportation management system. This is way out of line for any rational system. Orbital Sciences, the successful vendor, is heavily established in building and launching satellites. At this price, perhaps they are building and launching private satellites just for Culver City?

If you manage busses or are concerned about how bus systems operate and want to see things improved, give me or any other reputable independent consultant/dealer a call. Do your own research. A really nice tracking and fleet management system for transit busses should cost a lot closer to $600 per vehicle (a small bit more, perhaps), but $66000!?! God bless the American free enterprise system, but give me a freakin' break, would you?