Spokane, Wash., Selects Rubicon Global for New Smart City Solution

Rubicon Global announced the city of Spokane, Wash., has selected Rubicon in a competitive bid process for a new three-year contract to provide smart city solutions to help benefit citizens and businesses in 189,000 service locations across the city.

Starting this month, Spokane will begin using the RUBICONSmartCity platform, which includes a tablet-based mobile app, a plug-in device and a web-based portal. The technology will allow the city’s solid waste collection utility to track key metrics, including service confirmations, missed pickups, landfill diversion and recycling rates, leading to more efficient operations and ultimately improved service for its customers and citizens. Rubicon’s fleet management technology will be installed in approximately 100 solid waste vehicles, and a vehicle telematics system also is available for the city’s wider fleet of more than 1,000 vehicles. 

“The RUBICONSmartCity platform helps cities of all sizes leverage data to make smarter decisions about waste, recycling and city operations, leading to improvements in sustainability and quality of life that map to an overall mission to end waste,” said Michael Allegretti, chief public strategy officer of Rubicon Global, in a statement. “Using RUBICONSmartCity, the city of Spokane will be able to take the data that is pulled from the waste vehicles and determine the best routes for waste and recycling collections, improve response times and manage pick-up services—all designed to deliver an overall improvement in waste and recycling solutions for its residents.”

Rubicon was awarded the contract in September 2018, and the city has an option for two one-year contract renewals.

“The city of Spokane is committed to delivering excellent solid waste collection and disposal services for our citizens at an affordable price,” said Scott Simmons, division director of public works and utilities, in a statement. “We already are a leader in generating renewable energy through our municipally owned and operated waste-to-energy facility. Partnering with Rubicon Global and their smart city technology expands our value to our citizens. Using this new technology, we will be able to operate more efficiently, make business decisions using comprehensive data, enhance our sustainability efforts and respond rapidly to customer needs.”

Tablets loaded with the Rubicon mobile app, as well as onboard plug-in devices, will be placed in Spokane’s fleet of residential and commercial waste and recycling collection vehicles. With the mobile app and plug-in device, the city will be able to take and organize pictures at customer locations, flag locations, dispatch alerts and provide real-time GPS monitoring of each vehicle. The app will also help deliver precise pick-up times, optimize routes and reduce the need for truck repairs.