Tranzaura develops digital maintenance platform further
Software-as-a-Service provider Tranzaura is developing its digital maintenance platform that captures drivers’ walk-round checks and unplanned maintenance into one that includes central management of all maintenance – planned and unplanned – in a single system.
The supplier says that its platform is already going from strength to strength in the London bus market. It accounts for an average of 113,000 items checked every day by drivers and a 55% market share for use of its app instead of paper for unplanned tasks.
Tranzaura has been present in the capital’s bus market since 2015. It adds that the “obvious” start point on the transformation journey was to digitise the driver walk-round check process and to take control of unplanned maintenance “in a way that engages end users and reduces defect reporting times.”
The enhanced product that adds planned maintenance will improve visibility of schedules, communication between drivers and engineers, and lower the cost of repairs, Tranzaura claims. It says that other benefits will include live defect reporting, photo audit trails, parts and inventory management, and full asset lifetime cost management.
With the latest step, Tranzaura has developed all end user decision support tools – for management, drivers, engineers and administrators – into a central system that is built on Microsoft Azure. Use of the Tranzaura app requires no installation at an operating centre and delivers what the supplier claims is increased efficiency, better vehicle reliability, high quality reporting and “more informed decision making.”
CEO Shane Mann has highlighted that a digitised maintenance system can result in significant financial savings. While reducing paper use and better communications form part of that, the most significant aspect is the potential to reduce spare vehicle requirements through improved planning.
Tranzaura was first introduced to the London bus market in 2013 by Metroline as part of an initial feasibility study initiated by the ComfortDelGro subsidiary. Go-Ahead London then became the first operator to deploy the platform, in 2019. Both businesses, along with RATP Dev Transit London, currently use this solution in the capital. It is also utilised by other operators outside London.
Says Go-Ahead London Chief Engineering Chris McKeown: “In 2017, we embarked with Tranzaura on a strategy designed to achieve workplace digitisation and the elimination of unnecessary paper use. We focused on two areas: The all-important daily pre-service vehicle check, and any potential defects during the remainder of the working day.
“Previously recorded via a pen and paper, Tranzaura worked with Go-Ahead London to create an intuitive app that guides our 6,000 drivers around all key vehicle checkpoints. The subsequent record is digitally uploaded onto a bespoke database and is accessible to the engineering teams at all 17 Go-Ahead London garages.”
Mr McKeown adds that the digitisation process was adopted quickly by colleagues and has enabled the operator to “demonstrate and measure compliance.” It also allows Go-Ahead London to engage with suppliers “from a greater position of accuracy and knowledge.”
RATP Dev Transit London Technical Manager Seb Harrington says that the Tranzaura app delivers “strategic long-term benefits.” It allows planning and engineering work to be tightened up as all defects are known of ahead of time. Access to defect history via a digital platform is also much more efficient than via paper, he adds.
Euro Bus Expo will be held between 1-3 November at the NEC Birmingham. Tranzaura will be on stand T58.
CPT asks: How best to use big data?
Big data can make a difference in passenger lives, but must be ‘structured and useable’
Ember Core Founder Keith Bradbury, Zipabout Chief Technology Officer Daniel Chick, and General Manager, EMEA at Optibus Dave Joshua were hosted by Confederation of Passenger Transport Cymru Director Josh Miles to discuss how big data can deliver better services for passengers.
Key to the discussion was that data kept by operators should be structured in a useful way. For Mr Joshua, who works primarily with the service bus world, data is about “understanding people and their behaviour” and adapting services and products to assist.
Mr Joshua observes that most operators do not have a data strategy, and that much data within the industry is going unused. But how data is stored and what it is used for should form part of every operator’s strategy. One example is how travel patterns have changed during the COVID-19 pandemic, where data can show where peaks and troughs in ridership have changed. Data allows operators to respond to that. “Boiling it down, it’s about providing the best service we can,” he adds. “It also means, when it doesn’t go to plan, apologising. Apps and websites can deliver an interesting message. People want to take data and display it in different ways to make the passenger experience better.” He adds that being behind the curve is no bad thing, allowing the coach and bus sector to learn from the mistakes of other data pioneers.
Ember Core is meanwhile “completely data-driven,” according to Mr Bradbury. He and co-founder Pierce Glennie operate scheduled electric coach service Ember. He emphasises the need for joined-up thinking and an end-to-end approach to solve problems. The founders’ background in the financial technology world led them to “bake in” data from the start. “The data is structured to be accessible,” he says. “And we have a clear process for interpreting it.”
The architecture for that data came from hiring a software engineer early in the company’s life. Data is used to minimise traffic disruption and has been used to build demand-responsive stops, meaning routes are optimised to only pick up where passengers have booked. Telematics data is taken from vehicles and chargers and fed back to drivers, accounting for things such as headwinds, to optimise charge stops. If any service runs late, data can explain why. “It’s about instilling data in that way that it becomes useable, and not just random text in the system,” adds Mr Bradbury.
ShuttleID introduces app-based BODS compliance tool
Ticketing platform for home-to-school and commuter services ShuttleID has released a free driver app to help operators in England achieve compliance with Bus Open Data Service (BODS) requirements.
The app submits vehicle location data to BODS and it is freely available as part of the ShuttleID ticketing package. The driver selects the appropriate service and vehicle and when the journey starts. In that journey mode, the app submits vehicle location data every 15 seconds via the mobile device’s GPS sensor and 4G connection.
ShuttleID’s cloud-based platform then matches the journey to published timetables in TransXChange format and combines the timetable data with vehicle location data. It then converts that raw data into SIRI-VM format and sends it to BODS.
The supplier claims that offering a secondary integration into BODS makes its proposition unique. It says that it is the only supplier to offer multiple integrations without using a ticket machine. Such an approach puts ShuttleID “in a strong position to help any operator that does not have a hard requirement for an expensive fixed ticket machine on their vehicle,” with a particular focus on providers of home-to-school services that need to comply with BODS.
ShuttleID’s first low-cost BODS compliance integration utilised standalone vehicle tracking devices in partnership with tracking company Pinpointers. That approach to BODS remains available, says Director Chris Bell.
“Earlier this year we released our Live add-on for our ticketing system, powered by a 4G connected driver app. Adding support for BODS to our driver app was the next logical step. Nearly two years since BODS became a legal requirement, we are hearing of a recent surge in cases where DVSA is cracking down on non-compliance.
“Thankfully, we now have multiple options to tailor fit operators, all of which are simple, low-cost and fast to set up.”
Catteralls Coaches of Southam is among the first to adopt ShuttleID’s driver app in order to comply with BODS. Director Mat Catterall notes that uncertainty had existed around BODS’ application to home-to-school services, “but we’re nearly two years on and there are still no signs of a change.”
Mr Catterall adds: “ShuttleID has been quick and easy to use. The driver app itself is simple to start using. Along with our need to comply with BODS, it made sense to revisit how we handled our school bus passes and payments. The savings we are now seeing from the administration of the passes has made it worth the change of system.”
Euro Bus Expo will be held between 1-3 November at the NEC Birmingham. ShuttleID will be on stand A48.