We catch up with Robert Peel from Freeway Fleet Systems to find out more about their brand and exhibiting at Euro Bus Expo, on stand 259

Tell us a bit about your company?

Freeway has been closely involved in the UK bus and coach sector since the 1990’s, continually developing their software to automate fleet management. Freeway originally developed their system in close association with a small number of operators including Reading Buses, Abellio and Cardiff Bus.

In 2016 Freeway launched a mobile app which took advantage of the latest advances in mobile working and the Internet. Freeway has since been at the forefront of the switch to digital working with a series of industry-first developments including an Earned Recognition compliance tracker and the integration of transport, ticketing and accounting systems. The number of users of Freeway’s software has doubled year on year since 2016. Worldwide, over 10.000 buses are now being managed by Freeway’s software.

Freeway is designed to improve asset management, compliance and fleet maintenance, working seamlessly across different platforms from on-premises server or cloud, with desktop and mobile interfaces. The system combines functionality of a number of different systems to provide a seamless solution incorporating fleet and asset management, maintenance and defect management, stores and stock control, purchasing and compliance.

In 2019, Freeway won industry’s first ‘Innovation Challenge’ for their Fleet-In-The-Pocket smartphone app. The app provides insights into everything from Earned Recognition KPIs and Staff Overview to Defect Recording, Time-Sheet entry, Parts Purchasing, Authorising, Receipting and Issuing. In 2022, Freeway’s Connected Bus development, which involved integration with onboard monitoring systems for predictive fleet maintenance, was also an award winner. Other industry first developments include integration with passenger transport and ticketing systems.

In addition to the early adopters mentioned above, operators now using Freeway include Nottingham City Transport, Lothian Buses, RATP, Blackpool Transport, Warrington’s Own Buses, Transdev, McGill’s Bus Group, trentbarton, Go Ahead, Ascendal Group and Rotala.

Tell us about your latest product(s), service(s), promotions or launches visitors can hope to see on your stand?

Freeway will be launching Insight-AI at Euro Bus Expo. This software development offers real-time and historical insights into all aspects of fleet maintenance with an intuitive design that makes complex fleet data easily accessible for smarter, faster decision-making. By gathering data from mobile devices used by engineers and staff in garages, the system delivers clear, easy-to-interpret charts and graphs via Freeway’s dashboards.

Freeway Insight-AI harnesses cloud data platforms and Business Intelligence (BI) tools to identify operational, engineering, stores, and compliance issues in real time. This empowers managers with the information they need to take immediate corrective action, improve performance, reduce costs, and ensure compliance.

Data is gathered digitally using rugged tablets and smartphones that replace traditional paperwork such as job cards, inspection sheets and parts requisitions. Freeway also collates defect reports from drivers, parts usage and data from stores and data from other areas such as operations and accounts. The pooled data provides the essential ‘fuel’ for AI-driven insights into all aspects of fleet maintenance. Analysed data is presented via Freeway dashboards to highlight critical issues and opportunities to enable informed decisions, aided by AI.

Users can drill down to the underlying data, request AI interpretation, and access sophisticated AI forecasting via a spreadsheet interface, and also link the data to other systems such as Large Language Model (LLM) and generative AI systems using an API key. Fleet-related data then can be processed alongside other business data to provide a wider business insight.

Why is exhibiting at Euro Bus Expo 2024 an unmissable opportunity for you?

Euro Bus Expo is essential for anyone wanted to do business in the bus and coach industry.