1. It seems that as a transit agency you really value technology and invest in it. Why is having a good, responsive transportation system so important to your city?

In days gone by, we have been at the forefront of technology, and we were one of the first transit agencies in Canada to have an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. Our previous systems were getting a little elderly so we were at the point where we had to reinvest in our existing system. We found over the years we could reduce a lot of our costs with technology. By adding ITS technology we now have a much bigger focus on the kind of information we can provide to our customers.

2. What features of the ITS system are your dispatchers most excited about?

One of the things they want to do is send our operational notices via text message. Currently, they write them out and post them on the board in the garage, but the problem is that not all of our drivers come into the garage so they never see them. This way, we’ll be able to send our notices out in real-time using text messaging so everyone will be able to read them.

3. What has been the impact of adding a voice annunciator to your transit system?

Certainly, the public likes it. With this technology in place we were able to go to the Ontario Human Rights Commission and say that we have a system, and this is how it works to announce every bus stop. We were able to give a report of how often each driver was on task. We were able to demonstrate to the OHRC that our system is up and it’s working.

4. How much resistance to the system was there from the drivers?

When the system went in the drivers by and large were all for it. They felt that this was being put in to help them, and without it they would be required to announce all the stops themselves. The fact that we made the investment to put in a system that would automatically announce all the bus stops, our drivers really saw this as a benefit to them.

5. What does the future hold for your organization?

I would say that our customers are looking for more information that is easier to access. We’ve been looking at adding wayside signs for our terminals. Customers are going to want real-time information from our IVR system and our website in an easy-to-handle format.

1. Has the system changed how dispatchers interact with drivers?

Our dispatchers have become more proactive in monitoring driver schedules. They can monitor all the drivers and see whether they are running on-time, early or behind. With this information, they are able to move trips between vehicles without verbal communication or pencil and paper. Also, we can more easily accommodate customers who are early or miss their pick-up. This has helped us improve customer service and keep our on-time performance at an appropriate level.

2. Has the system affected your same-day scheduling procedures?

We didn’t change any of our policies in terms of on-the-fly schedule changes but we are able to accommodate people that are ready early. For example, customers that had a scheduled pick-up but the doctor finished with them two hours ahead of time. We’re much more able to accommodate them and provide a fairly accurate time for when they can expect the van to arrive. It also arrives more quickly than it did before we had the technology. So from that perspective, customer service has improved dramatically.

3. Have you seen changes in the office and bus work environments?

We’ve definitely cut back on radio communication, which has been a great improvement. Even drivers who thought they would dislike it, turned out to really like the technology. They like getting rid of the paper and not having to write everything down. They also like all the information they are able to access by touching the screen, and having turn-by-turn directions when needed.

Since we’re not using paper anymore, there’s been a lot less stress trying to verify trips and our validation process. We also have a lot more information to provide customer agencies that call to ask a question about a no-show. For example, we’ve had situations where an agency has called and said, “this person said they were waiting but the bus never came to pick them up.” We can now go and play back the route. We have the geographic location and the time stamps of all the vehicles so we can assure passengers the van was there and that it waited the required amount of time.

4. Has the system affected your fleet’s on-time performance?

We now have a more accurate reflection of what our on-time performance used to be. With paper records there were a lot of instances of drivers writing down rather suspect times. Now we now have a realistic picture of how much we’re on-time and I’m pretty happy with where it’s at.

5. At this stage in your agency’s growth, what do you think the impact of not having fleet management technology would be?

I think customers would start to notice things going backwards in terms of getting vehicles to them quickly and receiving accurate information over the phone. I think if we were to go backwards at this point we might lose our dispatchers entirely, they’d probably just walk away. Drivers can’t imagine having to go back to paper now. They really like having the computers on-board. So I think from that perspective we would see a revolt!

From the administrative side, I think people’s job stress would fly through the roof if we went back to the verification process we had prior to having the new system and having to try to deal with service issues when it was all a guessing game. I know in my job it would be hard trying to deal with a customer complaint if I couldn’t pull up that van and take a look at it live or play back its route for the day.

1. Have you seen a change in how dispatchers and drivers communicate?

All of the dispatchers are alive! No, actually, there’s been a very significant improvement in terms of the communication between drivers and dispatchers because with mobile computers, dispatchers can send trips directly to the vehicles. This frees up dispatchers to provide drivers with additional information they may need throughout the day. Plus it’s helped clarify addresses, names, destinations and things like that. When dispatchers repeat details over the radio it doesn’t necessarily get translated in the same way as when it’s written down on a driver manifest. With the system, drivers have the written information right in front of them on their screen. That has helped them to improve their ability to deliver services and increase their on-time performance as well.

2. Has the system affected the complaint resolution process?

It has helped some customer complaints drop, particularly with issues of being on time or late for pickups. We have seen a reduction in the number of monthly complaints that we had been receiving. If there is a complaint that is lodged because of a late pickup or drop off, we can go in and use the data from the mobile computer to tell the passenger “this is when the driver arrived” and “this is how long you were on the vehicle.” A lot of times when a complaint comes in saying, “it took me two hours to get home,” when you give them the data from the Ranger it turns out to be thirty minutes. It’s made it a lot easier to resolve those issues because it’s kind of tough to argue with the hard data. Now that customers know we can do that, it’s helped contribute to a reduction in those types of complaints.

3. Have you seen any changes in the office and bus work environments since you started using the system?

The stress level has gone down considerably. Radio traffic has decreased in terms of providing additions or changes to the schedule but we have been able to use the radio to provide other types of information to drivers, such as daily safety messages and more general information about traffic or construction issues. Dispatchers have been able to use the radios to provide that type of information instead of devoting so much radio time to modifications and schedule changes. It’s been a win-win on both sides, with the mobile computers and the use of the radio.

4. Has the data entry process been affected?

The time we spend on data entry has absolutely lessened. When I used to go into the scheduling application I would have to go back at least 7-10 days to pull up verified data. Now I can go in and the services that were done, for example, on Monday, are available for me to review on Tuesday because they’ve already been verified. We’ve been able to have the verification clerk assume other duties because the automatic data entry has simplified the process for her.

5. Has the system affected your fleet’s on-time performance?

We’ve seen a significant increase. We have an on-time performance requirement in our contracts with our vendors. In order to meet the requirements of the contract, they have to be at a performance level, for example, of 92% for the month. We’ve seen that go up on average 2 to 4 points per month. The only time that we see any issues with that is when they first bring new hires on board. The percentage will drop slightly for a couple of weeks, but it starts climbing right back up again. We’ve had some great success as far as on-time performance goes.

6. Where have you seen the most changes in your operation?

The greatest change that we have seen is the improvements in the ways that the drivers, schedulers, and dispatchers are doing the scheduling. With dispatch being able to do on-the-fly changes it’s certainly helped keep the schedules more in-line with using vehicles as efficiently as possible, which in turn improves on-time performance. There’s also been an improvement in the quality of data we’ve been able to get back from the vehicles with the mobile computers.

View Mentor’s Paratransit ITS solution

1. What does your company look for in a technology provider? What do you value most?

When we went looking for technology partners for our next five year service contract we wanted to look for stability and the best value for the MBTA, especially in the current economic climate. And with that stability and value, we wanted to be able to provide quality service to the disabled community which is our customer base.

2. How has the system improved how dispatchers interact with drivers?

I think it’s reduced the amount of radio traffic. One-on-one messaging capabilities with the drivers mean that messages don’t need to be broadcast fleet-wide. Using the mobile computers, dispatchers can communicate directly with a driver for same-day orders or manifest changes. I think that’s been the biggest difference.

3. Has the system helped you to more effectively monitor the on-time performance of your fleet?

The information we get back from the AVL technology absolutely gives me a solid feeling about our on-time performance data. Previous to this system, the reporting was being done manually and the MBTA had to take at face value that what was being reported was accurate. Now it’s all uniform, accurate reporting.

This system gives us data so we know when we’re arriving, when we’ve departed, and when we arrive at the drop-off location. All of that data can be collected and reported on, which allows us to see where the problems are. Our scheduling folks can assess this data and are able to tweak the schedule and improve it.

4. Where are you seeing the most benefit?

We are seeing the most benefit in the accuracy of reporting and improved customer service by being able to tell the customer where the vehicle is instead of guessing. I would imagine that fleet utilization and driver utilization is more beneficial to the vendors, as they can keep their man power down by accurately knowing what their slack time is, where their holes are in the schedule, and by being able to dispatch on-the-fly versus sending out paper manifests.

5. At this stage in your company’s growth, what would have been the impact of not equipping your operation with this new technology? How would your customers/staff have been affected?

If we didn’t have this ITS system I would imagine chaos, so I don’t think about that. We’d probably need to hire more staff to be able to handle what is now mostly automated.

Prior to this ITS infrastructure, we used an old Windows 98-based product. We did have an AVL system but it was spotty at best and all the reporting had to be done manually. When we implemented the new ITS technology we saw a swing in reporting where some of our percentages really skewed in the first fiscal year because it was based on the AVL technology and the data coming out of the system versus manual reporting.

The improvement in customer service has been huge. Instead of getting the old ‘Where’s my ride, oh it’s five minutes away, ten minutes away, right around the corner’. Now it’s ‘Your vehicle’s on Smith Street, three minutes away ETA’. Because we really do know where the vehicle is today.

Keystone Excavating

Keystone Excavating Ltd., of Calgary, Alberta, is regarded as a leader, not only for its strong hold on the excavating market over the past 30 years, but for its decision to implement a mobile workforce solution. They wanted a solution that would let them streamline job costing, billing and timesheet management. The chosen solution includes in-vehicle computers installed in their more than 250-pieces of heavy equipment, which work together with mobile resource and process management software.

The Challenges

Before installing this new technology, Keystone’s manual paper processes and radio communications were no longer making the cut when it came to managing workflow in relation to employees, hours, clients, locations, and equipment. As Holly Goulard, Keystone’s Controller, explains, “When I started at Keystone, one timesheet was handled 11 times before being filed.” In another example, truck tickets and timesheets could be lost or submitted after the client was billed for the job, and Keystone would have to absorb those costs.

The Results

Since installing the mobile workforce solution, Holly says that one of the biggest benefits is the ability to capture real-time information. “We see real-time hours and know where every piece of equipment is. We’re billing the real deal. Our HR department knows who worked when and can verify that information.

In addition to reducing the number of people reviewing job codes and hours worked, Keystone has also been able to downsize scheduler staffing requirements, removing four full-time scheduler positions.

It was originally thought that this technology would save about 20 minutes per piece of equipment each day due to better time management, so each operator would get to their next job 20 minutes earlier. In reality, Holly believes the system is exceeding this number. She has also seen a quick return on investment. “The money we invested in this technology was expected to be returned in three years, and it has been returned in one. That isn’t even accounting for the overtime hours we’re saving.”

Because subcontractors make up 30 to 40 percent of Keystone’s business, Holly hopes that round two of this technology implementation will include these subcontractors adopting electronic devices in their vehicles in order to improve efficiencies in this segment of the business as well. But for now, mobile workforce management technology is helping Keystone streamline its operations and minimize its staffing requirements in order to remain competitive, regardless of the economic climate.

To read the full case study about Keystone Excavating, click here.

Why did The HOP decide it was time to implement an ITS solution?

Before our ITS solution, we were manually entering data into Excel spreadsheets. Drivers used clipboards to track things like passenger counts and miles travelled, and they communicated with dispatchers via radios.

These tools were time consuming and error prone. We decided that an automated system for scheduling, route planning and driver/dispatcher communication was necessary so that we could make better use our resources—from staff to vehicles—and improve the quality of our service.

What did you look for in vendors in order to realize these objectives?

It came down to cost, how easy the technology was to use, and the relationship between vendors. The fact that our two key vendors are long-time partners and have worked together before helped in the decision. Also, the fact that one system was already compatible with the other, and that the companies seem to be in synch meant a lot.

What does your ITS solution include?

On the fixed-route side, the ITS solution delivers Computer-Aided Dispatch and Automatic Vehicle Location (CAD/AVL) capabilities with schedule and route adherence monitoring and reporting applications. Our paratransit vehicles are now equipped with in-vehicle computers that integrate with back-office software to facilitate same-day scheduling, electronic job manifests, and real-time messaging.

What challenges did you face during implementation?

Initially our paratransit drivers disliked the system as they adjusted to a new way of doing things. But now they are accustomed to logging in and having their inbound/outbound trips squared away for the day. I don’t think they could go back to the way we did things before; they’ve become dependent on it.

Riders also noticed bumps early on. A lot of our paratransit riders have been with us for years, and when this technology was first installed and our schedulers, dispatchers and drivers were still learning, there was an increase in rider complaints. Now that we know how to use the technology, I haven’t heard many complaints.

In what areas have you seen the greatest benefit from this ITS system?

We’ve seen the greatest benefit in terms of scheduling. One scheduler used to work until 6pm everyday scheduling buses for the next day. Now he’s finished by 2pm. We’ve also been able to increase the roles and responsibilities of our schedulers with this technology. Now they take care of billing and cleaning up data.

Route planning for our fixed-route service is now much faster. We don’t have to physically drive the route and manually count passengers to determine which bus stops need to be added or eliminated. All that information is instantly available to us. We have more data and more data accuracy, which gives us the ability to operate more efficient routes and runs. This software has allowed us to add runs, without increasing the number of drivers. We’ve improved the run/driver ratio so that we’re more efficient.

If you could go back and do the implementation over again, what would you do differently?

Well, we don’t have the luxury of time when it comes to these types of projects, but if we did I’d like to slow down the pace of the implementation. Extra time would better allow for the kinks to be worked out and let us better prepare our staff for the technology.

To read more about the technology implementation at The HOP, please click here.

Rajeev Roy of York Region Transit

York Region Transit (YRT) serves the transit needs of residents in the nine municipalities of the Regional Municipality of York, Ontario. YRT offers Mobility Plus paratransit service for riders unable to access conventional or bus rapid transit due to limited mobility or disability. Mobility Plus connects riders with dedicated transit services in the City of Toronto, and surrounding areas. Rajeev Roy, Manager of Transit Management Services at YRT gives us some insight into the way ITS technology influenced how his paratransit operation runs and has improved the experience for Mobility Plus riders.

1. What changes has your organization seen as a result of using this technology?

With this system there is the flexibility for dispatchers to add an ad-hoc call to a route since they can see where all the buses are. Passenger safety has also improved with the addition of security cameras and vehicle tracking.

2. What improvements has your staff seen with this system?

We did a survey of the staff who all agreed that service has improved. The vehicle tracking is definitely one of the most beneficial features and, from a management perspective, we also like that we can monitor driver’s speeds.

Since implementing the system, YRT staff have experienced benefits ranging from faster response times, to improved vehicle productivity. The staff have seen at least a 35% time savings improvement in scheduling same-day trips, and supplying riders with travel information has been made at least 50% faster.

3. How do your customers benefit from this system?

When customers call to ask, ‘Why isn’t my ride here?’ dispatchers can instantly give them an accurate ETA, as they can see where their ride is. Before, the dispatcher would have to conduct a series of calls to get this information to the customer.

4. Have you seen a Return on Investment? If so, how much and how quickly?

The implementation was completed in the spring of 2008, and since then there have been improvements in incident response times, safety, trip scheduling and vehicle productivity.

There has been a 24% increase in revenue trips per hour and dispatching functions have been streamlined by at least 50%. A reduction in “deadhead” kilometers traveled by YRT’s vehicles resulted in a reduction of approximately 57kg of CO2 emissions in one month of operation.

Joe Roberts of AAA NCNU

Joe Roberts is the Manager of Technology Support for Performance Management at AAA Northern California, Nevada & Utah. AAA NCNU is the nation’s second largest AAA club, dispatching nearly 3 million requests for service each year and utilizing over 1500 vehicles. Joe has been working in the auto club industry for 37 years and has managed major technology implementations. He’s been kind enough to share some of his experiences with us.

1. Why did you decide to invest in a fleet management solution?

The challenge we had was that AAA NCNU call volume was increasing, which resulted in more radio traffic being passed back and forth between our dispatchers and our independent contract station drivers. Dispatchers weren’t always able to acknowledge drivers, and drivers experienced delays getting through to dispatchers. Improving response time to our members was the goal.

2. What piece of advice would you give someone considering a similar technology purchase?

First off, you need to have a good business case to invest heavily into the cost of the infrastructure.

Secondly, you need to make sure you’ve taken into account all associated costs. This includes network charges with a wireless carrier, hardware and software technology costs, and all soft costs that are internal to your own organization.

Thirdly, it’s critical that you have a good project team in place to complete the project. They need to have a good understanding about data networks, the technology that will be used and what the application will actually do once it is turned on. They need to be able to understand what the technology engineers and software developers are saying, and then be able to translate it into business sense. They also need to adjust and be prepared for the unexpected during implementation. A good training team is also necessary when it comes time to train the clients.

3. How has your organization changed since implementing this technology?

Well, we’ve improved response times to our members. We’ve been able to reduce our average response time to the member by 5 to 7 minutes per call. That means from the time the call is dispatched, to the time the truck arrives, we are arriving 5 to 7 minutes faster now than we used to be. We’ve also been able to reduce the time it takes to dispatch a call to the truck, going from the 45 to 60-second average using radios, to 3 to 6 seconds with data communication. In addition, our system is a platform for us to implement other AAA NCNU initiatives.

4. What do your drivers think of the system?

They like it. At the start there was a lot of apprehension. Drivers didn’t want to give up radio communications, and they were afraid the software was going to be hard for them to use. But after 3 or 4 weeks using the system they adapted quite well to it. In fact, if we have to bring our system down for some reason, there are a lot of complaints from the drivers and our dispatchers.

5. What do your members think of the system?

It all ties back into member service. Other initiatives are targeted to improve the member roadside experience, but data communication is a key component in driving member satisfaction. I’ve been in the industry for 37 years, and the key is to keep up with the latest technology with the purpose of improving member satisfaction. Bettering our members’ roadside experience has been, and will continue to be our primary goal.

6. Have you seen a Return on Investment?

Converting from an analog radio communication system as a primary dispatch method to a data dispatch network was quite expensive. What we have seen in terms of a return is not a hard dollar amount. We’re seeing improved member satisfaction, improved response times, increased dispatcher capabilities, the platform to implement other initiatives and less stress on both the drivers and the dispatchers. Our return on investment is basically in soft costs.

View Mentor’s AAA/CAA fleet management solution

Rick Mayer installing his new system

Located in picturesque Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Island Pumping provides concrete pumping services to not only the city of Nanaimo, but all of Vancouver Island. President and Owner, Rick Mayer, founded Island Pumping in 1988. Since then, Island Pumping has seen continuous growth and expansion. Rick has been involved in the construction industry all his life and has some great experiences to share with us today.

1. Why did you decide to invest in a fleet management solution?

Before this system was in place we relied on drivers to keep track of their hours, to write down when they arrived or left a job site, and we billed by the hour. With our equipment costing $125 to $230 per hour, the minutes can add up. We were losing an average of 15 minutes per job, which translates to about $100,000 a year.

We also had some problems with security. On a couple of occasions, we found vehicles in places they weren’t supposed to be, doing jobs they weren’t supposed to be doing. Because of this, we had to implement security policies where the trucks returned to the yard each night. This wasn’t cost effective, but we didn’t have another option. With the new system, we can have trucks in different cities and there is never a need to bring the vehicle back. This saves us money on fuel, and wear and tear on the vehicles. It also allows us to be much more productive, as we are spending our time at the job site as opposed to driving.

Also, our dispatch system wasn’t at the level it could be. It took a lot of guesswork and was time consuming. Our new system lets us track the vehicles and what stage they are at in the job. Sensors feed back to dispatch and we know, for example, that the truck is pumping or washing out. We don’t have to bother the driver anymore because we always know what they’re doing.

2. What one piece of advice would you give someone considering a similar technology purchase?

Be prepared for a lot of work, and find a company that is very supportive. You need a company who will be there for you if you need to pick up the phone for help at ten o’clock at night. Once you get started on a project like this you’ve got to keep it moving forward. You need to find companies that are willing to put in that effort with you.

3. How has your organization changed since implementing this technology?

We discovered that before this system was in place, two operators doing the same job could each be using a different billing format, making it hard for customers to understand their bill. For example, say one of our operators had a problem onsite, and decided to give the customer a free wash out. They wouldn’t necessarily write that on the bill so customers wouldn’t realize they were getting a discount.

We are much more standardized now, and customers really like that. If the same scenario happened today the operator tells dispatch about the discount and dispatch issues a credit on the bill in real-time. By the time the operator prints the bill out onsite, the discount is already on the bill and the customer can see they’re getting a break. Being able to present the bill correctly in the field and instantly having that information back in the office is great. Literally seconds after the job is done, the dispatcher is able to print out the invoice and mail it. That’s a key benefit.

4. What do your customers think of the system?

Customers are enjoying the technology. It’s made us a premier choice because everything we do now looks professional. The bill isn’t someone’s chicken scratch on a piece of paper. It’s printed out professionally, it is dated and time stamped, and the customer just has to sign it.

There has definitely been a reduction in customer complaints. Now we have a reliable way of backing up our invoicing because we can pull the detailed ticket if needed. We don’t get any calls about invoicing concerns because customers know they are being billed accurately.

5. What do your drivers think of the system?

Occasionally we’ve had to assign drivers to an older truck that doesn’t have the in-vehicle computer installed yet and they’re lost! I even experienced this myself in an older truck, where I went out to a job site without any billing paperwork or anything [laughs]. With the computer in the truck, everything is right there. My stress level goes right down. I hop in the truck, print out my pre-trip, do my work, finish the job, and hit print ticket. I don’t even have to remember what time I got there!

Time-wise, drivers are probably saving at least thirty minutes to one hour per day because there is so much less paperwork. The system makes our drivers’ jobs a lot less stressful as the hassle of filing paperwork is eliminated. We actually had a field operator who came to work for us from a competitor because we were using this system.

6. Have you seen a Return on Investment? If so, how much and how quickly?

We saw a return on investment instantly. At the beginning, we had the drivers hand-write bills like they always did and then we compared them with the printouts from the mobile computer. We started finding discrepancies in time and charges right away. Sometimes they’d just forgotten to write things on the bill. We stopped using the hand written bills immediately.

We are now able to very accurately predict how much time it will take to complete a job. Customers then know what to expect. There is an industry standard to charge a minimum number of hours per job, but we have been able to eliminate this because we are much more efficient now. If everything was status quo with the economy, I expect we would be saving between $50,000 and $100,000 per year with this technology.

We also used to have two people working to dispatch job assignments. Now there is hardly enough work for one person. There is less congestion for dispatchers as they can continually send jobs to drivers to be stored on their in-vehicle computer instead of having to reach them by phone.

And finally, we’re able to expand our business. We’ve remotely located trucks in different areas, and we couldn’t have done this before. It gives us a real edge. Being able to track the equipment, where our operators are, and where they have been, all from the office gives us peace of mind that we won’t be taken advantage of. The long-term use of the technology will probably save us millions of dollars because we won’t have to invest the money into opening new offices in order to expand our business.

To learn more about Island Pumping’s technology solution, click here.