Michelin solutions has launched four innovative digital services for the bus and coach industry designed to maximise efficiency by making easy work of laborious tasks and incentivising staff.
The suite of apps – MyInspection, MyTraining, MyRoadChallenge and MyBestRoute – will spur on drivers, driver trainers and engineering staff to reach higher levels of performance, reduce operating costs and simplify the everyday duties of running fleets.
Paul Davey, Commercial Director for Michelin solutions in Northern Europe, says: “For some time we’ve been looking at solutions outside of tyres and this suite of services is the latest exciting offer we’re bringing to the market. We expect it to transform the way bus and coach companies operate.”
MyInspection means daily vehicle inspections with a pen and paper, often performed in rain or darkness, will no longer be the bane of a bus driver’s career, thanks to a digital solution that makes the process quicker, slicker and more effective at reporting problems.
The smartphone app guides the driver step-by-step through the inspection of their vehicle, following the list of checkpoints defined by the fleet engineer for each vehicle type. It is used to report anomalies and, with the help of a photo, can automatically notify the maintenance workshop, which will enable the repair to be planned quickly.
Bracknell-based Courtney Buses, which runs a fleet of around 60 vehicles and employs 90 staff, was among the first to road-test the app suite.
Neil Seymour, bus driver for Courtney Buses, says: “Using the old paper-based system was very arduous – you’re walking around primarily in the dark, potentially in the rain, with a bit of paper, a pen and a checklist that you’re trying to read as you’re moving around the vehicle. It was difficult and time consuming.
“The MyInspection app is easy to use in all weather conditions and at night. It transmits directly back to the engineering department so they get my feedback immediately. I can then track their responses to the defects I’m reporting.”
Barry Catlin, Service Delivery Manager at Courtney Buses, adds: “There are some drivers whose first language isn’t English – so their writing isn’t always legible, especially at 5 o’clock in the morning. Now we refer any issues straight back to the engineering team with clear instructions, and any defects that are reported are fixed in a timely manner. It’s a clear and concise system.”
MyRoadChallenge offers an incentive to bus drivers, by both improving their skills on the road and rewarding exemplary driving. The app features a playful interface and scores and ranks drivers’ performance, helping to create a positive competition between colleagues.
The algorithm embedded in MyRoadChallenge analyses the quality of driving through the acceleration and deceleration detected by the GPS of the driver’s smartphone. It awards points for good driving behaviours (the better you drive the more you get), which are then converted into Amazon gift vouchers.
Dave Pottinger, bus driver at Courtney Buses, says: “It gives us all an incentive to drive better. I’m hoping to be one of the top scoring drivers but there’s going to be some very stiff competition. The opportunity to earn Amazon vouchers is a big incentive for me to do as well as I can.”
Nick West, Staff Manager at Courtney Buses, says: “It’s purely a reward for the driver for driving well, it’s not something management will look at. But it will benefit the company as a whole because improved driving will help us save on wear and tear on the vehicles and reduce fuel bills.”
MyBestRoute is a web app that allows fleets to see their actual vehicle operating costs per route. It can compare multiple vehicles on a single route and choose the most cost-effective journey. MyBestRoute can even aid in a bus and coach fleet’s bidding process for city contracts.
MyTraining allows driver trainers to train drivers quickly and efficiently – consigning the administrative headaches of paperwork and filing to the past.
Catlin says of the MyTraining app: “It will eradicate the paper system, which involves me recording what the driver is doing, then filing it away in an office. It’s a hugely time-consuming exercise having to dig out paperwork that’s been filed. The app makes it easily accessible for me or any manager to see what training’s been done.
“It’s very easy to use and I can observe the driver more because I’m only having to swipe the ‘good’ or ‘bad’ options on the app, rather than filling out forms. I would never want to go back to the paper system.”
The app suite was designed by Michelin solutions to help business owners and fleet managers achieve their business goals of optimising costs, unifying staff, improving daily working processes or improving fleet management.
And Michelin solutions’ Davey says the offer is open to all companies, regardless of size, tyre policy or the number of apps they want to use: “We work closely with each organisation, building bespoke offers in line with their needs and expectations.”
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For further press information please contact:
Tim Nixon or Rebecca Gleave at Garnett Keeler PR
Tel: +44 (0)20 8647 4467
E-mail: tim.nixon@garnettkeeler.com | rebecca.gleave@garnettkeeler.com
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