A coach and bus manager will ponder the benefits of artificial intelligence to the sector via the January issue of routeone, noting how that technology has proven itself competent in some elements of back-office work.
Meanwhile, the Grok scandal and ministers’ decision to waste an uncharacteristically short amount of time in tackling it shows how AI can do a world of damage if not tracked closely, while how its use sits with the ban of Maccabi Tel Aviv FC fans from Aston Villa in 2025 has contributed to a reputational crisis for the local constabulary.
The clever bit already is thus leveraging the technology’s positive aspects and swerving those that can be harming, or in some case, destructive.
AI has an established deployment in some bus timetabling and scheduling work, although its understanding of headways may still need certain refinement. Engineering and on-road service management are other fields where it is in use, sometimes after extensive testing. It evidently works for operators that are already onboard.
Where AI might further spread for coach and bus remains to be seen. Answering customer enquiries and feedback looks to be an area where it is useful, albeit with need for a human eye to check before ‘send’ is clicked. Scheduling coach and coach driver work is another that is already in hand alongside the not insignificant processes surrounding it.
But will coach operators have sufficient confidence to allow AI to reach into itinerary planning, brochure copywriting and the other time-intensive tasks that are imperative to a successful tourism programme?
That is a tricky one. Those tasks require a strict attention to detail in a competitive market. And if AI learns from the results of such exercises, what of commercial confidentiality? That can be prevented, but presence of such protections must be checked. So says Google AI, anyway.
Tackling worries from staff that AI could replace their jobs is another item that needs care. One expert in the AI field is clear that the technology delivers its best if it takes over more straightforward tasks and allows the human resource freed to be moved to other creative work.
That AI platforms do not think like the human brain is also a key learning. As the industry manager will note in the January routeone, attention is needed to ensure that AI tools are in sync with the company line. They must also be instructed properly in the first place.
Language entered is key, as is knowing that the person overseeing it remains accountable for what is turned out. But in an industry where a lot is still done manually, AI may come to deliver major benefit. The trick could well be deriving the good bits without importing the bad.
