Who better to develop a new bus scheduling solution than a group of experts with over 300 years of scheduling experience amassed between them?
A lifetime career in the bus industry has given Gavin John, Scheduling Solutions Manager at Trapeze Group, a ‘human’ knowledge of bus scheduling, versus today’s reliance on technology.
Gavin is one of 10 scheduling experts from five major UK bus operators who have come together to create the Special Interest Group (SIG) in a bid to develop a next-generation scheduling solution for the market.
Between them the group amasses some 300 years of scheduling expertise. Members include Andy Corbett, Head of Business Development RATP Dev London, Iain McMillan, Scheduling Solutions Manager, Stagecoach and Chas Allen, Data Manager, Stagecoach UK Bus.
The scheduling skills gap
Gavin says: “Our sector – once packed with talented experts – is becoming short on depth, as older schedulers approach retirement and too few replacements come through.
“Furthermore, while technology is undoubtedly extending and enhancing the possibilities of scheduling, it is simultaneously making it a more specialist pursuit, because success is now dependent on a combination of increasingly rare scheduling skills and the ability to use specialist technology.
“The rarity of such individuals is another reason why we cannot allow technology to completely own this space – because it reduces the career opportunities for a new generation to enter.”
A new solution
Because of these issues the members of SIG have been meeting regularly to work together on the specification and design of Trapeze’s upcoming scheduling solution: Novus-SchedulePlus.
“Efficient scheduling cannot be undertaken by a computer alone,” Gavin explains. “As a group we are committed to developing a technology solution which actively supports bus schedulers, helping them to do their essential work as effectively as possible.
“We are also invested in developing a technology solution which ensures a strong future for the schedulers of tomorrow.”
Novus-SchedulePlus is due for release this month. A cloud-based solution, it is being developed with integration in mind, with a data model built around TransXChange and CEN data standards.
Novus-SchedulePlus is being integrated with Trapeze’s duty allocation system, enabling schedulers and managers to budget reliably.
The new solution also shares a platform with the Trapeze Novus system being implemented in Transport for London’s Future Bus project – thereby offering essential integration for all London-based bus operators.
Sam Greaves, Head of Service Delivery at Tower Transit Operations, adds: “SIG has been an invaluable process. I, and the other participants, are working together to help Trapeze design a genuinely transformational scheduling solution.”
What makes good scheduling?
Bus scheduling requires a detailed understanding of the bus company, drivers and local geography. A significant degree of knowledge is required which cannot be captured effectively by a computer alone.
Powerful algorithms which rapidly process huge numbers of calculations to work out the most efficient schedule still need to be directed by an informed and proficient expert.
Technology expertise is also key; it acts as a link between the scheduling expert and the algorithm.
This combination is increasing difficult for bus companies to achieve in-house.
“Bus companies schedule routes in line with everything from contracted coverage, to driver shift patterns, vehicle availability, and legal and regulatory compliance frameworks,” says Gavin.
“In some circles of the bus sector there appears to be a growing belief that by harnessing big data, artificial intelligence, smart algorithms and specialist software, technology alone will be able to fulfil the scheduling needs of transport providers.
“This is a dangerous misconception because it invites us to ignore scheduling expertise in favour of software. As a career scheduler and technologist, I know this path leads to inefficiency and waste in the short term. It also risks leaving bus companies poorly equipped to adapt to future challenges.
“Technology does have a vital role to play in efficient scheduling – both now and increasingly in the future – but it must be utilised in harmony with scheduling expertise. If I have learnt one thing from my years in the bus industry, it is that expertise aligned with technology will easily outperform any algorithm every single time.”
Outsourcing scheduling
Developing new bus schedules, or improving existing ones, requires a great deal of time and effort.
Third parties are often experts at the job, having worked on similar projects and being more informed by data and experience. They will have the technological skills and may already be familiar with the system.
Adds Gavin: “It is also worth remembering that the Department for Transport’s (DfT) commitment to providing a bus open data digital service for the UK will introduce requirements for smaller bus companies to present data in ways that may be unfamiliar or difficult for them to achieve. Again, outsourced scheduling experts can support and enable this.
“Ultimately, of course, the goal of outsourced scheduling support is to achieve efficiency and cost savings for the bus company in question – and these can be huge.”
The future
“When I have undertaken scheduling-as-a-service work in the past it has always been done on-site,” says Gavin.
“In the future, as cloud-based software becomes the norm, remote work could become more common, though I believe it will always be important for the expert to visit the depot to work alongside the scheduling and commercial teams.”
Gavin concludes that in this day and age there still needs to be a human element to bus scheduling.
This will help address the looming skills gap. Gavin adds: “By investing in people and technology together – and providing them with the skills and support needed to be effective – we can encourage a new generation of schedulers into the industry, building a healthier future for us all – one based not on algorithms or human resource alone, but on the uniquely powerful combination of the two.”
