West Coast Motors has adopted the Optibus digital planning and scheduling platform across its brands. It will digitally transform the operator’s planning and on-time analytics processes and enhance collaborative working.
A combination of Optibus modules – including route and timetable planning, vehicle and crew scheduling, relief vehicle optimisation, rostering, and on time analytics – will be used by the Campbeltown-based operator.
The planning module will enable data-backed decisions to deliver services that meet customer demand. On-time analytics will allow 270-vehicle West Coast Motors to understand how it performs against timetables, ultimately delivering better punctuality.
By switching to the Optibus platform, West Coast Motors will see all its work stored in a single, cloud-based location that is accessible to all relevant members of staff, regardless of their base. That, says the supplier, will allow schedulers to work faster, be more organised and implement “more collaborative planning processes that produce the highest quality passenger services.”
Digitising and upgrading work processes was key to West Coast Motors’ requirements of the supplier. The business works across several brands, which in addition to its Campbeltown-based operations include Borders Buses, City Sightseeing Glasgow, Glasgow Citybus and West Coast Tours.
West Coast Motors’ previous system allowed data to be shared only by downloading it to a local computer, which could lead to difficulties. Those issues had become even more pronounced during the COVID-19 pandemic, where services often needed to change quickly and schedulers were working remotely.
Says Managing Director Colin Craig: “Optibus was the most agile and adaptable solution for meeting West Coast Motors’ needs. We were very impressed with the functionality and the dynamism of the system.”
