Yellow Buses has selected Freeway Fleet Systems to supply the latest generation fleet and asset management software.
The Freeway system will be used to manage the maintenance of not just vehicles but also workshop equipment. It works by automating paperwork and administration tasks to boost efficiency and reduce costs, as well as improving working practices and providing useful performance analytics and reports.
Yellow Buses, which is part of the passenger transport group RATP Dev, operates a fleet of 140 buses and 18 National Express coaches.
Phil Pannell, Service Delivery Director at Yellow Buses, says: “Having had 3 years of experience with Freeway elsewhere, I was able to compare it with the system Yellow Buses already had.
“It became clear very quickly that Freeway was much more comprehensive and could be used to underpin some major improvements in the management of the fleet and assets generally,” explained Pannell.
“Freeway’s solution was particularly appealing as we can undertake many tasks on mobile devices. The mobile working is not just for engineering but also for management tasks and for example we can authorise purchasing requests on a mobile. In addition, the Freeway analytics and reporting is very comprehensive and handles the requirements for DVSA Earned Recognition, which is something we want to get involved in,” added Mr Pannell.
According to Patrick Tandy, Managing Director of Freeway, Mr Pannell had been a pioneer in the development of auto-reporting – a feature that is now built into every Freeway system. Engineers complete inspections and raise job cards using smartphones or tablets and the central Freeway system is automatically updated in real time; as is job closure.
“Freeway has been developed hand in hand with fleet managers and together with other users, Phil has helped develop the system to meet the needs of bus and coach operators across the UK. We are looking forward to helping Phil and his team improve fleet maintenance operations at Yellow Buses,” says Mr Tandy.
