Freeway Fleet Systems has developed an app that manages coach and bus breakdown occurrences. It is an addition to the supplier’s existing suite of products and “provides instant access to all the required information with step-by-step guidance to rectify breakdowns quickly and cost-effectively,” Freeway says.
Key to the app is a breakdown rectification dashboard. It allows fleet managers to instantly see the status of the incident, and it has colour-coding to highlight where progress is being made more slowly than expected.
The breakdown management app also allows users to immediately view vehicle details including maintenance records and previous defect reports. Live location and vehicle diagnostic data is available where systems are integrated. The software also stores supplier details to allow the identification of the nearest suitable service provider, such as roadside assistance and recovery.
Freeway adds that as breakdowns can occur at times when not all maintenance personnel are available, the app includes a workflow guide for those who are dealing with the breakdown. It is a step-by-step walkthrough that provides all information needed, and ensures that relevant people receive notifications by phone, email and text so as to mobilise or be informed.
Also part of the product is the ability for a maintenance controller to send requests for quotes to nearby suppliers. Those businesses can respond digitally, and once the best is selected and actioned, it can be turned into a purchase order that is immediately emailed to the supplier.
“Breakdowns are a real headache and dealing with them is never straightforward,” says Freeway Fleet Systems Managing Director Patrick Tandy. “Our customers asked us to devise something that would simplify and deskill the whole process and resolve the situation as quickly and smoothly as possible.
“The breakdown app does this by automating as much as possible so almost anything that is needed is a click away.”
A further key to Freeway’s software is analytics, the supplier continues. Data on breakdown causes is collated and analysed together with that from other areas, such as servicing history, vehicle type, parts fitted, recurring defects, onboard fault reports, and warranty information. The data analysis platform then helps to build a picture of the causes of breakdowns.
Adds Mr Tandy: “New developments in artificial intelligence and links to live vehicle diagnostics combine to predict failures. The best way to resolve the headache of breakdowns is to prevent them from happening in the first place.”
