The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) has procured a bus contract management and performance monitoring system from Velociti Solutions as part of work to transition to a franchised network in the region.
In mid-March, Mayor Oliver Coppard formally decided that franchising will be the avenue of reform. The Velociti system will handle all contract management on the 360 tendered bus services in South Yorkshire, which are delivered by 15 operators.
That work is currently done manually, resulting in limited data and complex processes, the supplier says. Its platform will deliver a detailed analysis of the contracted network and enable benchmarking of operators against key performance indicators.
Three core metrics are part of that: Reliability; driver performance; and processes related to vehicles and operators, including maintenance.
SYMCA has also invested in the ETM DAS system from Velociti, which captures and analyses every passenger transaction within the contracted network. That includes data on ticket purchases, patronage numbers, and more
Director of Bus Reform Matt Goggins says that having the correct tools in place to manage and monitor network performance is essential as South Yorkshire moves towards a franchised bus landscape.
“Gaining a deeper understanding of our contracted network is critical to improving services and increasing bus usage across South Yorkshire,” he continues.
“Having all performance metrics readily available in one platform is invaluable; it will save us valuable time on administrative tasks and enable us to develop improvement plans based on in-depth and accurate data.”
Velociti Solutions Chief Customer Officer Nick Brookes adds that the supplier is pleased to assist SYMCA in enhancing bus service delivery as it moves towards a franchised position.
“Greater collaboration between local transport authorities (LTAs) and bus operators is vital, whether a region opts for a franchised or an enhanced partnership model,” says Mr Brookes.
“Transparency is key, and that is what contract performance provides – clear metrics that empower LTAs to make data-driven decisions that meet the needs of passengers, ultimately leading to increased patronage.”
