Innovations

Supporting Euro Bus Expo 2018 technology exhibitors

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Issue 39 Spring 2018

A lot can change in six months

Euro Bus Expo returns to the NEC, Birmingham on 30 October-1 November, and the organisers are predicting a fantastic, sold-out show.

It’s the perfect place to see not just the latest vehicles, but the latest technology in action too.

This issue of Innovations looks at what some of the technology exhibitors will be showing, but with six months to go before the show, who knows what new gadgets and software wizardry might be ready to launch to the coach and bus industry by then?

With technology changing at the fastest rate since the Industrial Revolution, there’s a lot to be excited about.

Not only can new digital products help you run your business more efficiently and effectively, there are a number of technology startups that are giving operators different pathways to new customers, and opening up new markets.

The likes of Vamooz and Coachhire.com are working directly with operators, linking up their traditional coaching methods with bang-up-to-date algorithm-led software to target tech-savvy customers.

This is the future of coaching. Younger audiences rely heavily on technology for buying just about anything – but it’s not a trend that’s just confined to young people.

Did you know the fastest growing market for Facebook is the over-60s? The coach industry’s traditional market is getting more computersavvy too.

Embrace the future. We’ll see you at EBE. Jessamy Chapman Innovations Editor

Roeville’s ‘most innovative’ Cloud solution launches Roeville Reservation Software is about to launch its most innovative product to date.

PHCloud is a fully-hosted cloud solution for coach operators, based on the company’s new Emerald Technology Platform. “Emerald is not a flash in the pan – it’s the future, and will form the foundation of all our next-generation software products,” says John Roe, Roeville founder and Managing Director.

PHCloud is the first product to use the Emerald foundation and is a new take on coach management,

initially handling quotations, bookings and contracts, with an intuitive diary and resource scheduler.

The benefit of Roeville’s association with Here Maps is evident from the dynamic and highly visual routing used through the app.

There will be integrated links with many other cloudbased business services as the product matures.

“We have spent a lot of time listening to our customers, and the coach industry is in our DNA,” says Mr Roe. “Our holiday products already power most of the UK’s

Full MiX range on show for Euro Bus Expo 2018 MiX Telematics will be displaying and demonstrating a wide range of telematics-based safety, security and operational efficiency-related solutions on its stand at Euro Bus Expo 2018.

The company’s products and services are predominately based around its proven Fleet Manager platform, as well as coach and bus industryspecific applications involving the integration of third-party products.

“As a leading global supplier to the industry, MiX Telematics has gained extensive experience in optimising PCV operations around the world,” says Jonathan Bates, Marketing Director for MiX Telematics (Europe).

“Our products deliver a broad spectrum of benefits ranging from fuel savings and operational efficiency gains, to improved safety, security and compliance.

“Furthermore, the solutions we provide are tailored by our specialist in-house consultancy team to meet specific operational needs.

“Euro Bus Expo provides us with an ideal opportunity to showcase our solutions to the UK bus and coach industry, and I would invite attendees to the show to visit our stand to discover more about the savings and benefits our solutions deliver.”

The MiX Telematics solutions on show will include: n MiX Fleet Manager n MiX Vision n MiX DriveMate n MiX 3D. Alongside these, coach and bus-specific third party integrations including products from Alcolock UK, Mobileye, and Fleet Manager will also be on display. n mixtelematics.co.uk

leading coach tour brands, and we are committed to producing and supporting cutting-edge systems for the coach industry.”

PHCloud has been designed from the ground up to help reduce paperwork and other time-consuming tasks that essentially cost money and cause frustrations to office and operational staff.

It will feature a driver’s log-in portal, with walk-round vehicle checks and instant access to work tickets and visual pick-up point maps.

The system will support tracking integration, allowing

Innovations // Industry News

operators to directly see where a vehicle is along the pre-planned route at any time, as well as ETAs to the next point.

Tour drivers will have access to real-time passenger information and operational reports from the T3 Passenger Reservation system.

PHCloud will be available to lease from £45+vat per month with no requirement for the operator to invest in computer infrastructure: All you need is an internet connection and a credit card. n roeville.com

Seventh launch: Vamooz takes Teeside Vamooz, the crowdfunded coach travel app from Transdev Blazefield, has launched in Teesside thanks to a partnership with local bus company Stagecarriage.

The Vamooz app allows customers to suggest trips, book tickets and hold mobile tickets.

The final price for every passenger falls as more people sign up to join each trip.

It’s already being used in Yorkshire, Lancashire, Greater

Manchester, Reading, Liverpool and Birmingham to crowdfund new home-to-school and hometo-work services, as well as trips to events, sports fixtures, and destinations.

Customers suggest where they want to go, then help crowdfund the trips by sharing them on social media with their friends and family, saving themselves money as more people book.

Payment is made securely via the Vamooz app, available

to download free on Apple and Android.

Scott Cooper, Commercial Manager at Stagecarriage, says: “We’re excited to be joining Vamooz and that through the project we’re going to be able to put new bus trips on locally.

“We’re already planning trips to Sunderland Airshow, other local events and speaking to businesses about home-to-work buses for their staff. It will be great to find out where else people want us to go.”

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First sells 2m contactless tickets in eight months Just eight months after installing the first wave of new Ticketer machines, First Bus reports it has issued two million contactless tickets.

First Bus has been using Ticketer’s reporting facility to check contactless rates.

In what it says is a growing trend, the operator reports that West Yorkshire has seen the biggest increase in contactless uptake among the large urban markets.

First Aberdeen is now

approaching 30% of on bus payments recorded as contactless, while Hampshire and Cornwall are also seeing large increases, with up to 25% just five months after going live with Ticketer.

First Bus made the switch to Ticketer contactless machines in order to make buying a bus ticket as easy as possible.

The Ticketer ETMs accept all forms of payment, including smart cards, m-tickets and contactless.

Not only do customers not need to worry about having the right change for their bus fare, but boarding times are also reduced.

First Bus Managing Director Giles Fearnley says: “We are committed to investing in new technology and payment options.

“The introduction of contactless payments alongside our success with mobile ticketing is pivotal, as we continue to make bus travel a convenient, simple and attractive experience for our customers.

“The use of m-tickets is exceeding our expectations and continues to grow daily, and we are seeing a trend

for customers adopting contactless payments across the UK with the same enthusiasm.”

First Bus now has over 4,000 Ticketer machines in operation, so contactless payment options are available on 70% of the fleet.

Ticketer will complete the process of rolling out contactless across the remainder of the business within the next two months.

The new ticketing machines have gone down well with drivers. One driver said that he had “never come across such a fast and user-friendly machine.” n ticketer.co.uk

Tachomaster celebrates 100m landmark Tachomaster from Road Tech celebrated a special landmark in 2017: Its 100-millionth tachograph download analysis since 2006.

It’s proof that in the 12 years since launching, the software has had a major impact on how operators manage their tachograph compliance – a vitally important job for any Transport Manager.

As Gordon MacDonald, Head of Enforcement Policy at the DVSA, says: “Services that 4 Innovations // Spring 2018

Tachomaster provide make it easier to be compliant.”

The software offers operators a full suite of easy-to-use tachograph management tools, plus CPC/ DQC management, a free driver compliance reporting system, calendar tools and a free mobile worker app.

It costs only £1 per driver, per week, with no joining fee.

Road Tech also offers other software products that can be integrated with Tachomaster.

They include: Falcon Tracking – a telematics and tracking system that offers real-time feedback to the driver, improves fuel consumption, gives fuel data to the operator, and plots all the operator’s vehicles in real time on a map Roadrunner – a transport management system that helps operators to manage diaries, workloads, invoices and revenue

PreDrive – a paperless walkround check app for drivers, that also records, reports and analyses vehicle checks for a full audit trail and a more efficient workshop Checkmaster – instant DVLA licence-checking software, informing operators of each driver’s licence status, including any points or convictions they have. n roadtech.co.uk

Innovations // Industry News

New USB guards against dust and water Alfatronix will be launching the new IP65 USB charger designed for installation into environments where dust and water ingress prove to be a problem – such as the sidewall of a vehicle, or where electronics may be affected by particularly humid conditions.

Celebrating almost 40 years’ experience in manufacturing high quality dc-dc voltage converters, low-voltage disconnect products and USB chargers for the automotive industry in the UK, Alfatronix will also be showing its new wall-mounted POD. This permits ease of installation of USB chargers into wheelchair bays, and is also ideal for retrofit applications.

Using modern rigorously tested designs, automated assembly techniques and an award-winning quality manufacturing system backed up by expert engineering support, Alfatronix is able to deliver charging and voltage conversion products with e marking and R118 approvals on exceptionally short lead timesd. n alfatronix.com

Manage ops anywhere, any time Why wait for your fleet to return to the depot to view CCTV images, retrieve tacho data, or recover defect reports?

Fältcom’s Public Transport Platform helps coach and bus operators manage their vehicles and drivers remotely from the office, or anywhere at any time, with web-based fleet management applications to improve efficiency.

Fältcom’s integrated apps include: n Live-view CCTV with download on-demand n Accurate passenger counting n Automatic tachograph data transmission n Digital walk-round checks. n faltcom.com

Digital 2000’s Checkpro set to launch Around 80% of roadside check failures would be preventable if the correct walk-round checks were undertaken, recent figures from the DVSA have shown.

That’s why the team at Digital 2000, the company behind the TachPro range of tachograph and compliance consumables, have developed CheckPro, a new digital defect reporting system.

Matt Cotton, Managing Director of Digital 2000, says: “After taking on board feedback from our customers, we’re able to ensure CheckPro ticks all the right boxes for operatorss.”

The system’s features include: n Fully customisable checklists n Full audit trail n Tamper-proof, time stamped reports n Powerful cloud-based management n User-friendly app for iOS and Android.

Mr Cotton adds: “Ensuring your fleet is compliant is vital for a transport business of any size. The safety of your drivers, other road users and pedestrians is paramount, and daily walk-round checks are a key part of the system that gives you, as an operator, peace of mind that your business is doing right.”

CheckPro will launch at this year’s CV Show, and will be demonstrated at Euro Bus Expo this autumn. n checkpro.com

Fivebars helps ensure passengers stay connected A transport operator always wants to offer their customers first-class service, comfort, reliability and flexibility.

The thousands of commuters, holidaymakers and students embarking on their daily journeys need to be able to rely on one major thing: Connectivity. Being able to offer free wi-fi enables operators to build a stronger relationship with their customers.

Fivebars is one of the UK’s leading providers of 4G passenger wi-fi, providing both unit and connectivity.

Its unique wi-fi unit can integrate with on-board thirdparty systems like tracking and CCTV and can also be configured to allow operators to put various restrictions into place, such as streaming, access to specific websites and limited user sessions. Most importantly, it puts them in full control of data usage, ensuring that there is no overspend.

If you are looking to upgrade your vehicles with wi-fi, call Fivebars on 023 8020 0680 or email jerry@fivebars.co.uk. n fivebars.co.uk

For all operators, driver wages make up a significant proportion of operating costs, so it is essential to have the most efficient and robust schedules in place to operate services.

To achieve this using traditional manual scheduling methods is a very timeconsuming process, so many Omnibus customers use CrewPLAN, the automatic crew scheduling module that works in conjunction with OmniBASE. As a core component of the Omnibus scheduling suite, CrewPLAN is able to compile a cost-effective duty schedule solution using its comprehensive set of labour agreement rules, along with the extensive network requirements of a typical operation.

All operators have their own unique requirements regarding maximum and minimum duty

lengths, meal break times, travel allowances, payment rules and much more.

CrewPLAN takes all of these into account and is able to produce a robust and compliant schedule solution in a fraction of the time taken to do the job manually.

Experimenting with rule changes or evaluating different options is a simple task, allowing the user to choose the most appropriate solution for their needs.

CrewPLAN uses a proven algorithm, with an excellent pedigree, but the Omnibus developers are always looking for ways to improve the results further.

Users have already seen benefits from enhancements introduced in recent times, including: n More duty types and more flexible type configuration n More route group definitions

and extended route coverage constraints n A greater number of meal break locations and associated travel movements.

The ability to handle various types of crew relief arrangements, including ferry bus movements and ‘running on and off’, has also been enhanced.

All of these changes, along with increased data size limits and improvements in the use of the scheduling algorithm, have resulted in more efficient solutions being possible in many real-world situations.

The Omnibus Support Team includes a number of experienced schedulers, who are always available to help users achieve the maximum benefit from using the software. n omnibus.uk.com

New talking bus system has something to say Mobile Onboard has announced the release of Beam Next Stop, its new talking bus system.

It has been built from the ground up by the company’s in-house product development team, and is designed to compete against existing next stop announcement systems on simplicity, features and cost.

Next-stop announcements have proven key to increasing passenger confidence when travelling on bus services by removing the worry of missing bus stops.

Mobile Onboard has thought about both the passenger experience and operators when developing Beam Next Stop.

Personal announcements for passengers are a standout feature.

Passengers can access Beam Next Stop directly on their smartphones, set their destination stop and get personal alerts.

Passenger smartphone access runs in tandem with any on-board screens and also offers additional information on stops such as walking directions to nearby amenities.

An advanced speech generation engine produces high quality audio announcements while there is also support for pre-recorded voice announcements. n mobileonboard.com

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Omnibus enhances crew scheduling tool

Bringing the bus and coach industry together Venue: Hall 5, NEC, Birmingham Opening hours: 30 October: 0930-1700hrs 31 October: 0930-1700hrs 1 November: 0930-1600hrs Open to trade visitors and press only Contact: Martin Laverton Group Sales Manager t: 01733 405735 e: mlaverton@divcom.co.uk eurobusxpo.com

Jessamy Chapman Innovations Editor t: 01733 405744 e: jchapman@divcom.co.uk Daniel Lunn Sales Manager t: 01733 405734 e: dlunn@divcom.co.uk Steven Black Business Development Manager t: 01733 405731 e: sblack@divcom.co.uk Jade Cassidy Sales Executive t: 01733 405740 e: jcassidy@divcom.co.uk Hayley Marrison Sales Executive t: 01733 405733 e: hmarrison@divcom.co.uk Phil Robinson Graphic Designer

Diversified Communications UK Ltd, Unit 4, Minerva Business Park, Lynch Wood, Peterborough PE2 6FT divcom.co.uk © Diversified Communications UK Ltd 2018

Edinburgh Trams taps into contactless benefits Contactless payments on Edinburgh Trams’ services reached 50% of all ticket vending machine transactions just two weeks after being made available to customers.

At the end of 2017, the company asked its technology partner Parkeon Transportation to upgrade the 51 Galexio Plus terminals on the tram network to accept contactless debit and credit cards, along with Apple Pay and Android Pay, to meet the evolving needs of its customers.

Lea Harrison, Edinburgh Trams’ Managing Director, says customers were increasingly comfortable with using contactless technology in coffee shops and retail outlets, so introducing the payment on trams tapped into consumer demand.

He says: “We’ve seen a rapid take-up of these payment

options – all customers need to do is select their ticket and touch a contactless ‘target’ with their card or mobile device for a quicker, smoother purchase. This is also leading to quicker transaction times at the terminals.”

Reducing dwell times at machines is a key objective for the operator to help keep pace with growing demand for its services, with latest figures showing a 19% year-on-year increase in journeys in 2017 to 6.6m.

A new timetable was launched at the beginning of last year to increase capacity, improve frequency and reduce journey times, with trams running from every three minutes and connecting Edinburgh’s airport with the city centre in under 36 minutes.

Parkeon Project Manager

Andrew Wilson says: “Given the growing demand for Edinburgh Trams’ services, it’s important that ticketing technology not only enhances the customer experience but also contributes to operational efficiency. In this case, we can see an immediate enthusiasm for contactless payments, which in turn is leading to quicker transactions and shorter queues at ticket machines.”

Parkeon is a long-term technology partner for Edinburgh, having developed and installed the original ticketing and back office architecture for the tram and bus networks.

The company is also a systems provider to the city’s rail services and parking schemes. n parkeon.co.uk