See how we helped leading school transport management streamline their processes with the mybudie platform.
Briefly describe your company and your role
We are a bus company that operates a number of contracted and commercial school bus services. My role as Team Leader is to ensure routes a planned efficiently, demand for bus passes can be catered for, payments are managed effectively and the bus services operate reliably.
What problem were you trying to solve before using our platform?
There were a number of difficult problems that we had prior to using the platform. These included:
- Difficulty in taking payments and managing payments for bus passes
- Unable to know how many users were getting on the bus and where from
- Unable to identify bus route problem areas causing delays to services
- Unable to provide service information to users of emergency service delays or issues
- Difficulty in contacting users about advance service changes
- Investigating service complaints was difficult and time consuming
- Unauthorised users travelling on the service, forged bus passes
- Dealing with poor customer behavior was time consuming
How was the problem affecting your team or business?
We used to spend a significant amount of time with data input regarding bus passes and payments, enquiries and complaints, as well as planning and communicating service diversions, such as roadworks. This platform is set up so the customer provide all the data and payment information, and payments are taken with very little staff time involved. Potential diversions and road closures can be evaluated quickly and easily using tracking data, saving significant time. The system ensures that there are no unauthorised travelers by scanning bus passes, so no fraud issues and no chasing bad debt. The system allows us to communicate with customers through instant messaging and email, so we can keep them informed of any delays or changes to services. Sending an instant message that a service has been delayed by 10 minutes keeps customers informed, which immediate reducing enquiries about the service. Customers can use the live tracking to monitor the service themselves, reducing enquiries. Complaints about missed, early or late operation are much easier to investigate, using bus scanning and live tracking means we have evidence that the service operated correctly, which has meant that the many false claims of customers missing the bus are now quickly investigated and dispelled in many cases. Even lost property enquiries are automated so these no longer require staff to record and report back on these. All the above has greatly reduced the number of complaints and enquiries received by the business, allowing us to focus on developing the business further.
Why did you choose our platform over other options?
This platform combines a number of systems that were only previously available as sperate functions. This includes an administration database for bus pass and payment information, live tracking function, bus pass production, route planning function, instant messaging and email function, bus pass scanning system and finance reporting.
How do you use the platform in your day-to-day workflow?
The platform is now the main core from which our workflows. All our bus passes and payments are processed through the platform. Live bus tracking allows us to monitor operational performance, and to instant message service information as and when required. We use the system to investigate service complaints, and in many cases quickly disprove complaints. This has saved an enormous amount of staff time.
What outcomes or improvements have you seen since using the platform?
The system has meant we spend much less time dealing with complaints and enquiries, carrying out investigations and inputting data. We are able to be much more proactive in dealing with operational problems and service planning and managing road closures and diversions. The service provision is much more transparent, and customers have access to more information leading to less enquiries and complaints.
Who would you recommend our platform to, and why?
Any business that is involved in the carrying of passengers. Local Authorities, Academies, Schools, Other bus companies, Big Event Teams, businesses that transport in their workforce.
