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MiX Telematics helps operators drive year-on-year efficiency improvements
22 November 2010
With fleet management solutions now becoming increasingly established on the UK bus and coach scene, users of MiX Telematics' Fleet Manager solution are reporting significant year-on-year efficiency gains with fuel usage, carbon footprint, accident rates and vehicle wear and tear all down. In addition, drivers of RIBAS-equipped vehicles (see Editor's note), report increased job satisfaction as the system enables them to get the very best performance from their vehicles in all driving situations.
"As the telematics market approaches maturity, we are seeing more and more operators achieving the benefits a properly implemented programme of fleet management can deliver," says Steve Coffin, Marketing & Operations Director for MiX Telematics UK Limited. "In our view, the key to success lies in not only installing fleet management technology and monitoring the results, but also in engaging drivers as part of the process.
"The operators we see deriving the greatest benefits are those who incorporate training and motivation into the Fleet Manager programmes. Here, the Go Green Club created by Go-Ahead London is an excellent example. Firstly, drivers learn about the system – what it is, why the company has invested in it, and so on – before receiving instruction in how it operates and how to work in conjunction with the RIBAS displays fitted to their vehicles.
"In parallel to this, Go Ahead London has initiated an annual incentive, whereby their top performing driver wins a brand new Fiat 500 car. That is a fantastic motivator for any driver – but one which is more than paid for by the fuel savings the company is realising. In the first year of operation, Go Ahead London reported fuel savings of nine percent. This year that figure, which is taken from across 14 depots, 1,500 buses and 4,500 drivers, has risen to 18 percent.
"A similar picture is painted by other bus and coach operators using our Fleet Manager solution, together with our customers in the transport sector. One excellent example here is ETS Distribution Limited of Loughborough. Not only are they the top performer in the Government-funded 'FleetWave' benchmarking programme, in terms of the MPG being returned by its fleet, they have also been voted Eco-Fleet of the Year at the 2010 Brake Awards."
ETS Distribution began with a small scale Fleet Manager pilot programme involving six vehicles. Today, the company has rolled the system out across its entire 24-strong fleet and has employed an in-house driver trainer who uses Fleet Manager as a key part of his driver mentoring initiative. To date, ETS Distribution have reported an increase in fuel efficiency of 10.3 percent.
