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Freeway Fleet Systems has seen users of its software double in 2018 as transport and bus operators make the switch from paper to digital. The supplier of systems for vehicle maintenance and asset management has seen an upsurge in interest for its mobile apps as operators demand more accurate and visible information to transform their fleet management and meet new digital compliance regulations.
Freeway’s software platform replaces paperwork all the way from vehicle inspections to workshop job sheets, stock management and parts ordering with mobile devices linked to a central system providing live management information. Freeway believe the instruction of the DVSA’s Earned Recognition scheme earlier this year has been an important driver in the move to digital.
“Transport operators know that they need to transform their systems and switch away from paper recording, but many have been reluctant to embrace the new technology that makes the change possible. However, it is clear that 2018 marked the start of what we see as an unstoppable transformation to digital working,” says Patrick Tandy, Managing Director of Freeway.
“With the DVSA Earned Recognition scheme set to simplify the whole process of compliance, Freeway’s customers realised they already had a digital system in place and together we have worked on a series of software enhancements to make the management of Earned Recognition as easy, seamless and automated as possible,” Tandy adds.Freeway has seen an increase in digitisation amongst existing customers including McCulla Ireland, McDowells, R Swains, Brit European, Stobart Biomass, the Bartrum Group and Gregory Distribution. Freeway has also attracted new users, such as H Sivyer, Hayward Commercials and The McBurney Group.
“We’ve doubled our user numbers in 2018 and we continue to see a lot of interest from operators wanting to switch from older legacy IT systems to something new. Freeway appeals not just because of the mobile apps but because we offer an end-to-end system to meet all needs, with seamless integration to other systems and attractive options such as cloud hosting.”
In the passenger carrying sector, Freeway has seen even bigger growth in the use of its systems, with existing customers Abellio, CT Plus and Reading Buses having equipped more staff with mobile devices and bus operators, Trentbarton, RATP Yellow Bus, Rotala and Ascendal, having adopted Freeway throughout 2018. Freeway’s Irish partner, Genie Insights Ltd, is also set to start work on a Freeway implementation with a large Irish bus operator in early 2019.
With Freeway, functions like procurement can be centralised, devolved or a mixture of the two, with a bespoke purchase order authorisation chain. These methods deliver an efficient and controlled purchasing process whilst allowing for a central and immediate source of comparative data that drives cost reductions as the business expands. The fully integrated suite of productivity apps replace paper records with digital capture of data for tasks such as time sheets, job-cards, stock-check sheets, vehicle inspections, and driver inspections.
About the Author: John Loughran
