Category:
Passenger Transport
Pavlovich Coachlines
Passenger Transport
- Customer Story
Rapid Fleet Expansion – How GreenRoad Helped Pavlovich Onboard 70 New Drivers Safely and Efficiently
“GreenRoad has served our drivers for years, empowering their safety on the road and helping us to provide targeted coaching to minimize risk. When our fleet had to re-staff quickly, GreenRoad was there to scale up with us.”
Bernard Pavlovich
GreenRoad has proven to be more than just a telematics system for Pavlovich Coachlines; it’s a strategic ally in their mission to prioritize driver safety and operational efficiency. By providing actionable insights and empowering both drivers and fleet managers, GreenRoad has been instrumental in helping Pavlovich navigate the challenge of growth and achieve outstanding results.
THE CHALLENGE
Bernard Pavlovich, Owner and CEO of New Zealand’s Pavlovich Coachlines, initially sought a telematics system to monitor drivers and curb speeding. However, he soon realized he needed a more comprehensive solution.
“Traditional GPS systems just showed the location and generated lots of reports,” Pavlovich said. “We already had enough paperwork. I just couldn’t see the value other than for our own operations staff.”
Many suppliers focused on fuel efficiency and cost reduction. However one company offered a unique value proposition, improving safety, passenger comfort, and fuel economy. “That’s when we said, ‘Hallelujah!’” Mr. Pavlovich recalls. They deployed GreenRoad Edge™ in 2016, allowing Pavlovich to monitor and correct risky driver behavior on a granular, individual level.
Then, when a driver shortage forced Mr. Pavlovich’s team to onboard nearly 70 foreign drivers, some with no local bus driving experience, everyone braced for a safety backslide. “Bringing in so many inexperienced drivers at once – over 1/3 of our workforce! – was a risk,” commented Mr. Pavlovich, “but we had no choice.” Surely, this challenge would test the efficacy of the GreenRoad system.
THE SOLUTION
Pavlovich had already deployed GreenRoad Edge™, which provides real-time feedback to bus drivers through an LED light system – drivers aim to keep the light green by avoiding risky behaviors. The system also includes GreenRoad Central™, which offers post-trip reviews and management tools to track driver performance, fleet safety, and vehicle usage.
To accelerate the training of new drivers, Pavlovich’s fleet managers were able to easily leverage the data from the GreenRoad system to identify their most skilled and experienced drivers. They then implemented a unique “buddy” system, pairing rookies with these seasoned drivers for on-the-job training. Doing so not only helped newcomers learn essential skills but also provided an opportunity to recognize mentors with professional accolades and financial incentives. A competitive incentive program further boosted fleet-wide engagement, with top GreenRoad Safety Scores displayed on depot leaderboards and celebrated in weekly newsletters. Drivers who consistently demonstrated safe driving practices were rewarded with gift vouchers. This culminates in the annual release of the Fleet Elite driver list once a year, an event that’s in its 5th year at Pavlovich.
GreenRoad’s self-coaching platform proved particularly effective for new recruits, leading to rapid skill improvement. This enabled management to concentrate resources on incentivizing ongoing engagement and supporting the lowest-performing 10% of drivers.
THE RESULTS
Pavlovich Coachlines saw significant improvements across the board, courtesy of GreenRoad’s comprehensive approach. The results were dramatic:
- The critical improvement that’s changed the culture of the whole driving team is improved customer satisfaction: Using GreenRoad, the rides are smooth, with no sudden brakes or collisions, creating a more comfortable – as well as a safer – customer ride. Pavlovich are firm believers that once drivers demonstrate success in this measure the other benefits are just corollary.
- Reduction in speeding events: Speeding events dropped by an impressive 81% during the first year of deploying GreenRoad, a result that has been maintained consistently ever since.
- Cost savings: there was an initial 3%+ fuel saving and reduction in tire wear.
- Decreased risk: Pavlovich’s overall Safety Score has improved by 40% over eight years, correlated directly with decreased incidents and expenses.
- Added Benefits: GreenRoad’s accurate trip documentation confirms Pavlovich’s on-time performance and adherence to contract obligations, assuring that it receives relevant Council incentive payments. Plus, the system’s documentation automatically reports road issues (e.g. bottleneck points, road blockages, etc.), supporting Pavlovich’s appeals to Aukland Transport to invest in improving its road infrastructure.
By focusing on driver empowerment, data-driven insights, and a shared commitment to safety, GreenRoad has become an invaluable ally for Pavlovich Coachlines.
Mr. Pavlovich concluded, “Stated simply, GreenRoad has contributed to almost every aspect of our operations. The fleet score is a solid indicator that tells me all I need to know about fleet safety; the data enables taking a proactive and preventive approach, and we continue to find new ways to use it to take our operations and safety to the next level.”
THE SOLUTION
GreenRoad monitors driver behaviour on a real-time basis and provides real-time feedback and coaching in time to prevent incidents. Use of the system encourages awareness of the road and a safer driving style. At the end of each driver’s shift, they are provided with a safety score based on the speed at which they drove, their control of the vehicle, their ability to stay in lane, and ongoing monitoring of unsafe braking and other manoeuvres. All these parameters are used as input to an algorithm that rates the driver.
Driver buy-in is very important and Pavlovich, aware of this, implemented the GreenRoad Platform slowly, benchmarking across the whole fleet.
THE Result
Pavlovich has achieved dramatic results through the use of GreenRoad:
- 81% drop in speeding events: “We have seen an 81% drop in speeding infringements from the police. It’s huge. That was one of the scary things for us. It has been dramatic the change around, we get a speed report every day and we are able to go to the driver and say ‘did you realise?’. Also it helps when a driver goes on to a new or unaccustomed route, there will be transgressions and we can pick them up.”
- Reduced incidents: “The fact that the system is proactive means that we can deal with an issue before it becomes major. This has reduced the number of collisions and other incidents.”
- Customer satisfaction: “We used to have complaints about the comfort of the ride and we had no real way of checking in. Now with GreenRoad, we get the opposite, we get compliments.”
- Cost savings: “We are seeing a fuel savings of more than 3%. In addition, we have reduced tyre wear. We are not going through so many brake linings because the drivers are now braking consistently, using the engine brakes more efficiently and not relying on the air brakes. Lower speed and a more efficient driving style means they don’t need to use the brakes so much.”
