Greenroad Helps New Zealand Bus Companies Lower Operating Costs and Improve Passenger Experience
GREENROAD HELPS NEW ZEALAND BUS COMPANIES LOWER OPERATING COSTS AND IMPROVE PASSENGER EXPERIENCE
Souter Holdings reaps benefits that exceed their expectations from telematics solution that improves fuel economy and reduces accident damage
- Almost 4% reduction in fuel consumption
- 81% reduction in speeding infringements
- Reduced accident and vehicle damage
LONDON, UK/HAMILTON, NZ. – October 07, 2015 – Souter Holdings’ bus and coach companies in New Zealand have reduced fuel consumption by close to 4% while providing customers with safer and more comfortable journeys, thanks to an innovative solution by GreenRoad that instils smoother, safer driving habits in the fleets’ drivers.
Over the past two years the GreenRoad driver behaviour and fleet performance system has been installed in Howick & Eastern Buses, Manabus.com and Mana Coach Services vehicles, and is being rolled out across Naked Bus.com, Waiheke and Reesbys fleets as well.
Since implementing the GreenRoad system Souter Holdings has enjoyed benefits that go beyond significant reductions in fuel costs: tyre and brake pad wear and tear has decreased, and the fleets have experienced a staggering 81% drop in speeding infringements as well as a significant reduction in accidents and vehicle damage. Importantly, passengers are enjoying a higher standard of comfort on their journeys.
Sheryll Otway, General Manager of Howick & Eastern Buses and CEO of Manabus.com, said: “GreenRoad is an invaluable tool. I would compare managing a fleet without GreenRoad to ‘flying at night without instruments’.
“From implementation to this day we have seen the benefits of the system continue to improve our safety, efficiency and driver accountability. The ability to “look into the past” to review a driver’s performance, to see the present behaviour and to know that you have provided a safer future for both your driver and passengers through the elimination or minimisation of poor driver behaviours is the true benefit of GreenRoad.
“It’s a benefit we continue to harvest daily. We were also pleasantly surprised by the benefit to our passengers in terms of the comfort of ride and the ability that GreenRoad gives us to defend drivers from false allegations.”
The GreenRoad system monitors more than 150 vehicle manoeuvres and provides actionable feedback to Souter drivers via a simple, non-distracting dashboard tool if they deviate from safe, smooth driving behaviours. The system allows the drivers to take immediate corrective action and continually improve their driving performance.
Souter drivers and their managers can access valuable insights into driving behaviour via user-friendly, easily customized online dashboards. Managers can choose among concise, focused bespoke reports and exception-based alerts which allow them to quickly address important issues, without being overwhelming with data. Beyond helping drivers internalize fuel-efficient driving behaviours, GreenRoad helps bus and coach operators further reduce fuel costs by identifying idling hotspots, so they can take action to eliminate unnecessary fuel use.
Souter Holdings employs 480 drivers and has a total of 391 buses and coaches operating a variety of services between cities in New Zealand. The company was looking for a telematics system that combined ease of use with the ability for drivers to take ownership of their own improvement. Three quarters to 85% of Souter drivers now regularly achieve GreenRoad Safety Scores that fall in the green zone, indicating less than two safety events per hour on average, over 10 or more hours of driving, a huge improvement since the system was first introduced.
Building on the initial successes with GreenRoad, Souter is now working toward continued improvement in drivers’ safety scores.
Otway continued: “In the main, our drivers have embraced the system. We continue to support improvement in their driving behaviour with daily monitoring, support and training, when required, coupled with Fleet Elite, GreenRoad’s incentive and reward programme.
“The benefits are extensive in terms of passenger safety and comfort, and driver and road safety. GreenRoad is a win-win which we are confident will continue to pay dividends as we roll it out across the remainder of our fleet.”
Additional Information
Howick & Eastern was founded as Eastern Buses in 1939 in Eastern Beach, New Zealand. With the takeover of Howick Buses in 1962, the company grew to 21 buses and took on its current name. Today, with over 175 buses, Howick & Eastern provides public transport as well as charter and school bus services in Auckland, New Zealand. It is a subsidiary of Souter Holdings.
About GreenRoad Technologies, Inc.
GreenRoad provides a single, comprehensive solution for changing driver behavior and managing fleet performance and efficiency. GreenRoad’s platform helps fleet operators improve driving safety, increase fuel economy, lower insurance premiums, and reduce accident-related costs. GreenRoad’s advanced business intelligence and performance analytics enable fleets to optimize daily and strategic operations.
GreenRoad engages drivers directly to generate meaningful, lasting change through real-time, in-vehicle feedback and highly effective change management methodology.
With over 8 billion miles monitored and 600,000 driving years logged, GreenRoad serves leading companies of all sizes and across many industries, including trucking, passenger transportation, construction, food service, delivery, and public safety.
The company has offices in the US, UK and Israel.
For more information about GreenRoad please contact:
Celeste Clarke
Century PR
+44 24 76 228881 / +44 7799 064 066
Email: celeste@centurypr.co.uk
