Being a Transport Manager – All You need to know

The job of a Transport manager is hectic and stressful. No, not discouraging you. Just stating a fact.

The job involves working in shifts and even during weekends to catch up with the schedule of drivers and attendants. Transport managers calculate and implement the most economical routes and ways of completing the journey as there are budgetary restrictions.

An-Effective-Efficient-Employee-Transport-Solution-6

A transport manager has to make sure that the whole operation is carried out with the laws and regulations that governs the vehicle safety, traffic congestion, customs requirement, environment controls, fuel emission, driver hours and food hygiene wherever it is applicable. In this article we will discuss about the types of transport operators, guidelines and duties of a transport manager.

What do they do?

Transport managers co-ordinate routes and schedules be it goods, people or services. They ensure that passengers or goods reach the destination safely. Some of the main duties of include.

Develop The Business

One of the main roles of a transport manager is to develop and grow the business. The more the logistics are handled well the better it is for the company. Transport managers play a crucial role in achieving profits for the company as they limit the expenditure that arises from transporting goods, people or services.

Manage a Team of Supervisors, Staff and Drivers 

The whole of the team reports to the transport manager. It is the manager who gives instructions and manages the fleet and its employees. Drivers and other staff will report the routes they are going and where they are at.

Organising Vehicle Replacement 

If one of the vehicles require maintenance or is broken down, the transport manager replaces the vehicle and continue the trip with a new vehicle.

 Meeting Targets 

If any targets are to be met and timeline has to be kept it is the responsibility of the transport manager. They make sure that the operations meet its targets.

 Co-ordinate Staff Training 

The training required for the staff is coordinated and imparted by the transport manager. When higher authorities communicate a message it is transferred to the staff and they ensure that it is carried out.

 Arrange Vehicle Maintenance 

The whole of the fleet is managed by the transport manager. Vehicles that require maintenance are reported to the manager who arrange for repairing the vehicle.

 Performance Reports To Directors 

The board of directors rely on the transport managers to give weekly or monthly reports.

 Planning Routes and Load Scheduling

The routes and schedule is planned by the transport manager. He chooses the best route for travel and makes sure that optimum usage of fuel is ensured and any kind of wastage is avoided.

How To Become a Transportation Manager

The duties of a transport manager include maintaining records, schedule routes, handling customer redresses and complaints and manage staff. A manager performs his job by coordinating all these factors of logistics to move people, goods or services to different places. A transport manager goes through rigorous training while he starts his career in management.  You need to enroll in transportation certification programs to become a transport manager.

Read Also: “Employee Transportation Software Facts to Check Before You Choose”

Without doubt you need and engineering degree to work in transportation systems. Policy formation and managing transport network is the core jobs in this field. Like we discussed the two disciplines are engineering and transportation planning. Although there a certification for both engineering and transportation planning. You can complete the training within a year or less after pursuing in undergraduate or graduate level. To qualify you need GED (general Education Development) or school diploma.

Skills Required

 

Assess the Value of Communication and IT Packages

The transport manager should be able to assess the value and quality of IT packages and communication methods that are implemented.

Approach irate Customers and Exhausted Drivers Tactfully 

The manager should be good at handling customers as well as personnel. There might be times when the transport manager has to deal with drivers who are tired at the end of the day.

Should Have Numerical Skills and An Analytical Mind 

A good analytical mind is required to make quick decisions. Also he should be in good terms with numbers because the job profile is all about making terms with numbers and calculations.

Ability to make quick decisions and good judgments regarding finance 

As said before good judgments are required to make better decisions about how to channel finance.

Great coordination and negotiation skills 

Negotiation skill is an important function that every  manager should have. By negotiating the transport manager can coordinate the whole procedure.

Make crucial decision by making use of intuition 

Intuition is a personality trait that is required for a transportation manager. It is important while making crucial decisions.

A good knowledge of transportation industry 

A manager is expected to have a better knowledge about the whole industry. It helps in planning out various strategies to rule out the wrong decisions.

Conclusion

Transport Manager Job is not meant for everyone as it is both physically and mentally demanding one. Thanks to technology nowadays, there work pressure has been reduced to a great extent. Hope our read help you understand what it means to be a transport manager.

Driverless Cars – Which Companies Are in the Forefront

Driverless cars are soon to be the future of transportation. If you don’t believe it, such cars are already in the garage and almost ready to hit the roads. Soon you will be giving instructions as to where your destination is and these autonomous cars will take you to the place you want to go. There are many companies that are into testing and developing driverless cars. Imagine a future where you don’t have to drive to your destination but just sit in the vehicle and get automatically transported through the traffic.

Secure-&-Manage-your-Employee's-Daily-Commute-Contact-Us

The new technology is impressive and will revolutionize with the concept of a car that doesn’t have a driver, steering or pedals. The question is will people feel safe in a car that doesn’t have a driver to control it. A level 5 autonomous car is expected to be safe and fully automatic. Let me go through the companies that are currently into cars that will shape the future of transportation.

  • Nissan

Nissan has partnered with NASA to build Infiniti Q50 that can drive unaided through the roads. The CEO Carlos Ghosn said that the firm will make a vehicle with autonomous vehicle systems. Nissan hopes to enter their cars on the road by 2020. But unfortunately the car is available only in Japan.

  • General Motors

US based General Motors have initiated driverless cars by testing its partially self driving car technology by partnering with Cadillac.

It has entered the rapidly transforming automotive industry by hands free technology and semi autonomous features where the driver can take their hands off the wheel by staying in a lane.

  • Apple

Apple confirmed that it is into the development of self driving car system. However they haven’t confirmed whether it is car they are developing or its supporting software or both. Apple’s driverless car system will detect pedestrians and cyclists. “We’re focusing on autonomous systems and clearly one purpose of autonomous systems is self-driving cars, but there are others,” said Tim Cook the CEO of Apple.

  • Audi

Delphi a car parts supplier had equipped an Audi SQ5 with autonomous driving tools and rode 3500 miles from San Fransisco to New York. This is a considerable achievement in the world of driverless cars. Also, Audi will be using Nvidia technology to bring driverless cars on roads by 2020.

  • Nvidia

Those who are familiar with gaming knows the global chipmaker Nvidia. Now they have clubbed with Volkswagon and Uber to create self driving cars. Nvidia’s Drive IX SDK will be used to instil AI features and also language processing and gesture control. More than 300 companies are associated with Nvidia to create driverless cars, according to Reuters.

  • Volvo

Volvo is making progress in the field of self driving passenger vehicles. The company is planning to give 100 Swedish customers early access to its self driving vehicles.

Read Also: “Female Employee Transportation – Challenges and Safety Measures

The XC90 is an SUV that is labelled as ‘Intellisafe’ with a promise to avoid all kinds of accidents. While the vehicle is in autonomous mode the company accepts all liabilities related to the vehicle.

  • Tesla

Even though Elon Musk CEO of Tesla said they are to introduce driverless cars on this year it is unlikely that it will happen. We will have to wait and see if the commitment will be released this year. Tesla’s car is said to be equipped with 8 cameras that provide a 360 degree vision that will have a range of 250 meters. Besides this there are 12 ultrasonic sensors to complement it.

  • Baidu

You must be familiar with the Chinese company Baidu who has associated with BMW to released a prototype that is semi-autonomous in 2015. They have already tested the vehicle their technology on the highways in China. But the news is that they have parted in 2016 after a disagreement in strategy. Baidu has opened a research lab in Silicon Valley for artificial intelligence but the chief scientist has departed from the company in early 2017. Baidu is to release its self-driving vehicle platform Apollo. This includes vehicle hardware, software and cloud data platforms.

  • Bosch

As you know one of the world’s largest automotive parts Bosch has assigned more than 2000 engineers to the driver assistance system. Partnering with GPS maker Tom Tom the company is mapping data required for this purpose. They have made a commitment to make self driving cars a reality by 2020 at least in the highways. Bosch is also partnering with Mercedes and Tesla to realize self driven cars.

  • nuTonomy

nuTonomy is a start up company created by a group of graduates from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. They do provide algorithms and software for self driving cars. It has applied its sensors to Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric car prototype and has chosen Singapore as its test location. Its algorithms can direct a car around urban roads by GPS mapping the streets and using localization from the LiDAR sensors.

  • Ford

Ford is developing an entertaining system for self driven cars that they have named ‘Autonomous Vehicle Entertainment System’. It acts as a cinema screen that makes use of a projector to cover the front end of the car. Also Ford has been pushing its limits by testing their driverless cars on snow covered roads unlike other manufacturers of self driven cars.

  • Honda

Honda has conceived a partnership with Waymo on self driven cars. Honda is likely to supply automobiles for Waymo’s test fleet. They have an autonomous vehicles testing permit in California, but only tested on closed courses in 2016, Navigant wrote in its report. Honda has taken a conventional approach to self-driving cars and has testing permit in California.

  • PSA

Driving itself from Paris to Bordeaux four of PSA’s cars have displayed their capability back in 2015. ZF the autopilot parts manufacturer will supply them with software, radar and cameras that will assist the vehicle with governing self driving. PSA is one of the largest car manufacturers in Europe and is planning to have fully driverless cars on the road by 2020.

  • Hyundai

Hyundai had displayed its Ioniq electric car in the CES last year which is autonomous. In vehicles like Elantra Hyundai has showcased lane assist, driver assistance and other advanced features. The plans are to have a fleet of driverless features in production by the year 2020s not committing to fully autonomous systems until 2030.

  • Waymo

Formerly Google’s subsidiary of Google’s parent company and self driving vehicle project, Waymo is an autonomous driverless car development company. Waymo said that it will be testing fully self driven cars without a human in the driver’s seat. It has partnered with General Motors to produce cars without pedals and a steering wheel and is to be released by 2019. They are way ahead of Tesla in the technology and are soon to lead the driverless car market.

  • Volkswagen

Volkswagen has announced that self-driving cars will be common by the year 2025. VW Group CEO Matthias Muller said that a prototype demonstration will be available within 4 years. In the V-Charge project an e-Golf will be equipped with 3D maps, cameras and other sensors that will aid the car to park itself without a human assistance. Volkswagen claims that they will introduce self-driven cars faster that the market competition.

  • Samsung

South Korea’s transport ministry have given approval to test driverless vehicles on the public roads. Based on Hyundai’s self-driven cars that are equipped with sensors and cameras, Samsung has become a leading supplier of in-car technologies and vehicle systems. The Korean tech giant has purchased 8 billion dollars of Harman who are leading suppliers of self driving technology and vehicle systems.

Concluding Thoughts

Can you imagine a near future where you enter a car and ask the car to drop you at a destination? We’ve seen in it Total recall where Schwarzenegger talks to a bot while in a car. Soon you will be able to drive in driverless cars. So be updated on every news about driverless cars with employee transport management.

Features of Byton Concept SUV vs Tesla Model X

The whirl wind that EV (Electric Vehicles) have been creating is too strong to ignore. It won’t be long until internal combustion engines might just turn to vintage models amid rope stanchions in museums. Ok that might be an exaggeration, but yeah! EVs are the future of the road for obvious reasons – shrinking oil reserves and increasing oil prices. In this blog we will talk about the features of Byton Concept SUV vs Tesla Model X the top EV manufactures in the world.

“It’s time to rethink the car” is what Byton- an all new start up based in china and headed by ex BMW boss Carsten Breitfeld said, when they unveiled their first  prototype SUV that was the star car of CES 2018!

An-Effective-Efficient-Employee-Transport-Solution-6

The Byton SIV (SIV- Smart intuitive vehicle- as they like to call it) is all over the news and is said to have all the futuristic features to be the competitor of Tesla’s SUV Model X.

Let’s take a look and compare the features of Byton Concept SUV vs Tesla Model X

1. Power on tap

Byton has promised 2 power train configurations.

Either single 268bhp electric motor driving rear axle or 4WD version with a combined power delivery of 469bhp.

Model X has 259hp for the front wheel drive version and 503hp for the AWD version.

Seems like Tesla still has the upper hand in its AWD version.  But it won’t be hard for Byton to crack that number given their zeal for upgrades.

2. Range 

Tesla’s model X will take your breath away with its ludicrous mode going up to a neck-snapping 257 miles on a single charge.

Now since they are launching it head to head the luminary in the EV business how could Byton even possibly hesitate to squeeze in the horse powers.

Byton claims a range of 248 miles on a single charge, whirling up to an exhilarating 323 miles with an upgraded battery pack.

For the speed junkies out there, the two cars might not make much of a difference simply because, both offer the same thrill.

3. Cabin tech

Model X has a 17-inch touchscreen that controls nearly all vehicle functions, including the power doors.

Byton has made sure you are left flabbergasted with the most lavishly crafted cabin tech, the moment you step inside in the car.

It has an overwhelming 49 inch curved LCD, Shared experience Display running from coast to coast, in place of dashboard, the screen being gesture controlled.

Read Also: 10 Ride Sharing Companies that Can Ease Your Work Trip

The screen is capable of video calls, navigation, online playlist for music, and can even communicate with a wearable on the driver or passenger to get health information.

Now in case you are worried about safety being compromised as that is the space for the air bag, chill!

Air bag will inflate from below the screen in case of a crash, complying with safety standards.

4. Driving experience

Byton front seats can swivel almost 12 degrees.  People in front can easily stretch or interact with others in the rear seats of the car, by switching to level 3 self-driving mode.

The car can self drive in many situations except a few where a human instinct will require to take over. The company has promised to equip the car with level 4 autonomy once the government regulations permit.

The only thing here that model X lacks, is the rotating seats.

Other than that the driving impression of model X P100D is as crazy as the Byton. You can almost lay back and sprawl in the peaceful thrust of the EV.

5. Finally the price

After the recent price cut the Tesla model X now starts at $79,500.

Byton on the other hand has quoted a very impressive price tag with its first SUV starting at $45,000 onwards.

So with this there is a chance that Byton would sweep the Tesla’s markets clean as it offers more tech features compared to Tesla and horse power equivalent to it.

The Byton SIV (Smart intuitive vehicle- as they call it) will be launched in its home country by the year 2019 and a year later in USA and Europe.

It won’t be an easy climb for Byton to match the credibility of Tesla, but since they are offering us hopes wrapped in affordable budget, it could turn out otherwise.

The model X surely pales in comparison to the mouth watering features that Byton has to offer.

But who knows. It is Elon Musk that we are talking about! This moment invading space with his roadster and the next thing you know he launched a teleportation device.

Exaggeration again! But the point is, For Byton, it is definitely a race against time.

Conclusion

Electric cars are not the thing of the future it is already here. There is stiff competition between car makers to bring out the best models that have the highest running time. Hope our read helped you compare the cars brought out by Byton and Tesla.

Corporate Carpooling – Save on Transportation Costs

If many of you don’t know what carpooling is it is sharing the same vehicle by a number of people to commute to the same place. Imagine you are working in a corporate company and many of your colleagues live nearby where you live. You can co-ordinate with them to share a ride to the office. This is corporate carpooling.

It can also be an arrangement between a group of vehicle owners to take drives in turn to drive their children to and fro from a particular place. More than one person sharing a ride is the main aim for car pooling.

Secure-&-Manage-your-Employee's-Daily-Commute-Contact-Us

However carpooling is not popular among people who spent more time at office, older workers. In this blog we will discuss about the benefits of car sharing and how it simplifies the journey to work and back.

Corporate Carpooling and its Benefits

As you can guess, carpooling is popular because it has so many advantages. Let us look at how carpooling benefits its users.

1. Saves Fuel – When more than one person uses the same vehicle to travel to the same destination or other destinations nearby it saves a lot of fuel. If the same people use different cars to commute to their destination double or triple the amount of fuels will be spent for the purpose of travel. When you look at the monthly savings that you have made you will be amazed at how much fuel you have saved by sharing your ride with your friends.

2. Saves Money – As you already know that the fuel is saved and along with it the money spent for it. The money that you have saved from sharing your ride will be a significant amount. Also if there is a toll on the way to the destination it can also be saved. Only one car needs to pay for the toll.

3. Less Pollution – Just like the fuel is saved so is there a saving on the carbon footprints. With the increase in air pollution these days carpool can be a blessing towards the environment. If you are a rational thinker you will understand the health benefits that you get from creating less pollution.

4. Reduces Traffic – The lesser the cars on the road the lesser the traffic. If more than one or two people share the same vehicle it reduces the number of cars in the street. Sharing your ride with other people or sharing a ride with others helps to decrease the number of cars on the road. It combats the traffic congestion and is thus beneficial to you and others as well.

5. Reduce the Stress of Driving – Although many of us enjoy driving, it can be stressful in case we are riding through heavy traffic. Carpooling helps to take turns while driving to work or taking children to school. You can read books, listen to music or look out the window while you are not riding the car.

6. Make New Friends – Carpooling is a great way to socialize with your friends travelling with you in the vehicle. It gives the time and opportunity to make new friends and take your time off. Enjoy the ride while you are not driving the vehicle. Even while you are driving you can still talk to your friends and make the ride more interesting.

7. Convenience – You can use your free time to prepare for a presentation at office, plan your day, or eat your breakfast while you are on the go. In some places there are special lanes for carpooling by which you can avoid congested roads. There are spaces designated for carpooling vehicles which makes it easier to park your vehicle.

8. Safety – Driving with other people is not just economic but also safer. You will have a sense of security travelling with other people. In case there is an attempted theft you will be accompanied by other people.

But at the same time you won’t have flexibility with your schedules and activities. You might be carpooling with different people in your area that might be reaching at office or commuting from office at different timings.

This might hinder your plans for a day. There is also an issue of privacy if you are an introverted person. If you are that kind of person who likes to be alone with your thoughts carpooling is not the thing for you.

Also the designated driver is responsible for other passengers. This also means the safety of others who are riding with him.

Final Thoughts

Keep aside all this carpooling is still an important move to reduce our addiction to oil. The advantages of corporate carpooling surpass the disadvantages that it has.

In the near future we will consume all the oil in the world not to mention the pollution caused by it. So weighing the good things that it offers it is definitely a good move for mankind.

10 Ride Sharing Companies that Can Ease Your Work Trip

Ride sharing can be a relief to people who don’t want to ride their own vehicles to work. There are various ride sharing companies that strive to provide a service that lets you share a ride with other people who are going to the same place as you are.

Many of these ride sharing companies have become a household name and is familiar with a lot of people who are using this service. The advantage behind sharing rides is that it will develop communities that trust each other more.

Secure-&-Manage-your-Employee's-Daily-Commute-Contact-Us

Ride sharing, car sharing and car pooling have become a simple and efficient way to achieving this.

You are already introduced to various companies that enable ride sharing or car pooling. Ride sharing is not just economic it is also convenient.

It can also be an arrangement between a group of vehicle owners to take drives in turn to drive their children to and fro from a particular place. More than one person sharing a ride is the main aim for car pooling.

The stress involved in driving through traffic can be reduced as each person can take turns to ride their cars to work or school.

Listed here are 15 ride sharing companies that can ease your trip to your workplace.

The advantages of car pooling are that it saves fuel and money, causes lesser pollution, reduces traffic, reduces the stress of driving, you get to make new friends, is more convenient and is safer.

1. Shared EV Fleet 

A company based in New Jersey is figuring out how to employ charging stations and manage their fleet of electric vehicles. As a car sharing service of the future it is first of its kind and promises a brighter eco friendly future.

The company that is into it is the Princeton power systems which has unveiled a plug in EV fleet at Los Angeles. There is an added advantage of using electric vehicles. It reduces pollution and saves on fuel.

2. Car2Go 

This is mostly used in the cities in Europe and North America. This service is used by people who register with Car2Go to receive a card by mail. For this one has to register online to the service.

There is one time fee of 35 dollars along with that it is charged for the time you spend in the car. It is a fleet of eco-friendly smart cars that can be accessed with the card you receive by mail.

You can check the availability of a car by swiping the card on the card reader on the windshield.

You can follow the instruction on the computer screen once you hold the member card on the card reader and wait to unlock the card.

3. Zimride 

These ride payouts are made through PayPal. This ride sharing is done by enterprise rent a car.

People going to the same destinations are connected by using social media networking. Zimride also has other features like similar music interests, hobbies and a lot more before signing up to offer a ride or ask for one.

This is a rather interesting site to someone who likes to add pep to your ride.

4. JustShareIt

In this website you need to register with a valid license and a credit card. One can either use their website or the app.

It is an hourly rental service for vans, cars, trucks etc. With this application you can rent vehicles whenever that you are travelling.

Be it work or for leisure. Also these are available at your neighborhood. Another advantage of this service is that it has insurance too. There is an on demand app and an express version.

5. Getaround

This is one popular peer to peer car rental and sharing services. There are also options for daily and hourly rental rates which you can make use according to your convenience.

However insurance is not covered in the cost. It is a social car sharing in which you can search for nearby cars and enter your license number and credit card details to book the car.

In case you have a car you want to give for rent you can use this application to make some money too.

6. JoyRide 

This company has recently launched an app and is available in the Bay area and also in many other cities in the United States.

Through this app you can share the ride expenses with whoever is riding with you or you are riding with. Another bright feature of this application is that ifs you have an extra seat while going for a trip you can list it on the website and interested people will join you.

7. SideCar

Sidecar is a ride sharing company that is based in San Francisco and is now available in 10 of the cities in United States. Drivers fix the price themselves and this is much cheaper than many other companies.

The payment is done using the application. The rides are GPS tracked and the drivers are pre screened. Another added advantage is that it is covered by insurance.

All the vehicles were made in the year 2000. Sidecar involves finding another person who is headed in the same direction as you are and who us near to you. This ride sharing service is getting more and more popular.

It’s been reported that SideCar has it has shutdown their services and General Motors has acquired the company’s assets, intellectual property, and 20 other employees.

8. BlaBlaCar 

Through this application you can simply enter your arrival and departure destinations at the approximate time and choose a driver that is headed your way.

Yes, you can contact them over the phone or send in a text message to book your seat. Appear at the meeting place and share your ride.

But this ride isn’t for hire if you haven’t noted. This company is a ride sharing service in the UK and connect drivers that have a spare seat with people looking for a ride. BlaBla Car is from the United Kingdom.

9. Turo

Formerly known as Relay Rides, Turo is a cart rental service where car owners can rent out their own vehicles. They can also set their own prices. This is a peer to peer car sharing market place.

How the application works is that they notify car owners in case someone needs their car. The owner has complete control over who to give the car. The car has its own insurance.

This is of use to people who need a ride to the airports. You can use the car and just leave it there.

10. Carma

This is a ride sharing company in San Francisco, Texas, Bergen and Austin. The application begins logging your journey once you start it. It happens once you get in the car that you are sharing.

The driver is paid once you hit the end trip. The company aims to target the work trip commutes that are made by people.

Conclusion

Carpooling is an arrangement between a group of vehicle owners to take drives in turn to and fro from a particular place.

More than one person sharing a ride is the main aim for car pooling. It has a lot of advantages and as it saves a lot of fuel and helps to decrease pollution.

Moreover if everyone starts to make use of ride sharing there will be a significant decrease in the traffic when compared to everyone taking out their car out for a ride.

Future of Transportation – How Beneficial It Can Be

A few years ago, people preferred traveling by their vehicles, but it is changing now. With technological advances in transportation services, the urban population prefers to commute using public transport rather than private, paving way to the future of transportation.

After surveying 50 metropolitan cities around the globe, McKinsey found that if all people living start using public transportation, the air will turn pure and it’ll save as much as $600 billion.

An-Effective-Efficient-Employee-Transport-Solution-6

The more the world progresses, the more people are going to be inclined towards technology. Considering the current technological advancements, here is how the future of transportation will look like:

1. Autonomous Driving

Driving consumes a lot of time, which you rather enjoy relaxing or working on the last minute project. Apart from clearing some time from your schedule, driverless cars will ensure access to mobility, cheaper transportation, and also reduces accidents.

Autonomous vehicles will work on blockchain technology. So instead of you going to pick up your mother from the airport, you can send your car.

2. Shared Mobility

Using vehicles as the need arises is the future of the traditional carpooling system. It makes more sense to use the vehicles for a shorter time than buying it. Today, Uber is worth around $600 billion and owns not a single car.

Future of transportation aims to remove middlemen like Uber and connect car owners to clients so that they get the entire profit. Such technology is being developed right now using blockchain.

3. Electric Vehicles

We all know that Tesla makes electric cars, but they are costly. Still, more electric vehicles are sold now than in 2011. 450,000 electric vehicles were sold in 2015 as compared to only 50,000 sold in 2011.

According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, electric battery prices are going to fall below $100 per kilowatt-hour in the next ten years. The product will be cost and performance effective and superior to fuel-based vehicles.

4. Public Transportation

The EuroRail has changed the global map. You sleep in a different country and wake up in another. It is only the beginning because after this technology combines with the Internet of Things, it is going to make public transportation even more flexible and convenient.

If you in developing countries like India, the public transport in urban cities like Mumbai and Kolkata are still growing with metro rails sprouting everywhere connecting the city centers with exterior areas.

The future of transportation will not only get smarter technology-wise but also become bigger accommodating more people and reliable too.

5. Internet of Things

Infrastructure and vehicles will be used to generate data, which governments and companies will use to analyze data and find efficient ways to reduce traffic. It is ideal for making long-term transit plans.

6. Infrastructure

As per population studies by the United Nations Population Division, the population is going to increase by two thirds in 2050. With such a vast community, it is going to be challenging to manage traffic on roads, because there’s only so much they can accommodate.

Public transit infrastructure needs to be upgraded starting now. Also, people should be motivated to use cycles for going to nearby places, which can double as exercise. Reforms should be taken where people who use cycles and public transport will get tax rebates.

7. Decentralization of Energy Systems

Over the years, the cost of renewable energy will fall while the awareness will increase, making it one of the most used energy systems across the globe in the next 15 years.

It will increase the use of electric vehicles and make electricity cheaper and cleaner. Most house owners will have their charging points for electric vehicles. The energy will be generated using solar panels on the top of their houses.

8. Regulation

On a national level, the government will introduce incentives and tax rebates for people using electric vehicles. It won’t remain an urban phenomenon but will take over all levels of the countries. The government will promote larger public goals including cleaner air for the cities and reduce traffic.

All these trends depend on one another, and a lack of one can result in the poor implementation of another.

For example, if shared mobility dominates because of reduced costs of using driverless vehicles as compared to fuel-based vehicles, the pollution levels will come down drastically.

At this point, the government should encourage people to try the new technology since most of them will be apprehensive about doing so, which is understandable.

How Will The Future of Transportation Improve the City Life

Reinforcing integrated mobility systems will improve the city life, which is considered as hectic and monotonous. One of the first things that will be positively affected is the environment.

With higher use of public transport, electric and autonomous vehicles, health problems like premature birth, respiratory disorders, and cardiovascular can be brought down as the air will be more transparent of pollutants that cause them.

The traffic congestion won’t be stopped immediately, but you can see developing cities like Mumbai, Delhi, and Istanbul are working towards it. For example, Mumbai, a city in India is building a dense network of metros to reduce traffic and has been successful in its phase one.

Conclusion

The more the world progresses, the more people are going to be inclined towards technology. With the help of our blog hope you could understand how the future of transportation will look like.

Autonomous Vehicles – How Will It Change Public Transportation

It is said that autonomous vehicles are the future of transportation. There won’t be much time before autonomous vehicles take on the road and become a part of public transportation.

However, there is concern that it might lead to road congestion as more and more people resort to riding them. On the other hand, if they are used for public transport then autonomous vehicles can solve every bit of traffic problems that ever existed.

Secure-&-Manage-your-Employee's-Daily-Commute-Contact-Us

Using autonomous driving for public transport is not only cost efficient but also a way to avoid mishaps like harsh driving or inefficient fuel usage.

Autonomous vehicles are inevitably going to change a lot of things for everyone around. Here are some things that will happen when autonomous vehicles take over public transportation:

1. Less Traffic

While a few people argue that it might increase traffic, many believe that it will solve all traffic problems.

Even buses and trucks will work on the technology and will completely take road accidents out of the picture. It will also reduce traffic congestion because the vehicles will be able to drive side by side, without dashing into one another.

And apparently, since computers are better drivers than humans and are more systematic too, there won’t be random fights because one wasn’t driving well.

It is excellent news for the government since they’ll cover up the one percent gross domestic profit they lose because of traffic.

2. Shift in Ownership Model

A likely ownership model that might come along with the entry of autonomous vehicles is shared ownership model. Multiple people will own the same autonomous vehicle and will replace the private ownership model.

However, you can’t be confident enough that this will happen because every person who can afford will try to own an autonomous vehicle exclusively. This is where the government might need to step in and start some tax rebate for people sharing cars.

3. No More Driving Long Distances

Remember the time you drove for six hours straight and couldn’t feel your legs after getting out of the car?

Well, once autonomous vehicles are a reality, you wouldn’t have to worry about that. You can eat, watch movies, or sleep while the self-driving car takes you to your destination.

Also, it will cover a six-hour distance much faster than you, so you end up saving a lot of time.

4. Maybe an Urban Nightmare

It can be an urban nightmare if every family buys an autonomous car and go around shopping and on trips, it will only cause traffic congestion.

Since these vehicles will be electronics, it will cost a lot lower than fuel-based cars. People won’t have to spend money on refilling gasoline. All they will need to do is charge it overnight and they’ll be good to travel around.

The cost comes down a lot and is a one-time investment. People will be ready to put money at once. If anything goes as the situation described, then traffic will increase by 25 percent than right now.

5. Will Not be a Supplement

Autonomous vehicles aren’t a replacement for traffic congestion because it wouldn’t change much. More and more people will switch to autonomous vehicles for its low cost.

However, one can confidently say that self-driving cars will significantly reduce road accidents and increase safety.

Governments should start supplementing with autonomous vehicles at public transportation level. But they can’t expect that it will be a solution to all their traffic problems.

6. Combination of Sharing Services

Apart from sharing ownership of autonomous cars, ride-sharing like Uber and car-sharing scheme will take over the majority of the road. People won’t find it necessary to own a car when services like ride-sharing cost a lot lower than it does now.

What do Experts Think About Autonomous Vehicles

Christy Wegener, planning and operations director, LAVTA, feels that no one exactly knows the future. People are making assumptions and developing theories as they experiment and find new things.

They are as unknown to the technology as everyone else. Wegener said that there is fixed roadmap or tutorial to do it, so unless it is a reality, nothing much can’t be talked about it.

However, Wegener is confident about taking risks, and she praised the head of LAVTA for going ahead with the idea.

Government’s Take on It

One of the reasons LAVTA hasn’t tested its autonomous vehicle technology on the roads if because the federal government hasn’t given them the authority to do so.

Along with LAVTA, many other companies are stuck in the same situation including CCTA. They are waiting for the US House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit to give them the approval.

Both companies only have two options. One is getting a waiver from the US Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Other is they don’t need any waiver to do so. Just recently, the House Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection subcommittee announced that they pushed the US government to clear the guidelines as that would permit driverless vehicles to debut on the road.

In the end, as common people, we all are very excited about watching this new technology development. As millennials, we’ve seen the internet become a reality, watched a Nokia phone grow into a full-screen touch smartphone, and now autonomous vehicles.

Public transit is every city’s backbone and developing it gives everyone an opportunity to experience science at its best.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, the technology is going to be sustainable, beneficial to the national economy, and a significant step towards the limitless future.

Data Analytics and Its Use in Fleet Management

The application of data analytics in every industry has become imperative, and the data in fleet management sector is no exception. Since data generated in fleet management are sensitive, it can be put to use in many ways so as to increase the overall efficiency of the fleet.

An-Effective-Efficient-Employee-Transport-Solution-6

Let’s have a look at how data can be used.

Power of Fleet Data in Management

Modern transport operations have started to include vehicle telematics as an integral part of their process, which mainly consists of tracking and diagnostics in particular.

More fleet managers have begun to recognize and understand the needs of their drivers, fleet, and customers and are starting to leverage the power of big data for this purpose.

The daily data that fleets generate are massive, ranging from telematics info to conditions of road and even vehicle health status.

The information that is available to fleet managers can be used not just to understand historical events, but also to make decisions for the future and manage existing operations.

Many fleet managers have already started to adopt vehicle telematics to monitor their vehicles in real time, providing them with data that allows them to support and protect their drivers and fleets and also optimize their business.

The most effective way to get visibility in fleet management is by adopting a data-driven approach. Data helps identify potential issues before they become a problem and will also assist in recognizing new opportunities.

The significant advantage is that it’s entirely customizable so you can choose metrics that matter most to your business and use them to track and report activities.

Enhancement of Fleet Productivity

It is understood that the effects of big data and predictive analytics on fleet productivity is highly favorable. With the right usage of data analytics, the fleet industry can even achieve better productivity.

There will be accessibility to more fleet data which will improve efficiency and gain the capability to make the substantial increase in driver and vehicle productivity.

Research suggests that as early as 2004, UPS turned to fleet data to improve efficiency, and it was discovered that in on-going traffic, making left turns wasted time and fuel, and led to a lot of accidents.

It resulted in the ‘minimize left turns policy’, that ultimately saved UPS over a million gallon of fuel every year.

Today, SaaS fleet analytics providers can help develop and implement benchmarks and best practices for increasing efficiency, reducing costs and emissions, and keeping drivers, vehicles, and payloads safe by empowering enumerable fleets of all sizes, across different industries with the data available from them.

Utilization of Assets

You can understand and analyze how each vehicle in your fleet is being used with the timely information provided by fleet data analytics. It helps you get an accurate picture instead of depending on paper trails and gut instinct.

For instance, you can use the data to find out which individual vehicles or items of machinery are spending more time lying idle, or which ones are in need of servicing after exertive use for a prolonged period.

By assessing how the vehicles in your fleet are used, you can implement necessary changes which can save time and increase efficiency. It helps to improve operational efficiency and efficient employment of workforce.

Management of Fuel

Any vehicle requires fuel to run on, and that is an expensive part of managing a vehicle fleet. In the past however it used to be challenging to maintain costs or forecast spending with the exact accuracy.

Data analytics lets you measure and track usage and even help prevent thefts. With the convenient facility to track individual vehicles and drivers, you can monitor the usage and compare it against company policy.

For example, if your drivers are filling up their private cars on the company’s account, analytics will help you by providing visibility and identify the problem to put an end to it.

You can get a clear understanding based on this data of how fuel is being consumed across your business, which will enable your company to save substantial amount of money.

Improving Business Success

If fleet managers leverage upon big data, it can improve their chances of success.

All aspects of fleet management including crucial decisions like vehicle selection, maintenance management, and driver safety planning, etc. are achieved and performed with the help of this data.

Fleets can improve efficiency, operate with fewer resources, and show an increase in productivity with the continued use of fleet analytics and accessibility to more fleet data.

Importance of Implementation

While this technology can be used to improve fleet performance and road safety, its application is what makes it all the more effective and efficient in bringing results.

Although the benefits of employing this technology can generate the data needed to manage risk, it is appropriate implementation of this data which is the key to success.

It is crucial that the systems and processes are first in place and is active before any technology solution is introduced. Choosing the right vendor for technology is critical to make proper use of technology.

Fleet managers should receive comprehensive training and information about the technology during training.

Conclusion

When it comes to managing fleet data is crucial to make important decisions to improve the return on investment and safeguard the fleet and its drivers. If used properly the data can be used to make decisions for the future and save up a lot on fuel and money.

 

10 Things That Can Go Wrong in Employee Transportation

There are a lot of things to take into perspective while you are part of an organization’s management team. The more the employees of the company, the more responsibilities to be taken care of. Employee benefits and well being inside the company is one of the major factors to be considered in the employee transportation service.

An-Effective-Efficient-Employee-Transport-Solution-6

Here are a few points to be pondered while discussing employee transportation.

1. What if the employee does not turn up?

The situation mentioned above is aplenty. This happens when the assigned company’s cab/bus driver is not informed of the employee’s absence.

A situation wherein a driver has to go all the way to pick up just a single employee from a remote location and when he/she does not show up is bad. Commuter benefits are being misused here also resulting in revenue loss.

2.  Misbehavior towards employees

At times if there is a shortage of staff buses, the company may resort to bus rental services from an external vendor. Many of them would obviously be on a temporary basis. There are chances that the drivers of these bus rental services might misbehave with the employees.

3.  Reckless driving

Alcohol inflicted driving is more common among temporary staffs. Consider the case of bus rental services in case of shortage with the permanent cab or company bus drivers. This seriously affects the employee environment and makes a dent in the scheme of affairs.

4.  Poor handling of daily shifts

The human resource team and in general the manager would be responsible for allocating the proper time shifts for the transportation based on the employee time shifts.

Especially when it comes to the lady staffs, security and proper planning is an inevitable factor. A foolproof system has to be implemented without trial and error methods since a small fault can tarnish the company’s reputation.

5. Depending on pen & paper

With the advent of digital technologies, it would be non-pragmatic to resort to using pen and paper to track down the routes & schedules.

Implementing a web-based solution integrated with the HR management system of the company to track down the assigned routes, drivers, the name of employees to be traveling on the designated vehicles would be a good choice.

Implementing a mobile-based GPS solution would be very handy for both the drivers and the employees. The employees need to be ready only when the cabs or bus are nearby their locations.

These could act as one of the better commuter benefits while thinking on the whole perspective of employee transportation service.

6.  Employee productivity

While dealing with employee transportation, the key thing to be tackled is employee productivity. This could take a heavy toll if timings are improper or if a driver does not show up at the right time.

The revenue leakage, if the commuter management is not done properly would cost the company dearly.

7.  Traffic congestion

Dealing with traffic is one of the most difficult issues when it comes to transportation. If the management can tackle it efficiently, then half of your employee transportation conundrum is solved.

Heavy traffic can seriously mess up the whole schedule. It can affect employee productivity resulting in extended work hours to meet tight deadlines. Most of the companies have started offering ’work from home options’ in case of heavy traffic days.

Drivers have to be made aware of the traffic situation pre-hand. With the help of applications like Google maps and Waze, rerouting and locating heavy traffic timings can be done in a jiffy. Planning the rides accordingly could save a lot of time and revenue for the company.

8.  Maintenance

Cabs and buses should be maintained in proper working conditions so they remain mechanically efficient, and the devices, such as global positioning system (GPS) function properly.

Vehicles such as buses with large seating capacity must be thoroughly monitored by a competent examiner and reports kept. Planned monitoring is a critical part of preventive maintenance.

These include daily safety drills carried out by drivers, staff and proper maintenance monitoring based on time, mileage and performance.

Drivers and the accompanying staff should be provided with a checklist of the daily inspections to be signed off at the start of each shift. This should be monitored to ensure the checks are carried out properly.

9.  Driver inaccessible

A situation wherein the driver’s phone is switched off or unreachable when the employee calls will create a sense of uneasiness,

Especially when the employee has not located where the driver of the company cab or bus is. The driver either has to keep an extra phone that has to be supplied by the company or the employee has to be notified by the management authorities that the cab has been dispatched to pick him up.

10.  Rude employee behavior

There are situations wherein a frustrated employee might take out his anger on the staff handling the employee transportation. This is better to be avoided. Always maintain the courteous behavior while traveling inside company cab or bus.

Employee Transport Automation – How Your Company Can Gain From It

One of the major expenses for many of the large and medium sized businesses is the one incurred for transportation. This may be in terms of ferrying people or goods.

As a company expands its operations more employees join the force and transportation costs tend to increase and the whole process becomes complicated to handle.

Secure-&-Manage-your-Employee's-Daily-Commute-Contact-Us

All the transportation operations are done under the same umbrella. This might be the transport desk under the facilities department. In many cases the company is unclear about the various financial and operational metrics associated with the transportation sector.

Benefits of Employee Transport Automation

Employee Transport Automation systems are the future of industrial transportation. A good system aims to make the transportation moving and compact. Let us have a look through the benefits of making employee transportation automated.

1. Saves Labour One of the biggest advantages of automation system is that it saves labour. Extra labour that is used for manage employee transportation can be avoided when an automated system takes its place.

A manual system will take up more time and labour to make the transportation system happen. Businesses can avoid the extra labour and resort to an automated system that takes care of transportation by itself.

2. Avoids Data Manipulation – Unlike a manual system in which data is tracked manually and is presented as a worksheet to the management, an automated system generates a report that is easily comprehended.

Moreover there are chances that there are intentional or unintentional manipulation of the data that help make decisions regarding employee transportation.

By using an automated the entire workflow is digitally managed with scope for complete audit trail. This makes sure that there is no scope for data manipulation.

3. Operational and Financial MetricsWith the dashboard and analytics in the automated system management can stay at the pinnacle of financial as well as operational metrics.

These facilities can give the management a better idea of the operation and expenses incurred for handling the transportation facilities.

4. Better DecisionsBy analyzing the reports that are generated by the transportation software, better decision can be made regarding the route of the vehicles.

The best shortest route with less traffic can be assessed and can be selected for the fleet. This reduces the cost of travel and also the money spent for it. With better decisions better performance can be achieved.

5. Employee Productivity Routes can be simplified and the travel time reduced which in turn helps employees save their precious time. Anyhow what matter is not just the time, but it helps not to take a toll on the employees’ health and productivity.

On time arrival and departure helps with the employees’ productivity too. With better control and tracking, an automated employee system makes it possible for the employees to arrive in time which in turn increase the productivity as they reach in time.

6. Safer TransportWith the organization providing transportation, employees feel more secure and safe. The company is obliged to ensure the safety of the employees. Employees will be transported in safe and secure way when robust transport management software is used.

7. Increased Customer Service Not only does an automated system transport employees to and from home, it also takes care of customers by reaching out to them.

It is a fact that companies don’t want to lose even one of their customers. Auto pick-up and auto dispatch will make sure that you have a constant rapport with your customers.

8. Integrate with Existing Enterprise Applications A good employee transport automation system can be integrated with other enterprise applications that already exist.

ERP software can be assimilated with transportation system to get reports on how well the system is performing. You can know about the return on investment from the automated system.

9. Eliminate Dry Runs – Fuel costs are one important factor that transport managers are concerned about. There are too many unwanted dry runs that can waste precious fuel.

A good automated system will make sure that optimum use of fuel is ensured. Faulty route planning and absence of a good transportation system for employees are the main reasons why fuel is wasted.

10. Monitor Driver BehaviourWith the use of automated software you can monitor the behaviour of your drivers. There are even options to rank the driver according to the satisfaction level of the employees.

Over speeding or sudden braking can be reported to the management by the use of applications exclusively for the employees.

Conclusion

It is essential for companies to maintain a good transportation management system. This ensures their comfort and safety. To make this happen a good automated system needs to be in place.

Increased productivity and on time arrival and departure are some of the benefits of having an  employee transport automation system. If used well it can save a lot on transportation costs.

Other than that the company can get reports that can be used well to make important decisions.