Compass Travel, the Worthing-based bus and coach operator, has selected software from Freeway Fleet Systems to improve the management of its fleet. Compass Travel was looking for a comprehensive ‘one stop shop’ system to manage their fleet and other assets. Freeway will replace a series of software applications and bring all aspects of fleet management under a single system that handles everything from maintenance and inspections, to compliance, stores and purchasing.
Compass Travel has seen significant expansion as a result of bus and school contract service throughout West and East Sussex, Brighton and into Surrey. With current software programmes developed over time to handle different tasks but not linked, the company realised it needed to modernise and streamline fleet maintenance management with a simpler, integrated solution.
“From the outset we had a clear idea of what the ultimate system would be and we looked at a range of systems but none seemed to offer the complete end-to-end functionality we required” explains Malcolm Gallicham, Engineering Director at Compass Travel. “We heard about a system that Reading Buses had implemented and went along to take a closer look. That system was Freeway and it was immediately evident that it offered everything we were looking for.
It was also clear Freeway had been developed for bus and coach operators where requirements are more varied and complex than in other areas of transport. With Freeway, we knew we had a supplier committed to bus and coach and that made it the obvious choice for Compass Travel” adds Gallichan.
Compass Travel plan to use Freeway to manage not just vehicles, but all other workshop assets such as lifting and calibration equipment. “We see Freeway more as an asset management system, not just a fleet system. Since it handles the complete lifecycle of a piece of equipment or part from order to replacement. We will be able to manage everything in one place and track performance of all items to provide us with some very useful management information” comments Gallichan.
“On all the features available in Freeway, the diary system is the most impressive. This will be a tremendous help as it will allow us to schedule and track workshop schedules and activities day by day, month by month without have to re-enter in any data. It gives us an instant visual view of the fleet maintenance work with ‘traffic light’ colour coding to highlight job status” explains Gallichan.
Compass Travel operate a fleet of predominantly Alexander Dennis Enviro 200 together with a smaller numbers of DAF, Volvo and Optare buses, and Scania and Volvo coaches.
