Enterprise Asset Management for Bus Operators

Managing a network of transportation assets is not easy. Currently, the UK bus industry supports around 250,000 jobs, with approximately 32,000 buses in service across the entire country .

It is essential for bus operators to ensure that all their major assets are carefully maintained, tracked and working to the optimum level. Not only do customers depend on outstanding bus performance to live their daily lives (including getting to work, visiting family and enjoying their free time) but the shareholders of these organisations often demand a consistent profit. Implementing technology that creates ultimate benefit for the bottom line is therefore essential.

We are experienced at supporting bus operators, both in the United Kingdom, and in other major countries around the world. The recent Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) innovations launched by IBM, via their new Maximo Application Suite (MAS) product, has opened up exciting possibilities for bus organisations.

MAS offers bus operators a cost-effective way for bus operators to improve efficiency, enhance productivity and keep their workforce connected at any location.

Utilising MAS for bus operators

MAS enables bus operators to optimise the performance and cost-effectiveness of their operations and assets. The key function of the EAM system is to:

Focus on critical assets, including their condition and performance
Provide insights and tools to help companies make wise investments, and improve service
Deliver insight into safety performance, resource allocation and quality information
Keep all vehicles maintained to industry standards, and meet all health & safety regulations
Maximise vehicle availability and uptime, preventing unexpected failure
Improve the organisation’s bottom line – cutting costs and increasing revenue
Monitor bus and driver locations at all times

In addition, predictive analytics can provide a maintenance revolution for buses. It is possible to create a warning system that automatically schedules maintenance for a bus’s equipment, which can be implemented for your entire fleet of buses. For example, the optimal moment to undertake maintenance (considering asset uptime requirements and asset lifecycle cost) can be understood by using Maximo, and implemented to avoid unnecessary downtime.

How Fingertip can create a connected, efficient mobile workforce

The benefits of effective asset management are taken further when IBM Maximo is extended into the field. Mobile solutions such as our Fingertip Mobile EAM app allows bus operators’ staff to access critical data in the Maximo system, at the point of work.

Fingertip also uses highly configurable mobile forms that can be designed to suit your requirements – for example, vehicle inspections.

Bus engineers who undertake daily vehicle inspections require a simple and robust mobile solution, which makes their lives easier. When users have to fill out less forms, and can access information more easily, adoption is straightforward and productivity goes up.

Furthermore, this technology supports health and safety, vehicle maintenance and effective working, as assets can be preserved for longer through improved controlling and monitoring of asset lifecycles.

Integrating Maximo with Fingertip addresses all these major mobility issues and helps bus operators to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Deploying maintenance experts where they’re needed most

For any bus operators with a high number of maintenance personnel on the payroll, they will not only need an intelligent way to deploy experts where they’re needed most, but also provide them with actionable data to make every repair straightforward, quick and cost-effective.

Our support ensures that it is a complete end-to-end cycle, from the drivers creating work orders, through to the engineers and the depot. The engineers aim to review the order, fix the issue, get all the stocks out, and then report back to the driver.

This cohesion will be especially important as fleets begin onboarding new technologies, including electric- and biodiesel-powered assets. Fingertip and its Mobile Forms capability automatically sorts and allocates work orders, with all necessary information available at the touch of the button.

Monitoring carbon emissions for bus operators

Consumers and stakeholders require that transport providers maintain full visibility over their carbon footprint. The Mayor of London has announced that all new buses in the city will be zero-emission by 2034, and organisations in both the public and private sector will need to keep pace with this.

MAS enables total visibility of your assets, and can be integrated with other products such as IBM Envizi, to:

Measure carbon emissions
Deliver insights to underpin decarbonisation strategies
Create one system-of-record for all sustainability data
Track emissions savings tied to equipment replacement/maintenance done in Maximo
Eliminate asset failures that could cause environmental incidents

With a growing number of stakeholders taking greater interest in sustainability (investors, consumers, employees and governments) it is essential that bus operators clearly demonstrate that they are progressing towards more sustainable and socially responsible operations.

Improving convenience for all Bus Drivers through a dedicated application

Creating a dedicated ‘Driver’s App’ can be a key component of enabling bus operators to optimise their Enterprise Asset Management. This application allows drivers to securely login to the system – and, once they’re in the app, they can access a clear list of processes for vehicle inspections that need to be followed.

This dedicated app improves convenience for Bus Drivers by having everything they need in one place, providing an intuitive driver’s experience. It cuts down on the number of clicks, and offers everything the driver requires at the touch of a button.

This application can work both online and offline, captures live information (e.g. images), and links directly through to the engineering and maintenance team back at the depot.

This option is part of Fingertip Mobile EAM, which connects all mobile users (a functionality that not all other mobile solutions offer).