Nurturing innovative ideas that can make a real difference to train and bus services is at the core of Go-Ahead’s accelerator project. Realtime Knowledge are one of a select group of innovators taking part and it has been an incredible opportunity to bring the benefits of live reporting to the public transport sector.
Traditionally inspections, security patrols and safety checks have been heavily dependent on paper processes. However, completing, examining and filing information in this way is often time-consuming and inefficient. It can be difficult to get a realistic operational picture or spot patterns easily. There can also be a significant time-lag between an issue being raised and it being dealt with.
The team at Realtimeknowledge.com bring a fresh approach to operational reporting. Each task and report completed is live and interactive. You can design workflows that guide your teams through each process, with the power to upload images, instructions or location data. This really helps to deliver efficiency and consistency across the board.
Susie Chillcott being interviewed at the Southern Rail Depot at Selhurst.
The picture on the screen reflects reality on the ground in rich detail. Gather and share information between teams proactively. Because as soon as you switch to an intelligent, real-time reporting system the difference that information can make is immediate and real-time too. This is ideal for the transport industry where there are tight, time-sensitive performance and regulatory pressures. As Patrick Warner, Business Development Manager & Innovation Champion for Brighton and Hove buses explains,
“I think the Realtimeknowledge.com team have a really strong contribution to make here and as it happens, what initially started out as a conversation about bringing our driver walk around checks into the 21st century, very quickly mushroomed into the idea for a live tool that stays with the driver for the whole of their duty and can be used to flag up issues they encounter on the road with real time reports being sent to external stakeholders where necessary for things such as tree strikes, potholes or illegally parked cars which do so much to delay bus services.”
The Billion Journey Project has enabled business and service providers to work together to develop solutions that make a real difference. The insights gathered over site visits, meetings and cross-party discussions have helped to influence and guide product development.
“Our discussions have helped the concept evolve to make an even bigger impact. For me this really highlights the value of what we are doing with The Billion Journey Project,”
Patrick Warner
Providing great customer service is one of the key focus points at Brighton and Hove buses. Collecting the views of bus users matters because it helps teams to deliver the right service. Being part of the project has enabled us to tailor our customer feedback system so that it works well for the public transport sector.
Patrick Warner, Head of Innovation & Strategy at Brighton & Hove Buses being interviewed at the MetroBus Depot, Crawley.
We had discussions with passenger groups and they highlighted the importance of convenient feedback tools. As James pointed out, “ it needs to be easy and make a difference” and another passenger explained, “community engagement is very important, people want to interact…and they need an easy way to engage” Realtimeknowledge.com developed a user-friendly design, with an appealing interface and interactive touch-screen to encourage feedback.
ViewPoint gathers and allows teams to utilise customer opinion in real-time. Immediate, on-bus feedback points enable customers to express their views straight away giving a true insight of how they are really feeling throughout their journey. This allows you to accurately plot pain points and see how your service looks through the eyes of your passengers.
As Patrick Warner highlights, “ The, “in journey” tool could be used by customers to give live feedback, from the condition and cleanliness of bus stops and bus interiors, to roadside real time information screens, and in journey ride comfort and customer handling experience.”
Realtime Knowledge were one of the 7/10 companies from Cohort One to receive an ongoing contract with one of Go-Ahead’s operating companies, delivering their live reporting solution for Brighton & Hove Buses.
Live results bring honesty and location detail to your passenger feedback so your teams can target those areas that need most improvement. It also helps to highlight problems much more quickly. Developing loyalty and trust in your customers by understanding and resolving any issues raised.
Go-Ahead’s accelerator programme shows their intent to be leading innovators within the transport industry. Helping to ensure bus and rail travel is robust to present and future challenges and can surpass them. Investing in forward-thinking companies is a bold way to help deliver a great customer experience for each and every one of those billion journeys.
