Case Study: First Group Punctuality
Case Study: First Group Punctuality
The Challenge: To Improve Service Punctuality and Improving efficiency
Nicola Shaw and Dave Kaye of First Group face the challenge of improving service quality and punctuality across the entire First Group Bus Fleet. Knowing that Investment had been made over the years by various local authorities and operating companies within First Group in Real Time monitoring systems, an integrated and consistent method of automatically recording punctuality data was sought, whilst at the same time proving the benefits available to them by doing so.
The Solution: First group naturally approached ACIS given our experience in tracking, monitoring in real time and recording historical performance data. The solution was to take three operating companies within First Group which were already equipped and undertake a punctuality improvement programme within these companies to measure the benefits of utilising the real time fleet management and historical data warehousing to bring about service changes to improve service punctuality.
This involved:
- 3 depots, Huddersfield, Aberdeen and York
- Approximately 450 vehicles equipped
- Real time web based fleet management in all depots including mobile PDA access
- Utilising Voice Radio communication infrastructure for all vehicles and depots
- Utilising web based analytics packages for the analysis of all historic service performance data
- Upgrading some systems to enable the punctuality reporting by Driver against service metrics
- Providing high quality bus industry professional services to train and enable local staff to operate in real time as well as analyse historical data to inform revised timetables
The Program
The program operated for a period of eight weeks, following agreement with senior management at the outset on the key performance indicators to be monitored (agreed on origin point compliance and timing point compliance), targets were set for improvement and the strategy to realise these targets was agreed.
During the period, intensive training and focus was applied initially on the real time usage of the system to focus on improving the origin point compliance (i.e the compliance within traffic commissioner guidelines of vehicle departures at the beginning of a route). This training was enhanced through intensive operating days demonstrating day to day and minute by minute supervisory interventions to address performance slippage throughout the day.
In parallel, training was given by specialist professionals in the techniques available utilising the analytics package to analyse historic service performance to strategically identify and rectify timetable and schedule problems causing lost punctuality performance. This work was further enhanced with specialist ACIS scheduling professionals working with the schedulers within First Group to modify and design new improved operating schedules to improve punctuality. These schedules were then registered within the Traffic Commissioners notice period of 56 days to enable the new timetables to come into operation. The purpose of this work was to address punctuality at mid route timing points which are much more succeptable to timetable and schedule deficiencies.
Results
Throughout the program a number of critical observations were found whereby different operating systems and practices within the First Depots were found and overcome.
In overcoming many of these, origin punctuality improved across all services monitored by between 3% and 10%, with all services proving that achieving the 95% traffic commissioner guidelines is achievable with 100% being achieved on several services on several days.
Where re-scheduling took place within the program timescales, a step change in punctuality at mid route timing points was achieved averaging at a 15% timing point punctuality improvement.
This exercise proved without doubt that with the right resources, targeted in the correct way, punctuality improvements and the service delivery efficiencies are real and tangible and that the prospect of both delivering a better quality service, whilst improving efficiency and therefore profitability can be achieved.