Bus Company Combines AS/400 With Telematics, Enjoys Smoother Operation

Published: August 21, 2007

by Dan Burger

Coach Canada, a subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group--an organization that operates 2,800 buses and coaches in North America and 7,000 in the United Kingdom--was looking for a fleet management solution that could integrate its back-end systems residing on IBM AS/400 servers with data derived from route geofences (a self-defined geographical region), drivers' logs, and in-cab communications. The company's final decision was to go to WebTech Wireless and its Quadrant system of vehicle-based telematics using GPS tracking on the GSM/GPRS network.

WebTech's Quadrant system configuration for Coach Canada includes the WT6000 Locator coupled with a mobile data terminal (MDT). The WT6000 records data for periodic transfer over the GSM/GPRS network and is able to receive over-the-air upgrades of parameters such as route geofences. The MDT enables more than 750 drivers to log-in with individual driver IDs enabling accurate, automated driver log compliance for Transport Canada and the United States Department of Transportation.

Integration with existing AS/400 business systems platform includes custom forms and reporting that combine data from the WT6000 Locator, the MDT, and the AS/400s.

"Many so-called telematics solutions just provide a dot on a map, which adds very little business value," said James Devlin, president of Coach Canada. "The WebTech Wireless Quadrant system integrates with our business and provides the management information we need to run the business most effectively. We can make better decisions about fleet utilization and deployment to better serve our customers, identifying areas of cost-saving and reducing the administrative time spent on compliance issues such as driver logs."

"We designed and built our Quadrant system to have maximum flexibility across a variety of industries, which makes it simple to achieve the level of integration required by Coach Canada," commented Anwar Sukkarie, WebTech Wireless president and CEO. "The bus and coach industry worldwide is one of the many transport segments where WebTech Wireless is experiencing success."

WebTech Wireless products include wireless hardware and software services running on cellular and satellite networks, and include automatic vehicle location, mapping, reporting, vehicle diagnostics, driver status, in-vehicle telemetry, messaging, in-vehicle navigation, and wireless application and Internet connectivity.

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