· case study · 4 min read
DIY mobile apps put Tranzit Coachlines on the road to greater efficiency
Tranzit saw an opportunity to update the time-honoured system whereby bus drivers filled in daily 'running sheets' to record kilometres travelled, shift numbers and fuel use, and other operational information. She turned to the Tabral platform to develop an app that would run on Android phones or tablets and automate the entire process.
The Challenge
Tranzit Coachlines has seen a lot of changes since its first bus drove out onto the highway in 1913. Still owned and operated by the original founder’s family, the company now has more than 500 employees and operates coach services throughout New Zealand. With thousands of passenger journeys every day and six busy workshops to manage, Tranzit needs to operate at peak efficiency.
The Director in charge of Tranzit’s systems and business data, Robyn Snelgrove, knew the days of paper-based processes were ending. It was time to look at replacing them with smarter ways of gathering and managing business data.
The solution: mobilise core processes with DIY mobile apps
Robyn saw an opportunity to update the time-honoured system whereby bus drivers filled in daily ‘running sheets’ to record kilometres travelled, shift numbers and fuel use, and other operational information. She turned to the Tabral platform to develop an app that would run on Android phones or tablets and automate the entire process.
Tabral provided training and webinars to help Tranzit develop its own custom-built app - which proved very handy when the business decided to introduce mobile technology into other parts of its business.
The next project was a workshop management app that let staff load servicing data without delay. Next, Tranzit created a Tabral digital form for driver training. Running on Android tablets, this made it easy for driver trainers to conduct assessments during training sessions, with data sent direct to the Training Manager via a wireless connection.
Portable and future-proof
Tranzit appreciated the flexibility of the Tabral platform when it decided to adjust some aspects of its apps.
For instance, it became apparent that tablets weren’t the best data-gathering tool within a workshop environment. No problem - it was a simple matter to recreate the workshop app on the company’s workshop PCs. This meant Tranzit could send data direct to its own servers.
Tranzit quickly grasped how simple Tabral makes it to develop apps for just about any business process. The company planned to develop its own mobile forms for depot and workshop inspections. As Robyn Snelgrove says, anything that’s currently a paper form could become a digital app.
As well as being flexible, the Tabral platform is cost-effective. Since Tranzit purchased a Tabral licence, it now has everything it needs to develop apps internally for any process it wants to automate. It’s DIY mobile app software. Instead of paying expensive IT developers, the company can create its own digital apps in-house.
Making data easier to capture
The Tabral platform is designed to be implemented by non-technical people - and Tabral provides all the support you need to make it work.
Robyn Snelgrove agrees. “Tabral were very supportive and helpful. The webinar they ran was a great way to introduce the technology and help us implement it in our business.”
The results are apparent within daily operations. Tranzit now has instant access to data on the key factors within its operations - from vehicle maintenance to driver training.
“We can see the data in the format we want - and it’s available to import into our systems as soon as it’s captured by the apps. Previously, it would have taken days.”
Executive Summary
Tranzit Coachlines runs coach services throughout New Zealand, with over 500 employees and a multi-million dollar fleet of vehicles.
Previously, the company relied on paper-based check sheets and forms to capture data on everything from daily operations to workshop turnover.
Developing its own apps with the Tabral DIY mobile app platform enabled Tranzit to mobilise many of its processes, so that data is captured at source and imported into the company’s IT system.
User-friendly design tools and training from Tabral meant Tranzit can now create further apps for business processes, without paying extra development costs.
The company has seen major gains in efficiency throughout core business processes, from daily coach operations to vehicle maintenance and driver training.