Grimsby Dial-A-Ride, an independent charity that transports over 60,000 disabled and elderly people across North East Lincolnshire every year, has installed vehicle tracking systems from CMS SupaTrak into its fleet of mini-buses.

The charity is working in partnership with CMS SupaTrak to make its fleet more efficient and cost effective.  As part of this, the SupaTrak system enables Dial-A-Ride to monitor the precise location of its drivers and their individual driving styles so the charity can make operational improvements.

Midge Curry, co-ordinator for Grimsby Dial-A-Ride, said: “The service we provide really is critical in helping our customers maintain their independence. 

“Our fleet of 12 mini-buses transport more than 1200 passengers a week across the region, providing a door-to-door service, seven days a week. 

“It is therefore vital that we know where our vehicles are at any one time so we can plan driver routes more effectively.

“The vehicle tracking solution from CMS SupaTrak has been absolutely invaluable since it has been installed. 

“The major benefit is knowing the locations of our vehicles, so we can identify where savings can be made to driver routes and passenger journeys. Not only does this make our service more reliable and efficient, but it also saves us money from a reduced fuel bill.

“To highlight how effective this has been, we have recently put two additional mini-buses onto the road and are paying no more for fuel now than we were when we were operating 10 vehicles.”

The SupaTrak system is a live GPS vehicle tracking solution that provides 24/7 fleet visibility. The system utilises a secure online vehicle tracking application so users can access data about their vehicles on their computer or mobile device. 

Vehicle data is updated every 60 seconds, recording information such as location and speed. To complement this, the solution records historic journeys, allowing users to see the history of where their vehicle has been.

Curry continued: “Another reason why the SupaTrak system has been so effective is it allows us to monitor driver behaviour and improve fuel economy. 

“Our drivers are volunteers, not professional drivers, therefore any feedback we have been able to give them to help them cut out bad driving practices, such as excessive braking and idling for example, are always well received.

“In addition, the tracking system has also helped us stop our drivers using our mini-buses for personal use or moonlighting.  Whilst this doesn’t happen very often, the system does allow us to set up ring fences so we get alerts when a vehicle enters or leaves a set area.”    

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