QRoutes points out that optimised routes will degrade over time, without regular re-planning, adding to operational costs. The software overcomes this by automating route planning and, crucially, enabling operators to repeat the exercise as often as necessary, creating visual map-based results “in minutes”.
The tool enables planners to explore ‘what-if’ scenarios to find improved routes and can take into account variables such as board and alight times for different passenger types, and road type speed settings, which can be calibrated from actual journey times.
The planner configures the tool according to vehicle type, cost, time and distance travelled, CO2 emissions and other variables.
New features include the ability to prioritise which vehicles are included in the routing, allowing the selection of in-house fleets over external contracts, and visibility of height restrictions that might affect vehicle access.
“In developing QRoutes, we knew it was essential to produce a solution that was relatively inexpensive, could be implemented quickly and produce almost immediate results. For these purposes, it needed to be cloud-based, so that people could just turn to it and use it,” said Jeff Duffell, business development director, QRoutes.
“QRoutes has the speed and economic viability to re-optimise the system very quickly, and of course this can be repeated over time. It also allows planning to take place at a particular time of the year when requirements are known, rather than undertaking the process over a period of months,” explained Duffell.