According to GP Singh , however , with the accension of so many different technologies and data comes a severe lack of actionable information , which can result in an undeniably overwhelmed customer base . “ There has been so much hunger and demand for the digitalization and the data ,” Singh said . “ And what ' s happening is they ' ve added all these technologies and sometimes it feels like these customers are working for the technology rather than the technology working for them .” However , with the demand for change came the inevitable response . Vendors began rapidly adding technology to vehicles . First came pre-trip and post-trip inspections , then GPS devices , event-based video cameras , vehicle-tracking applications , remote programming with respect to vehicle diagnostics , predictive maintenance , and driver tablets . With a severe lack of connectivity and actionable information , providing actionable analytics and integration was a key gap within the transportation industry that Singh ’ s company , Bytecurve , was looking to fill . Singh explained that the main purpose of Bytecurve was to build a single operating platform offering a multitude of functionalities such as scheduling , dispatch , time management and payroll . “ The main objective with our platform is to bring all these data sources together so that they can make their passengers safer , they can get the bus on time to school as planned , and they can stay within their managed budget and maintain their profitability ,” Singh said . Maureen Cosyn Heath ’ s managerial perspective provided an insight into how utilizing data and analytics within the transportation industry might be done effectively . “ We focus on contracting and procurement and bridging the policy gap between the contractors and the service delivery ,” Cosyn Heath explained . “ When I think about using data to drive decision-making , I tend to look at it in a couple of different phases . The input , the integration , the output , and then finally the outcome .”
Cosyn Heath noted that while the data is readily available through the utilization of GIS , student databases , and bus registration forms , it is the raw integration of how that data is used that helps to drive the business processes forward , turning the data outputs into useful snippets and influencing the customer-stakeholder experience . “ At the end of the day , the most important data driver is the outcome ,” Cosyn Heath said . “ It ' s aiming for self-actualization that we are using our data to drive good business decisions , to set effective operations , environmentally sustainable transportation , that we ' re fiscally responsible , and that we are able to create good public policy based on the data that is available in our systems .” In the province of Ontario , consortiums are the midpoint between the boards , the school districts , the students , and the policy engine , with the province utilizing a wholly contracted model of operation . When a consortia is considering data , STS is both a generator of data for end users and a consumer of data from the contractor . “ When it comes to all the good high caliber data that they ' re able to harness on drivers , safety , and vehicle performance , we don ' t necessarily generate it ,” Cosyn Heath explained . With different perspectives on what constitutes necessary data integration , Cosyn Heath noted that there can be a significant disconnect between the needs of the consortium and the needs of a contractor , creating a lag in student transportation technology compared with what is normally seen in public transit . While the demand for student transportation is increasing , capacity issues and a reduced or fixed supply in drivers and vehicles due to COVID-19 create a continuous constraint on the industry . “ It ' s when contractors and the consortia start working together in terms of data analytics and integration to help solve our common problems that we can use the data to collaboratively assist how we drive effectiveness and efficiency in this sector and influence the outcome ,” Cosyn Heath said .
20 | BUSRIDE . COM | AUG / SEPT 2021