Optibus Case Studies University of Cape Town Shuttle Streamlines Operations with Optibus

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	University of Cape Town Shuttle Streamlines Operations with Optibus Optibus

University of Cape Town Shuttle Streamlines Operations with Optibus

Optibus

Technology Category	Functional Applications - Fleet Management Systems (FMS) Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Application Development Platforms
Applicable Industries	Cities & Municipalities Transportation
Applicable Functions	Logistics & Transportation
Use Cases	Fleet Management Smart Campus
Services	System Integration Training
Challenge	The University of Cape Town (UCT) Shuttle, a private bus service providing transportation to 29,000 students and 5,000 staff members, was struggling with manual planning and scheduling processes. The shuttle service, which operates 19 routes with a fleet of 27 buses and 60 drivers, was essential for the university community to commute between the campus and greater Cape Town. However, the manual processes were tedious, time-consuming, and prone to human error. The UCT Shuttle team, despite their expertise in traditional manual processes, lacked experience in digital planning and scheduling systems. They sought a digital, automated solution to streamline their operations and improve efficiency. Read More
About Customer	The University of Cape Town’s private bus shuttle service, known as the UCT Shuttle, provides transportation services across the university campus, free of charge, to 29,000 students and 5,000 staff members. The UCT Shuttle is essential for students and staff to arrive on time at their lecture halls and offices, which are located on a private campus on the steep face of Cape Town’s iconic Table Mountain and not served by the city’s public transportation network. UCT Shuttle transports riders between the campus and greater Cape Town at the base of the mountain, where riders live, work, and play. With a fleet of 27 buses and 60 drivers, the UCT Shuttle operates 19 routes that run every day of the week (Sunday to Saturday) during the term, with special timetables for vacation and exam periods. Read More
Solution	In consultation with GoMetro, the technology arm of the GoAscendal global joint venture, UCT Shuttle selected Optibus’ Planning and Scheduling software platform. This cloud-native, AI-powered software platform transitioned the UCT Shuttle from manual to digital processes, resulting in faster timetable changes and better organization. The platform's intuitive, easy-to-use interface allowed the UCT Shuttle team to quickly adapt to the new system. Furthermore, Optibus’ cloud-native, digital platform enabled GoMetro to continue training operators remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. On September 1, 2020, GoMetro and UCT Shuttle launched a real-time fleet management system, GoMetro Fleet, with 30 UCT Shuttle vehicles, and a passenger information and communication mobile app. The Optibus tool was instrumental in digitizing the UCT Shuttle’s timetables and schedules into General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) format, significantly reducing the turnaround time in GTFS creation. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Functional Applications - Fleet Management Systems (FMS)

Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Application Development Platforms

Applicable Industries

Cities & Municipalities

Transportation

Applicable Functions

Logistics & Transportation

Use Cases

Fleet Management

Smart Campus

Services

System Integration

Training

Challenge

The University of Cape Town (UCT) Shuttle, a private bus service providing transportation to 29,000 students and 5,000 staff members, was struggling with manual planning and scheduling processes. The shuttle service, which operates 19 routes with a fleet of 27 buses and 60 drivers, was essential for the university community to commute between the campus and greater Cape Town. However, the manual processes were tedious, time-consuming, and prone to human error. The UCT Shuttle team, despite their expertise in traditional manual processes, lacked experience in digital planning and scheduling systems. They sought a digital, automated solution to streamline their operations and improve efficiency.

About Customer

The University of Cape Town’s private bus shuttle service, known as the UCT Shuttle, provides transportation services across the university campus, free of charge, to 29,000 students and 5,000 staff members. The UCT Shuttle is essential for students and staff to arrive on time at their lecture halls and offices, which are located on a private campus on the steep face of Cape Town’s iconic Table Mountain and not served by the city’s public transportation network. UCT Shuttle transports riders between the campus and greater Cape Town at the base of the mountain, where riders live, work, and play. With a fleet of 27 buses and 60 drivers, the UCT Shuttle operates 19 routes that run every day of the week (Sunday to Saturday) during the term, with special timetables for vacation and exam periods.

Solution

In consultation with GoMetro, the technology arm of the GoAscendal global joint venture, UCT Shuttle selected Optibus’ Planning and Scheduling software platform. This cloud-native, AI-powered software platform transitioned the UCT Shuttle from manual to digital processes, resulting in faster timetable changes and better organization. The platform's intuitive, easy-to-use interface allowed the UCT Shuttle team to quickly adapt to the new system. Furthermore, Optibus’ cloud-native, digital platform enabled GoMetro to continue training operators remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. On September 1, 2020, GoMetro and UCT Shuttle launched a real-time fleet management system, GoMetro Fleet, with 30 UCT Shuttle vehicles, and a passenger information and communication mobile app. The Optibus tool was instrumental in digitizing the UCT Shuttle’s timetables and schedules into General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) format, significantly reducing the turnaround time in GTFS creation.

Impact #1	The transition to Optibus’ Planning and Scheduling software platform has revolutionized the operations of the UCT Shuttle. The tedious, error-prone manual processes have been replaced with a streamlined, efficient digital system. The team has been able to quickly adapt to the new system, thanks to the platform's intuitive, easy-to-use interface. The launch of the real-time fleet management system and the passenger information and communication mobile app has improved the service's transparency and accessibility. The ability to frequently update the UCT Shuttle’s GTFS dataset has greatly improved the service, ensuring that the latest timetables and schedules are always available to the users. The partnership between Optibus and GoMetro has put schedule, data, and real-time data at the fingertips of the end user, significantly enhancing the overall user experience.

Impact #1

The transition to Optibus’ Planning and Scheduling software platform has revolutionized the operations of the UCT Shuttle. The tedious, error-prone manual processes have been replaced with a streamlined, efficient digital system. The team has been able to quickly adapt to the new system, thanks to the platform's intuitive, easy-to-use interface. The launch of the real-time fleet management system and the passenger information and communication mobile app has improved the service's transparency and accessibility. The ability to frequently update the UCT Shuttle’s GTFS dataset has greatly improved the service, ensuring that the latest timetables and schedules are always available to the users. The partnership between Optibus and GoMetro has put schedule, data, and real-time data at the fingertips of the end user, significantly enhancing the overall user experience.

Benefit #1	Transitioned from manual to digital processes, resulting in faster timetable changes
Benefit #2	Launched a real-time fleet management system with 30 UCT Shuttle vehicles
Benefit #3	Launched a passenger information and communication mobile app

Benefit #1

Transitioned from manual to digital processes, resulting in faster timetable changes

Benefit #2

Launched a real-time fleet management system with 30 UCT Shuttle vehicles

Benefit #3

Launched a passenger information and communication mobile app

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Overview

University of Cape Town Shuttle Streamlines Operations with Optibus

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit