April/May 2008

Chambers, a major coach and bus operator in Northern Ireland, is using satellite tracking to monitor the movements of thirty 'demand-responsive' vehicles that are allocated to work involving the transport of disabled and elderly people.

The company has chosen the Internet-based satellite-tracking solution from Masternaut Three X. This has been implemented as part of a £5 million investment in a new operating centre and new fleet of luxury coaches.

The Masternaut application has been integrated with a booking and fleet management system from Distinctive Systems, one of the best-known software packages in the passenger market.

The overall system includes dashboard-mounted PDA devices, which serve as part of a real-time driver information and navigation system. Drivers now receive route bookings and orders on the GPS/GPRS-enabled devices, and the Masternaut tracking allows the company to track and monitor their progress also in real time.

The company says it now plans to roll out the Masternaut system over the rest of its fleet.