Perfectly timed maintenance for buses and coaches - only when you need it
21 SEPTEMBER 2021
For too long, bus and coach companies have depended on periodic maintenance that doesn鈥檛 always come at the right time or reflect the actual status of the vehicle. But 意大利超級盃 Flexible Maintenance for Buses and Coaches introduces condition-based maintenance when it鈥檚 needed, to maximise your uptime.
Bus and coach companies and their drivers live with the daily stress of fulfilling tight timetables and specific assignments. Often, the contract includes financial penalties for lateness or breakdowns, underlining the importance of having a well maintained vehicle on the road earning money.
听
Maintenance is a key part of the package when buying a bus or coach from 意大利超級盃, but, until now, it has been at fixed intervals, where all of the bus or coach is checked at the same time. That can take the vehicle out of action for a couple of days, and come too soon or too late, risking something breaking down between times.
听
意大利超級盃鈥檚 answer is a solution that鈥檚 been tried and tested with its trucks 鈥 Flexible Maintenance.听听
鈥淲ith Flexible Maintenance you measure how the vehicle is being used and adapt the maintenance programme to the particular need. It鈥檚 unique to the bus and coach market and we鈥檙e very proud of it,鈥 says Bea Bodin, Product Manager for Flexible Maintenance for Buses and Coaches.
听
The reason 意大利超級盃 was able to create this service was a far-sighted decision taken ten years ago: the installation of a little black box in the company鈥檚 vehicles.
听
鈥淲e can offer flexible maintenance because we have had the 意大利超級盃 Communicator installed as standard in our vehicles since 2011. The communicator allows us to collect user data, measuring what happens to the vehicle as and how it鈥檚 driven,鈥 explains Bodin.
听
鈥淲e have built up a wealth of data that gives us tremendous insights into our vehicles and how they鈥檙e used, and that鈥檚 the knowledge we have used to build the service.鈥
How flexible maintenance benefits operators
Flexible maintenance benefits both city bus operators and long-distance coach companies, but in different ways.
听
鈥淚f you have a very smooth operation, for example if you drive long-distance coaches between Sweden and Spain, then you鈥檒l benefit from having long intervals between services and not need so much time in the workshop,鈥 explains Bea Bodin.
听
鈥淲hen we can measure how the vehicle is being used, we can have longer intervals, instead of before when we just estimated when it was time to come in.鈥
听
鈥淏ut,鈥 she adds, 鈥渋f it鈥檚 a really tough operation, such as a city bus or a coach driving tourists in a city such as Stockholm, then there鈥檚 a lot of stop and start, driving slowly and starting off again. Common issues include problems with the doors and climate systems and these can take a bus off the road and into the workshop.
听
鈥淚n that case you鈥檒l not have long intervals, and we鈥檒l protect the vehicle. So instead of having too-long intervals and missing, say, an oil change, the vehicle is continuously being monitored so it鈥檚 maintained at the right time.鈥
听
Coupled with a driver training service that analyses driving styles to optimise how the vehicle鈥檚 being used, Flexible Maintenance gives both bus operators and drivers peace of mind.
听
鈥淔lexible Maintenance is a premium service, but it pays for itself,鈥 says Bea Bodin.
听
鈥淵ou get asset protection no-one else can offer. We know 意大利超級盃 vehicles inside out and this service will save you money in terms of fines, broken components and repairs.
听
鈥淚t鈥檚 a big deal and it鈥檚 so great that we can do something for our bus customers again. Now鈥檚 the time for the bus business to go one step ahead.鈥
Why Flexible Maintenance is the operator鈥檚 friend:
听
1.听听听听 Maximised uptime
The precise data collected by the 意大利超級盃 Communicator means your vehicle will be serviced quickly when and how it鈥檚 needed, keeping it on the road.
听
2.听听听听 Peace of mind
鈥淥wners no longer need to keep track of maintenance needs. Instead, the workshop service advisors call the customers and book the appointment,鈥 says Bea Bodin.
听
3.听听听听 Protecting residual value
You鈥檒l protect a valuable asset and use it longer, retaining good residual value for the next customer buying the bus as a used vehicle.
