13/11/2013

How Telematics Are Used on a Daily Basis Around the World

We often talk about how telematics can help your business, by ensuring your drivers use their vehicles in the most efficient and safest ways. But telematics play a part in the lives of so many people around the world. And often, they are used in the most ingenious ways.

Most people in South Africa get around via public transport. With cars something of a luxury for many people, commuters often have to travel to work via bus or train. But recently, a new range of smartphone apps have sprung up across the country, which have made ordering a taxi a much more efficient option.

According to the BBC, a range of local mobile platforms have been created to serve South Africa’s commuters, in a move which has been hailed by developers as “testimony to this wave that’s growing in Africa…this upsurge of technology, particularly in mobile.”

Telematics Increase Safety and Efficiency

One of the most interesting apps, is Snappcab, launched earlier this year. This app aims to make the experience of getting a taxi much safer, something which appeals to many South Africans. The app, sends details of a driver and their car to a commuter so that they know who is arriving to pick them up. Users can also communicate with their driver directly, and the app uses GPS to plot the drivers route on a smartphone.

Basic telematics are used to ensure that users feel safe, and to increase efficiency.

Another app which has proven popular with many South Africans, is Zapacab – officially the first cab hailing mobile platform. Zapacab allows commuters to order their cabs, and also plot their route via their smartphones, a feature which again has increased efficiency and safety.

The success of these apps has not been overnight. There have been a number of challenges, particularly the training of drivers to use the app. Introducing the app to a cab, is not just a “plug and play” process, according to Rupert Sully, the founder of Zapacab.

Encouraging Drivers

He told the BBC, it’s important that the drivers “are very comfortable with the whole concept that these markets are becoming more tech-savvy.” He claims that teaching many drivers “how to use smartphone interfaces that (are placed) in their cars, is a unique challenge.”

It’s not just taxis that are utilising telematics. Many South Africans use trains and mini buses, when commuting to work. There are many apps that provide information about these modes of transport as well. The demand for these kind of apps has come from the rise of technology across Africa, particularly in the transportation sector.

Backed by the ground-breaking Innovation Hub, apps like Zapacab and Snappcab are helping to use telematics in a practical way. There has been a huge push for IT development in the African transportation sector, according to the BBC.

Gary Bannatyne, incubation business development manager at the Innovation Hub told the BBC, technology is “very crucial in the transport space and it’s a huge focus of ours to enable these guys who have the solutions in that space.”

It’s great to see telematics being used so successfully, particularly to provide a first class service for many ordinary people.

For more information about telematics, and how fleet management systems can help your business give us a call on 01928 715 724.

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