Transport software online comes mostly in two forms, hybrid (partially online) and cloud (fully online). There are distinct differences between the two and really in our view, transport software online must be fully cloud, therefore fully online, and here’s why…
Given that the nature of transport services is driven by passenger demand, it means services occur in real-time. This means journey requests come in, drivers are searched, vehicles are booked out and everything is seamless (at least it should be with the correct transport software at your fingertips).
The hybrid cloud model is slightly different. It’s only partially online and the remainder of the software is offline, such as images, code and the data sets. To make this distinction easier, think hybrid car. In a hybrid car you are part fuel and part battery – it’s a hybrid vehicle. When the car is able to, it will operate from battery (when most likely at lower speeds to reduce carbon emissions in built up areas) and at higher speeds will operate from fuel, to literally fuel the increased power required. This works well! However, the same however cannot be said for a hybrid cloud setup for transport software.
In a hybrid cloud setup, your data is not fully online. Data will sync only when you ask it to. This presents some major issues when it comes to transport software.
Hybrid Cloud Problems
transport bookings happen in real time which means resources need to be assessed in real time so you can respond instantly. Imagine a transport team dispersed across a wide area. 50 bookings are taken from site A and 30 bookings are taken from site B. By the time site B has synced up to site A, resources would have been wrongly allocated as data would not be synced up correctly. You just wouldn’t be in alignment. This would result in double bookings, cancellations not getting through to the drivers and passengers’ confidence in your services being greatly diminished. Further issues with the hybrid model include:
- Software updates not being applied in sync resulting in data crashes
- Operating platforms working from incompatible versions
- Data migration issues
- No real-time data resulting in delayed decision-making.
Why Transport Software Online Wins
You always need your transport platform to be fully active online. Take Road XS for example (which is a complete secure transport software cloud service).
When your drivers access the driver portal whether it’s on a mobile, tablet or desktop device (and no matter where from), they are always interacting with real-time data. This means that they are working in tandem with the office and demands of your passengers. This prevents human error and means that your entire transport services can operate with confidence.
Not only this, but with your transport software online you can:
- Receive instant transport software updates
- Enhance security with advanced security settings
- Access in-depth real-time reporting
- Access GPS progress updates
- Respond instantly to change
- And more …
You can’t go wrong nowadays with choosing an online transport software, especially a software rich in features which improves over time to better suit your requirements now and in the future. Hopefully this article helped you realise the value of working in the cloud in today’s demand responsive transport environment.
