ABC Cars

Like all private hire car operators, ABC has long relied on vehicle-mounted two way radios to keep drivers in touch with base for allocating jobs, dispatching vehicles etc.

Vehicle-mounted radios have a superior signal range to the familiar ‘walkietalkie’ handsets used widely across industry. But still, the distances they are effective over remain limited. ABC operators were struggling to get good coverage around the local area at all times. Then when drivers went further afield, on runs to Stansted and London City Airports, for example, the control team lost contact with them completely.

Dispatch operators were having to repeatedly check in with drivers to see where they were located before they could assign someone to a pick up. This was proving to be a drag on efficiency and was increasing wait times for customers. There has been a trend in recent years in taxi firms adopting app-based dispatch technologies that run on driver’s smartphones.

But these largely rely on instant messaging and a ‘tap and swipe’ system for drivers to accept jobs while on the move.

ABC bosses still wanted to maintain voice communication with drivers, as they felt it was important for drivers and the control team to be able to talk to one another to share information freely about their location, traffic conditions, ETAs etc. Besides, this is what ABC drivers were used to. They turned to their local wireless communications specialists for a helping hand.

We were very pleased to be able to point ABC bosses in the direction of IDARO – a brand new concept in wireless business communications that suits the needs of transport operators down to the ground.

IDARO is a hybrid concept that combines the push-to-talk convenience and simplicity of two-way radio with mobile technology – devices connected to cellular networks via a SIM card. This delivers a true all-in-one solution for modern teams, combining universal connectivity with multiple communication options using 3G and 4G data, including ultra-reliable voice.

We supplied ABC Cars drivers and head office with Entel DN495 half keypad push-to-talk handsets fitted with EE SIM cards. Thanks to IDARO software and an EE contract, these low-cost devices are able to do a better job at keeping all drivers in touch with base wherever a job takes them, at a lower price than vehicle-mounted radios.

Each handset was supplied with remote speaker mics, providing the drivers with a radio-style set up that to all intents and purposes worked exactly the same as their old radios – just with global coverage. We also supplied specialist dispatcher software to the control room which allowed the dispatch team to see live GPS locations of all drivers, further helping them to allocate jobs swiftly and efficiently.