Brent Council is one of 32 London boroughs. The London Borough of Brent operates a wide range of vehicles focusing on special needs transport. The borough is full of outstanding architecture and is home to a number of important landmarks, Brent is situated in the North West of London and is also part of WestTrans. Simon Finney, Head of Service, explains how the borough has monitored routing and scheduling.
“The borough was an early participant of FORS having been introduced to the scheme by TfL, we quickly realised the benefits FORS would bring not only to us as a London borough but to the wider transport industry, we have embraced the ethos of FORS over a number of years.
“I have taken over the FORS role from another manager and my experience with FORS has been positive from the outset. The borough passed the initial assessment first time round. With help from Fleet Development, we progressed to FORS Silver and now we are aiming for FORS Gold accreditation. The entire process has supported and encouraged us improve our systems.
“Vehicle tracking and the effective use of resources has been a priority of the borough for some time. We operate a pre-planned and reactive service to vulnerable citizens within our community. As part of the tracking systems recently introduced we have been able to analyse the way we undertake routing and scheduling ensuring we have greater control of the fleet.
“My experience of FORS have been positive”
“We quickly identified where efficiencies could be made. We have reduced empty miles operated, had part consolidation of routes and are better placed to deal w
ith those reactive occurrences that frequently take place. We are better placed to understand the exact location of our vehicles at any time ensuing we are better placed to deal with any issues that may arise.
“We also now have the capability to analyse the tracking system to clearly identify driving infractions such as early running and late running, we now also monitor vehicle location and in part driver behaviour such as over speed and harsh braking. When required we have been able to analyse the information as part of our vehicle incident control procedures, we are able to identify a number key factors to help us identify any mitigating circumstances and allow us to address any training issues.
“In the future we also intend to introduce the FORS practitioner course as part of continued development for borough managers.”
“We have embraced the ethos of FORS”
“Becoming FORS Gold accredited demonstrates we have a commitment to improvement. We have embraced the ethos of FORS ensuring we introduce advanced training and develop our systems, our client base can be assured they are using safe, reliable and compliant transport.”