Intro to My Transport Planner

Agility in the New Normal

Is the age of the contract coming to an end? Pay-as-you-go route optimisation platforms offer fleets the flexibility they need.

Now more than ever, organisations need to remain agile in order to meet the changing needs of their clients and stakeholders. For fleet managers, this means full flexibility from the platforms they use. My Transport Planner is unique among route optimisation platforms, as it is available on a proper pay-as-you-go basis – no contract, no minimum monthly spend, and no usage requirements.

My Transport Planner was created by The Algorithm People to bring the benefits of route optimisation to small and medium-sized fleets. “I used to be a transport manager, so I understand the pressure that anyone looking after vehicles and drivers is under,” said Colin Ferguson, CEO, of The Algorithm People. “We approached the design and development of our platform from their perspective.”

Ferguson’s vision was to create a PAYG platform that was quick and easy to use, at an affordable price, delivering a strong return on investment, and that was fully web-based. My Transport Planner ticks all of these boxes.

EV COMPATIBILITY The set-up process is straightforward: Create an account, and import details about your vehicles, locations, and drivers. Users can refer to a library of tutorial videos to help them with any issues, and there is also an online user manual as well as a help desk.

To use the system, simply import the jobs to be done, along with any special customer requirements such as time slots. If some of your assets are electric vehicles (EVs), you can enter their range into My Transport Planner so it ensures they have sufficient charge to cover the distance required. Users can click on a job to allocate it to a vehicle or can draw around push pins on a map to drag and drop a group of jobs onto a vehicle. If the vehicle is delivering goods, the platform keeps track of weight and dimensions to ensure vehicles are not overloaded.

Once all jobs are allocated, the user clicks the “optimise” button and the algorithms calculate the most efficient route and schedule. “It’s a very intuitive and user-friendly system,” said Ferguson. “You don’t need any previous experience of route optimisation to get up and running very quickly.”

PRICING MODEL Users simply use a credit card to buy credits, for 99p each. One credit pays to optimise one vehicle for one day, making My Transport Planner very competitive compared to other route optimisation platforms. Other payment options include PAYG invoiced monthly in arrears, while customers who want a contract are incentivised with substantial price discounts. They can also upgrade to a contract version packed with additional features such as a driver app.

“The pay-as-you-go model enables anyone to try it out without having endless rounds of sales calls or signing a long-term contract,” said Ferguson. “Software is increasingly available on a monthly subscription model, called Software as a Service (SaaS). However, in many cases you have to remember to cancel it in advance if you don’t want it; meaning it limits your flexibility. True pay-as-you-go means you only ever pay for what you need, when you need it.”

SME BENEFITS My Transport Planner was specifically designed to unlock the benefits of route optimisation for small and medium-sized companies (SMEs). Its customer base runs from family-owned businesses with a handful of vehicles, through to nationwide chains like Selco Builders Warehouse. “There is no difference in the benefits whether you have ten vehicles or a thousand,” said Ferguson. “Our smaller customers can achieve the same percentage savings as the national fleets.”

The PAYG model also presents the opportunity for companies to regularly optimise milk round-style operations, where vehicles typically travel the same route and visit the same locations every day. “Once in a while it really pays to reassess your routes in order to make sure you’re still efficient,” said Ferguson. “My Transport Planner makes this type of regular review affordable and accessible.”

Case Study: Yorkshire Water

Fleet analysis by The Algorithm People Using its unique EV toolkit, the company analysed is helping Yorkshire Water make journey data from a sample of 100 vans in Yorkshire Water’s fleet. Drivers take the vehicles home after their data-based decisions on its shifts, so the analysis was based on recharging the EVs strategy to decarbonise its fleet. overnight. The conclusions surprised everyone: Based on the real-world range of electric vans, 88 per cent reach net zero by 2030 and its use of renewable energy. of all vehicles in the sample were suitable for

Yorkshire Water is committed to achieve net electrification. Furthermore, 95 per cent zero carbon by 2030, which includes of all daily routes could be achieved electrifying the 1,400 vans in its fleet. The utility company, which has secured Go Ultra Low fleet accreditation, has made a strong start, investing in Nissan e-NV200 electric vans. It estimates that the vehicles will reduce total fleet emissions by five per cent and generate savings over their seven-year life span. Yorkshire Water is developing a 10year plan to decarbonise its fleet, including introducing electric vehicles “88 per cent of all vehicles in the sample were suitable for electrification” without the need for a top-up charge. David Hibbs, Head of Fleet for Yorkshire Water said: “The analysis from The Algorithm People gave us exactly what we wanted – clear, evidence-based answers to the question of how much potential there is to electrify our fleet.” The company has been working to reduce carbon emissions since and piloting the use of CNG and 2014 and in 2019 it reported an 80% hydrogen power. In order to identify the reduction in operational emissions, most appropriate next steps in its strategy, compared to 2005. It has made the water company turned to EV fleet analysis substantial investment in anaerobic digestion specialists The Algorithm People for assistance. technologies to generate renewable energy from Natalie Hughes, Director of Partners and Corporate Accounts sites, as well as committing to buying only certified for The Algorithm People, said: “Yorkshire Water is deeply renewable energy. This means that its electric vehicles committed to sustainability, as shown by its pledge to will deliver the best possible reduction in emissions. sewage sludge that is used to power its operational Our role is to provide analysis to support that vision, by “The results really gave us food for thought,” added Hibbs. providing the data that can enable our client to make “There is further work to be done to get the complete picture clear, evidence-based decisions on the next steps.” from our entire fleet, but it is a fantastic start.”