Oxford Bus Company’s innovative new ride-sharing service is called PickMeUp. Andy Izatt went to the launch last Thursday
Oxford Bus Company has launched what it describes as an ‘intelligent’ algorithm-based, on-demand, ride-sharing service called PickMeUp. It enables a passenger using an app developed in conjunction with Via, a US-based marketing company specialising in ride-sharing technology, to book a ride on a minibus between any two of 1,906 virtual bus stops in the ‘Eastern Arc’ of Oxford. [wlm_nonmember][…]
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PickMeUp went live on Monday 25 June and encompasses a 12.2 square mile area covering the railway station, Thornhill and Redbridge Park & Ride sites, the Science Park, Oxford Business Park, the John Radcliffe, Churchill and NOC (Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre) hospitals, University Science Area and Brookes University.
The service operates between 0600hrs and 2300hrs Monday to Friday and between 0900hrs and 2000hrs at weekends, with an expected average response time of around 10 minutes. An introductory fare of £2.50 per journey is being charged, with a surcharge of £2.50 if the journey could be made via an existing Oxford Bus Company high frequency bus route where the walk to the stop is 200 metres or less. Multi journey and period pass options are available.
Oxford Bus Company, which is piloting the project on behalf of the Go-Ahead Group, has invested £850,000 in six 17-seat (including four tip-ups) EvoBus (UK)-modified and supplied Mercedes-Benz Sprinters. Each has high-back seating, WiFi, USB charging points and wheelchair access via a foldout entrance ramp. Five standees are allowed in each vehicle.
“We talked to several potential suppliers, but it was the service support that EvoBus was prepared to offer and the speed with which it could deliver the vehicles that secured it the business,” explained Phil Southall, Oxford Bus Company Managing Director. “One of the modifications it made for us was removing the assault screens that had been fitted because we didn’t want those.
“Fifteen drivers have been recruited as have two additional customer service people who monitor the service from our Cowley House head office. They work the full range of shifts and there’s coverage seven days a week. Half the drivers have transferred from Oxford Bus, but the others are new to the industry and we’re training all of them to be full PCV holders. They’re employed on Thames Travel terms and conditions which are above the Oxford living wage.”
Meeting a need
Said Phil: “Local people have made it clear to us that they are open to alternatives to using their cars – but whilst our existing services are excellent at providing radial routes into the city centre, I am continually told that orbital connectivity ‘around the ring road’ is missing for those who wish to give up their car when travelling to sites in the Eastern Arc. Our PickMeUp service provides this connectivity and is a idea in transport, using the very latest mapping and aggregation technology, and it’s got the potential to be part of the solution in tackling air quality and traffic congestion in many towns and cities.
“It’s the right time to launch. There are some tough decisions that Oxfordshire politicians need to make to take demand management to the next level in the city. Workplace parking levies, congestion charging and more bus gates are amongst the options coming up for consideration in the next 12 months. With this service we’re providing the connectivity that will hopefully make that political decision making process easier.
“There are 33,000 people who are trying to travel into the Eastern Arc on a daily basis. Some employers have taken the initiative and started their own service which we don’t feel is the right way forward. We’re hoping that this service will provide a one stop shop and a solution for all. Because of that, it’s important that we try and capture as many shift patterns as possible through extended operating hours.
“PickMeUp is cheaper than a taxi and more flexible than a bus. For people who are prepared to share their rides, we’re offering a street corner to street corner service that gets them around more efficiently. It’s not a door-to-door bespoke individual service like a taxi, but it is cost effective. It’s not uncommon for a taxi to cost £9-10 for quite a short journey in Oxford.
“The average waiting time over the first three days of operation was 7.41 minutes while the average journey time has been around 15 minutes. The technology is intelligent enough to work out that passengers don’t want to be going on several diversions to pick up others so it will reallocate those people to different vehicles.
“If a passenger doesn’t show up within a minute it’s flagged up as a no show and the minibus carries on because it would otherwise affect other people’s waiting times, but we send a text two minutes before arrival to say the bus is two minutes away. Another text says that it has now arrived.
“If the passenger’s waiting time has been extended, he or she will get a text telling them that’s the case. If their journey is reassigned because a minibus has got stuck in traffic and it’s now more appropriate to schedule another vehicle, they will be told about that as well. It’s all quite dynamic and interactive. We’re keeping people informed and they can contact our customer services team at any time as well.”
For corporate bookings, there are two options available. Despatcher Mode is aimed at businesses wishing to control booking of journeys for visitors/authorised employees and pay by invoice. An administrator has access to a web-based console and is able to book for multiple users without those users having to create their own accounts. All they need is the mobile number of the lead person travelling who will receive text notifications on vehicle arrival times and other updates. A corporate account needs to be set up with a credit limit and invoicing arrangements, and there needs to be agreement on aspects such as cost per journey and number of journeys.
With Employee Mode, staff of participating employers are sent a voucher code to associate with their pre-existing PickMeUp accounts which are then subdivided into business and personal use. The code is used to make business related journeys free or discounted to the user. A charge is then made to the employer by invoice and reports provide detailing journeys.
Making it sustainable
“Go-Ahead Group put a marker down saying it wanted to try Demand Responsive Transport,” said Phil. “It invited all the Managing Directors to submit ideas and this was deemed to be the best. From that point onwards, it has been left to us to deliver the project although Group has been very supportive.
“At the moment there are six minibuses, but if people are prepared to use the technology and aggregate their journeys, I have a Mercedes-Benz Citaro in purple promotional livery as a contingency. I know there are places it won’t go that the minibuses can, but there’s no reason why we can’t fit it with an iPad and use it where appropriate. When we get to the point that waiting times get too long and patronage is going generally in the right direction, that’s when we might need to consider more investment.
“We’re in the learning phase so we need to see what happens. How people take to the service. All we know at the moment is riders can rate their driver from one star up to five stars when they get off and everyone so far has given five stars. People seem to like what they see.
“The commitment we’ve made to this project is more than £2m. We’re generating revenue through ridership which has already had a really positive start, but after the initial 12-month period it’s crucial that we get local businesses behind us to make sure that what we’re doing is sustainable in the medium to long-term. We’re already talking to a number of companies about partnership packages as well as major employers about their own staff transport provision.
“What we can offer will vary with the scale of the investment. It could be having a logo on the bus, for example, but when the buses aren’t in use they have to lay over somewhere so we’re inviting businesses to have a terminus point outside their offices. Then, if someone who works there wants to book, the vehicle is already there so their waiting time goes down.
“We’re engaging with both Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford City Council to help us with the project. So far we don’t have any firm funding commitments from the public sector. However, both councils are investigating a number of possible avenues to provide support in the medium to long term, whether that be growth deal funds, innovation related funding, Section 106 developer contributions, concessionary fares to help support off peak demand, social inclusion/access to employment related funding or through the Cities4People project in Barton/Rose Hill.
“I’m already being asked: ‘When will PickMeUp go to Oxford Parkway station, Summertown or Botley?’ The answer is simple. If we get it to a commercially sustainable level, we’ll want to expand to the next level because there are opportunities to scale up the operation given the right positive mental attitude and everybody working together.”
Group perspective
“This is the launch of the largest on demand service of its kind to be rolled out by a bus company anywhere in the UK,” said David Brown, Go-Ahead Group CEO. “Others may follow. It’s good news for passengers, good news for Oxford and good news for the Go-Ahead Group. It is about us as a bus company finding ways to make the bus relevant to people and using technology to do that.
“Public transport is generally all about radial routes going into city centres where there are large numbers of people. This is about orbital routes – fixing the gaps in the network that are actually filled by cars at the moment. We want to take people out of those and put them on to buses and along the way reduce congestion, all with positive benefits for residents.
“PickMeUp is one of a series of innovations that we’re looking at towards the future of transport for our cities. In Germany we have an electric car sharing business with mobileeee in Frankfurt. In Southampton we’ve piloted a bus ticketing system using iBeacons and at Waterloo in London we have one of Europe’s largest electric bus operations.
“Oxford Science Park has been really receptive to PickMeUp. It has seen the opportunities that come with this and we’re pleased to say that we’re close to finalising it becoming a commercial partner.
“PickMeUp is the latest step in Go-Ahead’s vision of taking care of customer journeys. We are always looking at ways to better understand and meet customer needs in the future through technology and innovation. We look forward to seeing how this develops and whether it can be rolled out across the UK in the future.”
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