Book & Move: humanitarian e-booking and carshare solution proving helpful in current context
01 December 2020 - Humanitarian & Key accounts
01 December 2020 - Humanitarian & Key accounts
Getting from A to B safely and cost-effectively across a war zone or dangerous terrain has always presented a key challenge for aid agencies, and the ongoing context of Covid-19 is making it even more difficult. But CLS has now launched the solution, in the form of a unique humanitarian carpool system: Book & Move.
Imagine it. You need to transport hundreds of aid workers with emergency supplies from different departure points to different destinations and at all different times, across a crisis zone using just x amount of vehicles and drivers. That’s the headache faced by aid agency dispatchers all over the world on a daily basis. Now add to this the distancing and hygiene measures imposed by Covid-19 and the whole thing becomes a logistical nightmare!
But now CLS has the solution, in the form of a unique carpool tool specifically for the humanitarian sector.
Launched in March, the Fleetsharing system is an optional add-on to CLS’s well-established vehicle-tracking and fleet-management package HumaNav, which currently equips 12,000 aid vehicles in crisis zones worldwide. And while it’s as user-friendly as a normal carpool solution, it boasts a raft of additional functions tailored to aid agencies to ensure fleet optimization and security.
What this means on the ground is that any of a registered agency’s workers can request a fleet vehicle from A to B at any time, via the e-booking app on their smartphone, tablet or laptop. The dispatcher, instead of receiving a flurry of requests by phone, email, text and so on, receives a digitized overview of all requests in one place, with suggested combinations of passengers, vehicles and drivers. So managers ensure their fleets are put to optimal use and – connected in real time – can see where passengers and vehicles are, so that trips are safer and better supervised.
The tool has already been deployed by a number of agencies working in active crisis zones, with more than 1,000 users and 4,500 bookings registered so far. And feedback shows that the ongoing health crisis is making it more helpful than ever.
CLS HumaNav Product Leader Aure Pellefigue explains: “The current health crisis has massively accelerated the digitization of operational procedures, and our pooling tool is the perfect ally in this. Firstly, by ensuring service continuity and enabling fleet managers to adapt in real time to the availability of staff. Secondly, by helping to monitor the new challenge of precautionary measures, such as minimum user contact, maximum passenger numbers and the immobilization of vehicles for disinfection. And last but not least, by keeping all information on one dedicated platform so that other communication channels are left open for emergencies”.
MANAGE YOUR FLEET in covid context
WITH Book & Move solution
The tool is proving so effective that aid agencies are already looking to pool resources with one another. Forthcoming versions will enable them to create and access a shared pool of vehicles, and will enable their drivers to stay in contact with each other via a smartphone app.
Aure says: “HumaNav’s key role is to support aid agencies by enabling them to focus on their respective missions. Our aim is to really help our community of users move towards a ‘transport as a service’ approach, and to provide the benchmark solution for a safe, flexible and available fleet that ensures rapid intervention in the field”.