Integrated planning and dispatching system from IVU for PostBus Switzerland

Standard solution for all regions

For more than a century, PostBus Switzerland has been the leading provider of bus transport in Switzerland, and since 2001 also in Liechtenstein. There is scarcely anywhere between Geneva and St. Gallen that cannot be reached conveniently on its yellow buses. And every year some 130 million passengers are transported to their destinations on 814 routes. In order to make its services even more attractive, the Swiss company has decided to introduce the systems of the IVU.suite. In future, planning and dispatching for more than 2,000 vehicles and 3,000 drivers in the nine regions of Switzerland and in Liechtenstein will be carried out using the integrated standard systems of IVU Traffic Technologies.

To further raise the quality of the transport it provides, PostBus Switzerland intends to offer more comprehensive networks, including better off-peak services. IVU.plan will be used for the efficient planning of these operations, with IVU.vehicle and IVU.crew taking care of the deployment of vehicles and drivers. The optimisation components of the IVU.suite will be used at all stages of the planning process. In addition, aspect-based planning will offer an easy and flexible way to adapt timetables where necessary, for example during the skiing season, school holidays, or while construction work is going on. Alterations can be introduced months in advance or only shortly before the journey is due to begin. The validity of the aspects assigned to the journey can be defined for a specific region, or for all areas. The integrated planning system automatically takes these into account when planning vehicle workings and duty rosters, and for dispatching.

When it comes to overall quality enhancement, PostBus Switzerland attaches particular importance to the standardisation of the operational processes across the various regions. They aim to achieve this by introducing the standard processes of the IVU software solution for their daily operations, in combination with new procedures and occupational profiles (roles). Potential language barriers can be avoided thanks to the multi-lingual capability of the system. Software, documentation, and training courses are provided in German, French and Italian. The old system will be replaced step by step, and processes which in the past were carried out manually will be automated for all the regions.

“With the IVU.suite we have found a real standard solution which enables us to plan uniformly throughout our entire operational area,” comments Daniel Schlatter, member of the management board of PostBus Switzerland on the decision in favour of IVU. “The standard processes of the software provide us with a foundation for future modes of operation, so that we will be able to further optimise our internal procedures. And that means that we can offer our passengers an even better service”. After DB Regio Germany and the Austrian ÖBB Postbus, PostBus Switzerland is another major public transport company to place its confidence in the IVU.suite, confirming the strong expertise of IVU in the field of planning and optimisation.

Madlen Dietrich
Corporate communications
IVU Traffic Technologies AG
Bundesallee 88, 12161 Berlin, Germany
Tel: +49.30.85906-386
E-mail: Madlen.Dietrich@ivu.de
www.ivu.com

IVU Traffic Technologies AG has been working for more than thirty-five years with some 350 software engineers to ensure that transport in the world’s major cities operates reliably and on time. People and vehicles in expanding cities are continually on the move – a logistical challenge which calls for intelligent and reliable software systems. The standardised software products of the IVU.suite and tailor-made IT solutions are used to plan, optimise and control the scheduling of vehicle fleets and personnel. Other systems support the choice of branch locations or ensure that election results are determined correctly.
IVU. Systems for vibrant cities.