IVU receives major order from Saudi Arabia (PR)

MICROBUS learns Arabic - Planning and dispatching of intercity busses

In Saudi Arabia, as in many other countries in the region, bus transport is becoming more and more important. The timetable for the Kingdom involves a fleet of 2,250 coaches, 580 trips every day, providing connections to 360 destinations throughout the country. In addition there are some 120 trips to the neighbouring states and to other countries in the Gulf region, as well as some 1000 additional trips to Mecca and Medina during the period of the annual pilgrimage. In order to be able to produce timetables and schedules more efficiently for at least some of these trips and at the same time to simplify the deployment of vehicles and personnel, SAPTCO will in future be using MICROBUS. With many trips covering distances of many hundreds of kilometres, SAPTCO expects that with the help of MICROBUS it will be able to organise its schedules and duty rosters in a way that reduces demands on resources in comparison with the past.

The order will not only involve making provisions for the long distances covered, and the considerable seasonal fluctuations in the numbers of trips. A special feature in this case is that SAPTCO has ordered the entire system in Arabic, so that its personnel will be able to work with MICROBUS conveniently. All the commands and menus are now being translated and converted.

“This is the third order that IVU has received from the Arab Region,” says Martin Müller-Elschner, Member of the Management Board of IVU Traffic Technologies AG. “This means that we are now well represented in the Gulf region, and we anticipate further growth. There is a lack of modern public transport systems in this region, and after Dubai has shown the way successfully, the other kingdoms and emirates are now following.”

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) of Dubai was the first MIRCOBUS customer in the Gulf Region. There the public transport network was planned and established from the beginning using MICROBUS. For the expansion of its public transport system last year, RTA purchased new modules and up-grades for its software. This year the „Kuwait and Gulf Link Transport (KGL) – Passenger Transport Services (Sharjah Branch)“ has placed an order for all the key modules of MICROBUS for setting up a new public transport system for the city of Sharjah.

IVU Traffic Technologies

IVU Traffic Technologies AG is a leading supplier of IT systems for planning, operating and optimising transport and logistics processes. More than 30 years of experience developing hardware and software systems for more than 300 public transport companies has also made IVU the market leader for IT solutions in other segments: monitoring truck fleets, setting up retail networks in geo-marketing, election processing. This is IVU's approach to transportation and beyond.

MICROBUS® supports and optimises timetable, vehicle and duty scheduling in public transport companies, efficiently generating information for passengers, drivers and management. The system also carries out daily operations scheduling and accounting processes for drivers and vehicles, transferring the data to payroll accounting. MICROBUS is used by municipal and regional public transport companies as well as railway, commuter train and light rail operators. Equipped with an integrated universal database (company database), the system helps save money. MICROBUS is already being used in 15 countries and is available in different local languages.