Create an asset inventory of all your technology

Because at some point, you’re going to need to troubleshoot something or get a vendor to service something, and the more specific information you have at your fingertips, the sooner your issues will get resolved. And the less time you’ll spend on each bus hunting for serial and model numbers.

A great example of a bus inventory worksheet we created for the City of Sandy:

• Bus Inventory Worksheet

Build a Knowledge Base of technology issues and their solutions

Your mechanics probably already do this for parts and components on each bus – expand that inventory to include each piece of technology, too. That’s because problems have an annoying way of reoccurring. So if you invest a little time up front in documentation – what we call a Run Book – you can reap huge time savings downstream when problems pop up again. As a bonus, it’s also a great way to hold vendors to their agreements.

Here’s a sample KBA (Knowledge Based Article) submission form:

• KBA Submission Form – Template

Develop an integrated ticketing system – and make someone its owner

Without a way to keep track, issues can get sidelined and delayed on an overworked someone’s desk. And all the while, the driver’s working with broken tech that makes their job harder and riders dissatisfied. With an integrated ticketing system, that doesn’t happen; everyone sees where every issue is in the chain. Nothing gets forgotten.

This is especially true when you designate one person to oversee the system.

Here’s a look at a typical ticketing service board:

• Sample Service Board List

Don’t forget training!

Role-based training. Consumable training. Continual Training. Allocating time for training. So many agencies forget to include resources for training in their procurements, and it always comes back to bite them. Don’t make the same mistake!

Here’s an example of one training matrix, courtesy of the City of Sandy:

• Sandy Training Matrix