Shared Service Vehicles: Streamlining Logbooks and Bookings
Starting this summer, manual logbooks and the hunt for car keys will be a thing of the past. A new shared solution at Nat and Tech aims to make car booking easier while ensuring better utilization of the vehicle fleet.
Currently, many faculty service vehicles sit idle while others are overbooked. To improve efficiency, faculty management has decided to consolidate all service vehicles into a single organizational unit under the Facilities Management unit (NT-byg).
Niels Damgaard, Chief Consultant at Nat-Tech Administration, is leading the implementation of the shared fleet.
“In practice, this means that employees across Nat and Tech will have access to many more vehicles,” says Niels Damgaard.
No Shared Parking Hub in Aarhus
He also addresses concerns that all service vehicles in Aarhus might be moved to a single central parking lot. That will not happen. The change is purely organizational and digital, he emphasizes.
“The cars will remain parked where they are most frequently used. You are unlikely to notice any changes in the parking lots. However, it will be easy to find another AU service vehicle if the local one is already in use,” says Niels Damgaard.
What About Specialized Vehicles?
Departments will continue to have full control over so-called "specialized or equipment vehicles." This includes, for example, Geoscience's crane truck and Ecoscience's field vehicles, which cannot be booked by others. Additionally, some vehicles will be reserved for specific purposes for shorter or longer periods. This applies, for instance, to minibuses used for student fieldwork at certain times of the year—just as has always been the case.
Open the App and Drive
Alongside the new organization, the fleet management system MileageBook is being introduced to support the booking, administration, and operation of service vehicles. Via a website or smartphone app, employees can search for and book the vehicle they need.
Because the cars are equipped with GPS, users can see the exact location of the vehicle and no longer need to log mileage manually. The GPS system handles this automatically.
“Scrapping handwritten logbooks might sound like a minor detail, but it isn’t. With 10,000 to 15,000 bookings each year, managing the fleet—not least deciphering and entering handwritten records—has been a significant task,” says Niels Damgaard.
The shared cars feature a keyless solution, meaning the vehicle can be unlocked via the app, provided you have a valid booking.
“You avoid the hassle of picking up a physical key and can go straight to the car and drive—similar to using car-sharing services like GoMore or GreenMobility,” says Niels Damgaard.
He expects the new organization to lead to better utilization of Nat-Tech vehicles. Furthermore, the scheme supports AU’s climate strategy, which aims to make the university more sustainable.
“Nat and Tech have already come a long way by switching to electric vehicles. The new fleet management system takes us another step forward,” says Niels Damgaard.
Phased System Rollout
The new booking system will be rolled out gradually across Nat and Tech over the summer.
The first location is AU Viborg in May. Once any “teething problems” have been resolved, as Niels Damgaard puts it, the experience gained there will inform the rest of the rollout.
The rollout plan will be coordinated with departments to avoid inconvenient timing. All employees will receive detailed information about the app and booking procedures before the system is launched locally.
Contact:
Chief Consultant Niels Damgaard
ndh@au.dk
60 20 26 70