Do you have access to real-time information on employees’ safety in their daily commute? In short, it was recently reported that the Gulf Region (GCC) has one of the world's highest road accident and fatality rates. Consequently, the same study found that the GCC’s annual costs of unsafe road conditions are upwards of $7.5 billion.
Unsurprisingly, these unexpected accidents and delays can cause a significant strain on a business (especially when employees are late.) However, being prepared and having a system to combat these delays—can be all the difference.
Likewise, while commuting can be full of the unexpected, your business can continue to run smoothly and efficiently with a proactive approach to travel. Here are a few ways to improve your employee transportation process.
Evaluating Transport Safety Risks
For example, what happens when there's an ongoing problem with consistent employee arrival times? The failure to plan and manage these surprise incidents can negatively impact your team, company, and bottom line.
Like it or not, unexpected transportation issues will come up—as they are simply unavoidable in any region with high traffic levels. Generally, over half of the crash fatalities in GCC countries are related to speed, red light crossing, and not obeying traffic rules.
In a report, WIT Press stated, “It is quite important to mention that while the western drivers comprehend over 74% of the posted signs, GCC drivers understand only 56% of them.”
As a result, if the driver of your employee fleet can’t understand the road signs, they may become involved in an accident. This will cause a ripple effect of issues for your organization.
In contrast, mass transportation fleets with professional drivers will increase efficiency, safety, and the visibility of employees. For this reason, it is imperative to consider an employee transport solution that can provide live updates on routes, delays, and arrivals.
Safe Vehicles Are More Reliable
Another consideration involves the safety of the fleet itself. Mass transportation with professional drivers will also decrease the number of bad drivers on the road (and hopefully cut down on unexpected delays.)
However, does your current fleet have a contingency plan? Is there an alternative vehicle ready to go at a moment's notice? If not, your employees may be stranded for hours waiting to be rescued. Chances are, they also won't make it to work on time without an immediate alternative solution. In addition, if these situations are not visible to your company leaders, it may cause further issues.
Meanwhile, your company and team deserve a regularly maintained fleet and one fully prepared for the riggers of your region's daily commute. Your transportation vendor must also have a backup ready to go at a moment's notice to ensure you do not lose precious work time.
You never know when a vehicle will break down, but constant maintenance is necessary to keep roads safe and reliable. Therefore, you must have a firm grasp of the fleet your transportation vendor uses daily.
Adjusting To Roadwork Delays and Accidents
Another piece to consider is the number of available routes within your employee transport. For some organizations, your staff may be nearby. In other cases involving longer commute time, it may be increasingly inconvenient to have delays such as roadwork or an accident.
For this reason, it’s essential to keep in mind that vehicle accidents are inevitable and always result in delays. A jam-packed highway can quickly become a parking lot if an accident closes down a lane or two. Your transportation solution must know multiple routes to and from your building.
Once aware of any impending delay, they can simply pivot to a backup path and mitigate the time lost. For employers evaluating which solution to choose, a provider with more routes and access to real-time information will be critical for daily operations.
Conclusion
Regardless, employee transportation will always present unique and unexpected issues. As a business owner, you don't have the time to settle them on your own. The key is to partner with a transportation vendor that can leverage technology to anticipate these challenges and resolve them immediately. Together, you can achieve optimized operations—by getting your entire staff safely into work on time each day.
About Swvl
Swvl is an employee transportation and software service designed to serve companies facing mass-transit challenges. We employ a fleet of high-quality buses and vans that will ensure your teams' safe and on-time arrival. In addition, we have developed the technology to help you overcome transportation issues and optimize your current process.
Unlike the competition, we are prepared for unexpected challenges and issues. Our fleet is top quality and regularly maintained. Our technology manages transport variables to provide you with more efficient routes at lower costs.
If you are ready to take your employee transportation process to the next level, Swvl Business would love to help you. Book your no-obligation, free demo with a member of our team, and discuss your employee transportation goals. We will understand your current situation and offer you a customized solution plan that fits your needs.
Together, we will ensure your employees arrive safely and on time so you can focus on the tasks and projects that matter most.
