Uber Provides A Lesson In Geofencing Fleets
By Christine Kern, contributing writer
Recently, Uber tweaked its taxi app algorithm at LAX to include a geofencing function to keep Uber drivers from clogging the roads and parking structures at the airport.
Although in other parts of the city, passenger requests go to the closest drivers, according to the Daily Breeze, the new Uber algorithm only allows drivers to accept LAX ride requests when they are in a particular geographic region of the limousine parking lot at Westchester Parkway and Jenny Avenue. The idea for the geofence at LAX was offered by Los Angeles World Airports, the agency that runs LAX, as a way to manage the numbers of vehicles that come into the terminal and parking structures, airport manager Selena Birk told the Daily Breeze. But beyond Uber’s use of geofencing, the algorithm could be a strong asset for fleet management on a general level. One company, FleetMind has created the FleetLink Route System to help manage fleets through geofencing. “Managing routes should be an effortless coordination between dispatch and trucks on the street,” said Martin Demers, CEO of FleetMind in Recycling Product News. He says using this technology, managers can “graphically create the most efficient routes and seamlessly translate this into real-time routing for drivers and vehicles. The result is total visibility into route progress, greater driver accountability, better customer service and overall vastly improved productivity.”
The benefits of geofencing fleets including easy management and maintenance of inventories, appointments and status, as well as managing dispatch for industrial services, optimizing routes, and up-to-the-moment updates about fleet locations.
Geofencing technology’s benefits also extend beyond fleet management to field service. These systems allow service leaders and fleet managers to establish geographical boundaries for drivers and send alerts of customer requests to the closest representative. In addition, customers could receive push notifications alerting them when a tech is in the area and available to work.