{"id":3369,"date":"2019-08-29T16:59:53","date_gmt":"2019-08-29T14:59:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/en.advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/?p=3369"},"modified":"2019-08-29T16:59:53","modified_gmt":"2019-08-29T14:59:53","slug":"applying-commercial-fleet-best-practices-to-two-wheeled-mobility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/2019\/08\/29\/applying-commercial-fleet-best-practices-to-two-wheeled-mobility\/","title":{"rendered":"Applying Commercial Fleet Best Practices to Two-Wheeled Mobility"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Jeb<\/p>\n

Jeb Lopez (left), owner and founder of an auto parts delivery service, was tapped to bring his fleet management expertise to Bolt Mobility\u2019s e-scooter service, fronted and funded by track star Usain Bolt.<\/p>\n

Applying Commercial Fleet Best Practices to Two-Wheeled Mobility<\/h2>\n

Jeb Lopez had enough on his hands already: his auto parts delivery service serving the D.C. metro area, Wheelz Up, had grown since its inception in 2010<\/a> to over 200 cargo vans. In the process, Lopez learned the intricacies of logistics, dispatching, and project management, as well as driver hiring, training, and managing best practices.<\/p>\n

Investors took notice: Would he bring his expertise from the world of four wheels to two?<\/p>\n

Bolt Mobility, an electronic scooter startup fronted and funded by \u201cthe fastest man in the world,\u201d Usain Bolt, needed a way to take share from the major players within the exploding arena of e-scooters. One way to beat them was with more efficient fleet management.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

As a result, Lopez started Boltz Up in November to manage the Bolt Mobility e-scooter fleet. \u201cWe learned so many things in the last nine years with Wheelz Up, we just transferred the knowledge over to scooters,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Scooters need to be deployed, charged, serviced, and \u201crebalanced\u201d \u2014 taken from trip endpoints and brought back into areas of high demand. Prevailing wisdom held that independent contractors, paid per pickup, were the most efficient and cost-effective method to get scooters where they needed to go. Lopez discovered this isn\u2019t necessarily the case.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe managed to fix the issues with 1099 contractors,\u201d Lopez says. \u201cWe brought those jobs in house.\u201d<\/p>\n

The problem with independent contractors, Lopez says, is that they must be motivated by the per-unit pay, which doesn\u2019t always result in efficient rebalancing. \u201cThey work when it\u2019s convenient for them,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

On-the-clock employees, however, can rebalance scooters more quickly. Boltz Up drivers (called Boosters) use company-owned vans that can carry 50 to 60 scooters, as opposed to a contractor\u2019s small pickup that can fit 20 or a sedan that can fit even less.<\/p>\n

Lopez is also concerned with the legalities surrounding classification of independent contractors \u2014 with employees he won\u2019t face any thorny issues down the road.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did it so well that other scooter companies started following suit and hiring W-2s,\u201d he says, though he adds that his contract with Bolt prevents him from working with competitors.<\/p>\n

Exploiting Advantages<\/h3>\n

Lopez still owns and manages Wheelz Up. Though the companies are kept distinct, he has transferred many learnings to the new company.<\/p>\n

Lopez brought the Nissan NV cargo van, owned outright and used exclusively in Wheelz Up, into his new fleet. Bolt\u2019s competitors will rent vans during peak demand, but waste time having to pick up and return them to the rental agency.<\/p>\n

\"Lopez
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Lopez calls his Boltz Up drivers Boosters. They\u2019re paid employees, not independent contractors, which allows the company to manage hundreds of e-scooters more efficiently.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The new Boltz Up vans are also installed with the same telematics system. Lopez can track his drivers and route his vans more efficiently through telematics, a technological tool that\u2019s harder to implement in a non-company-owned fleet. \u201cAnd we have the data (from telematics) now,\u201d he says. \u201cYou can\u2019t do that with a 1099.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wheelz Up operates only in metro D.C., yet Bolt Mobility\u2019s growing footprint \u2014 the scooter service is now available in 12 U.S. and international cities, with a target of 70 in the next two years \u2014 has taken Lopez into new fleet challenges.<\/p>\n

The Nissan NV vans run 24 hours and accumulate mileage quickly as they service some 200 to 1,000 scooters in a city. Within two months the vans need oil changes and tire rotations.<\/p>\n

For Wheelz Up, operating exclusively in metro D.C., Lopez maintains a warehouse with in-house mechanics to service the vans. For Boltz Up, he must rely on third-party shops or franchised Nissan dealers.<\/p>\n

There are even greater challenges in managing a dispersed 24-hour scooter fleet that serves consumers. \u201cYou’re in cities where there’s a love-hate relationship with those scooters,\u201d he says. \u201cSome people hate them. they burn them, they steal them, they hack them.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Bolt Mobility grows, Lopez is confident he can take his fleet management expertise \u2014 Fleet Management as a Service \u2014 into those new markets.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom what we’ve learned through Wheelz Up, we were able to take that sense of urgency and the speed to implement into (the new company),\u201d he says. \u201cOnce we get the permit (in a new city), we\u2019re able to launch almost immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n

by Chris Brown<\/a><\/p>\n

Source: https:\/\/www.fleetforward.com<\/a><\/p>\n

FLEET MANAGEMENT AUDIT<\/h3>\n

Fleet management is the use of a set of vehicles in order to provide services to a third-party, or to perform a task for our organization, in the most efficient and productive manner with a determined level of service and cost.<\/p>\n

Fleet management activities are shown in the following graph 1:<\/p>\n

\"fleet<\/p>\n

Graph 1: fleet management activities<\/p>\n

The proposal audit analyses and assesses all fleet management activities shown in the graph 1, and its main goals are:<\/p>\n