Kuma Kogen Driving School Introduces Shuttle Support System 'Bus Catch' to Achieve 'Zero Empty Buses' Through Reservation System, Enabling Instructors to Focus on Core Teaching Duties!

VISH Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture; Representative Director: Hiroyuki Tabuchi) announced that its shuttle support system 'Bus Catch' for driving schools has been introduced at Kuma Kogen Driving School in Kumakogen Town, Ehime Prefecture, which boasts approximately 2,200 new students annually. We are pleased to announce the release of an interview regarding this implementation case.

▼Full interview on the implementation case here

https://www.buscatch.com/drivingschool/voice/kumakogen-ds/

Background and Challenges of Introduction

Kuma Kogen Driving School in Ehime Prefecture offers long-distance free shuttle services, covering over 60km round trip to areas like Matsuyama City. However, before the introduction, there was no prior reservation system and no distribution of bus operation status, leading to the following challenges:

Occurrence of 'empty buses' Despite changes in shuttle needs due to the implementation of online lessons, bus operations were based on a fixed timetable, resulting in inefficient trips with zero passengers both ways.

Flood of inquiries during delays During delays caused by traffic jams in rainy weather, the school was inundated with phone inquiries from students asking, 'Where is the bus?'

Driver workload With many long-distance routes, it was necessary to deploy 15 shuttle drivers at all times, leading to a very heavy workload for each individual.

Deciding Factors for Introduction

According to Mr. Masatake Hirose, Deputy Manager of General Affairs, who led the system's introduction, the following points were key:

Abundant features specialized for driving schools The system is specialized for driving school shuttle operations and can flexibly adapt to future changes in shuttle needs and various operational methods. Therefore, it was adopted with confidence for long-term operation.

Integration with existing teaching system The ability to link with the existing teaching system, allowing both instructors and students to intuitively grasp bus reservation status, was highly evaluated.

Flexible support and feature implementation The school highly praised the flexible and prompt system update support, which caters to detailed requests from driving school sites, such as 'mass notification function for unreserved students via smartphone app' and 'temporary reservation function for elderly driving courses.'

Effects of Introduction

'Zero empty buses' achieved by transitioning to a reservation system Route reorganization based on reservation information enabled flexible operations, such as consolidating users heading in the same direction into one bus. As a result, total operating time was successfully reduced by approximately 18%.

Driving instructors can now focus on their core 'teaching duties' By visualizing reservation status and reducing unnecessary travel, the burden of shuttle duties previously handled by instructors was significantly reduced. The freed-up time could be allocated to 'practical training' slots, leading to improved overall productivity for the school.

Reduced inquiries related to shuttle services By starting the distribution of bus location information, phone calls from students asking 'Where is the bus?' during bus delays in rainy weather significantly decreased.

Future Outlook

Kuma Kogen Driving School plans to analyze accumulated reservation data in the future to fundamentally review current operating routes. By quantifying the usage of each bus stop, they aim to build optimal bus routes that are even more convenient and efficient for students.

For data analysis aimed at optimizing bus routes, they will utilize the 'Bus Catch' bus reservation aggregation function.

About 'Bus Catch' for Driving Schools

'Bus Catch' is a cloud system that streamlines shuttle bus operations for driving schools and improves student convenience. It achieves reduced empty buses and administrative burden through real-time GPS location tracking and smartphone app reservation functions. Currently, it is being widely adopted by many driving schools nationwide.

【Service Website】

https://www.buscatch.com/drivingschool/

About VISH Co., Ltd.

Since 2006, VISH Co., Ltd. has provided the bus location system 'Bus Catch.' It has been adopted by various industries, including driving schools, kindergartens, schools, and swimming schools, with over 5,000 facilities nationwide. We will strengthen support from both technical and operational aspects, contributing to the realization of more convenient and sustainable regional transportation.

Trade Name: VISH Co., Ltd. Representative Director: Hiroyuki Tabuchi Location: SC Nishiki ANNEX 5F, 2-10-13 Nishiki, Naka-ku, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture Date of Establishment: December 2004 Capital: 11.5 million yen Corporate Website: https://www.vish.co.jp/