DB Regio Straße automates personnel dispatch with IVU

DB Regio Straße implements automatic personnel dispatch (APD) from IVU Traffic Technologies AG into their subsidiary company, RVS Regionalbusverkehr Südwest GmbH. Having introduced the IT solution in the Pforzheim branch, DB Regio Straße is now launching it in other locations. The software ensures optimized duty scheduling, reduces the need for overtime, and eases operations.

Duty schedules for bus services are often created in a high-pressure environment.  Staff shortages, legal requirements, and individual requests clash on a daily basis. To combat this issue, RVS Regionalbusverkehr Südwest GmbH, a subsidiary of DB Regio Straße, reorganised their duty scheduling process in Pforzheim, and, together with IVU, introduced automated personnel dispatch as a part of Production Platform Bus (PPBus).

DB Regio Straße is one of the largest bus service suppliers in Germany. At the Pforzheim branch, around 180 drivers keep operations running in the city and surrounding region. APD considers planned vs. actual hours worked, holiday entitlement, legal rest periods, and driver’s personal preferences. On this basis, the software generates tailor-made duty suggestions at the touch of a button and recognises connections that would be almost impossible to map in a manual planning process.

The roll-out of automated personnel dispatch began gradually: following an initial phase involving select teams, RVS extended the IT-solution to the entire location. Today, the software is used to plan all duties in Pforzheim. Further branches are to follow. The effect shows itself daily: overtime is reduced, last-minute schedule changes are easier to manage, and driver personnel requests are more frequently accommodated.

“We are delighted that the launch of our optimisation solution demonstrates how the right digital support can make personnel scheduling in bus services significantly easier. Automated personnel dispatch quickly compiles all relevant information into a coherent overview that best meets the needs of the driving personnel”, says Dr. Hanna Schachel, Head of Public Transport at IVU Traffic Technologies.