CHANTILLY, VA - Agile Access Control, Inc., announced it has broadened its car sharing solution to include technology similar to consumer-based car sharing services, but specifically built for fleets. The new capability is named Agile FleetShare. According to Agile, the product's tight integration with its FleetCommander software's fleet reservation system, utilization reports, billing algorithms, and more, make it a powerful solution for fleet managers who want to offer another car sharing option to their drivers.
Agile President Ed Smith explained: "Consumer-based car sharing is attractive to fleet managers because sometimes drivers need to have access to geographically dispersed vehicles. The car sharing technology facilitates the dispatch process by keeping the keys inside the vehicle," he said. "Clearly there is a need for a keys-in-the-vehicle car sharing option in cases where vehicles have to be located where there are few or no fleet staff."
"The problem comes up for fleet managers when they need to tailor the reservation and billing processes to meet their fleet's needs. Often, consumer-based systems cannot communicate and enforce fleet policies or bill to specific accounts. And, the real kicker is, there are limited tools to support a fleet's larger right-sizing initiatives. Whereas for-profit consumer-based services are focused on maximizing revenue from each vehicle, the Agile FleetShare solution is focused on reducing costs for fleets by making it easier to share vehicles. Take, for example, an early return of a vehicle in the typical car sharing model. The customer gets billed for the entire originally-scheduled trip duration and the vehicle is not available to others. In the Agile FleetShare environment, the car is returned to service, the billing is adjusted automatically, and the vehicle is made available for the next driver. And, with Agile FleetShare, there are no minimum monthly revenue requirements and no exorbitant late fees."
Agile FleetShare car sharing begins when a driver makes a reservation online through FleetCommander. When it's time to take the trip, the driver scans his secure Agile FleetShare ID card at the windshield of the vehicle. FleetCommander automatically verifies the reservation, and the car is unlocked and mobilized. The keys are inside. Once the trip is ended, the vehicle is locked and immobilized to prevent unauthorized access. The keys remain in the vehicle. Trip data is automatically collected and securely transmitted to FleetCommander to facilitate billing, feed utilization reports, and provide trip and driver statistics. Fleet dashboards automatically update to show the status of all vehicles. With that data, fleet managers can make decisions about whether they have too many vehicles, or too few. Agile FleetShare vehicles are also equipped with hands-free, in-vehicle cellular communications between the driver and the fleet staff.
According to Smith, Agile FleetShare is a fleet-focused solution that ties in all of the critical tools used for fleet management. The technology is slated for introduction and demos on the exhibit floor at the upcoming National Association of Fleet Administrators (NAFA) trade show in St. Louis, Mo., April 21-24, 2012.
