Every marked municipal vehicle tells residents something about how their fleet is being managed.

For King Township, Ontario, that visibility made speeding more than a driver performance issue. With fleet vehicles moving through residential neighborhoods and school zones, Barry Budhu, manager of transportation, utilities, and fleet services, saw speeding as both a safety concern and a public accountability issue.

King Township manages more than 130 vehicles and more than 200 assets valued at over $37 million. Budhu oversees the fleet alongside one lead mechanic and one apprentice, while also managing responsibilities that include road operations and right-of-way permits.

Under Budhu’s leadership, King Township had increased compliance with core fleet safety requirements and maintained collision risk near best-in-class benchmarks. But with city-branded vehicles operating daily in public view, “near best-in-class” was not enough.

The Solution: A driver-facing engagement tool built on telematics data King Township already had

Optisolve, King Township’s fleet technology partner, has worked with Budhu over time to introduce and evolve multiple Geotab-driven technologies. Through that collaboration, the company understood King Township’s priorities around risk reduction, speeding, and driver engagement, and identified Geotab Vitality as a possible next step.

“Optisolve has been a strong partner for us. They understand how we operate, the challenges we’re trying to solve, and they bring forward ideas that actually make sense for our fleet. It’s not just about introducing new technology; it’s about finding the right fit and making sure it delivers value,” Budhu said.

Geotab Vitality is a driver enablement platform that layers onto Geotab’s existing telematics data. King Township used its existing telematics data to launch the program without changing daily operations. Drivers are scored daily across speeding, braking, acceleration, and cornering. Scores are visible in real time through the Geotab Vitality mobile app, creating a feedback loop between formal reviews.

Budhu worked closely with human resources to introduce the rewards-based program across the mixed workforce. The program was positioned as a driver support tool rather than a top-down monitoring system. Drivers could see their own scores and compare their performance against expectations, which helped frame the app as a tool for personal awareness rather than management oversight.

King Township rolled out the Geotab Vitality pilot to 21 drivers from multiple divisions. Any initial apprehension faded once drivers downloaded the app and saw their scores. Some found they were already performing well and now had data to support that.

Budhu noted that the shift came when drivers realized they were being recognized for positive behavior. Employees who previously heard from management primarily when something went wrong began setting their own standards.

“[Geotab] Vitality focuses on empowering the driver,” Budhu said. “Drivers are now the ones telling themselves to correct their speed, rather than waiting for that feedback to come from a supervisor.”

Impact: Sustained behavior change and measurable results

Budhu expected Geotab Vitality to reduce speeding. What he did not expect was how the program would change his view of driver engagement.

For Budhu, one of the most important moments came when a driver pulled him aside and said, “I didn’t realize how good a driver I was.” The comment pointed to what had been missing: not the data itself, but a feedback loop between performance and recognition. Instead of only identifying problems, Budhu had a tool that helped acknowledge what drivers were already doing well.

“So the technology essentially becomes another person or extension of me and my management style, which is always focused on positive reinforcement,” Budhu said. “Nobody wants to hear that you’re not doing a good job. It’s demoralizing. It’s demeaning and it’s deflating. So, this tool is the complete opposite of that.”

The three-month pilot produced measurable changes across several areas, with annualized projections used to support the case for expansion.

The pilot showed a projected 349% ROI, with $37,735 in net savings and $48,535 in gross savings based on 12-month annualized projections from three months of pilot data. Speeding improved 10.9% by the 30-day mark, addressing the Township’s primary pilot objective. Predictive collision risk declined 7%, while fuel efficiency improved 6.4%. Driver retention also improved 5%, a notable change for a lean fleet team managing more than $25 million in assets.

What surprised Budhu most was not the reduction in speeding, but the consistency of the improvement.

“So what surprised me was not the fact that it reduced speeding, but that it consistently stayed the same. That performance metric, once established, never changed,” he said.

That consistency matters beyond the safety metrics. Lower speeding can reduce fuel consumption, extend asset life, and provide King Township with behavioral data for insurance discussions. Municipalities face complex risk management challenges, and objective driver behavior data can support incident review and renewal conversations.

“If we can reduce risk, we are reducing costs. If we are reducing costs, we are making things more efficient every single day. It’s that continuous improvement we’re always looking for,” Budhu said.

Next steps: Full fleet adoption, budget integration, and resident accountability

King Township converted to a paid program on April 1, 2026, six weeks after it accepted a 2026 Geotab Innovation Award at Geotab Connect in Las Vegas.

Full fleet adoption is the next priority. Drivers not yet enrolled have asked when they can participate, and Budhu expects engagement to increase as more drivers join.

The pilot also supported a business case for the finance committee. King Township demonstrated a projected 349% ROI, showing that the program paid for itself before the pilot concluded. Budhu is taking the results into the Township’s next budget board meeting, using financial metrics and driver behavior data to support the case for full fleet expansion.

The Township also plans to use the program’s results to communicate accountability to residents. The data gives King Township a way to show how public services are being managed and how the fleet is working to reduce risk.

“I can just say, look, here’s the data. The data speaks for itself. I can do less talking and more showing of what we’re actually doing,” Budhu said.