iShuttle began with a simple mission: People going places. Founded by a small group of entrepreneurs in Shreveport, Louisiana in 2010, they were looking for an interactive and mobile way to provide access to transportation in the area. With the addition of services lines and buses, the company has expanded rapidly in recent years.
What started with a fleet of shuttle buses, iShuttle now provides a variety of transportation needs for the region when it comes to customized solutions for both corporate clients and individuals.
The Business
With a background in organizational management and operational leadership, Bryan Feldhiser stepped in as Operations Director at iShuttle with big plans to take the company to a new level.
One of the big initiatives Bryan has taken on is in building out distinct service lines that will allow the company to grow throughout the state of Louisiana as well as the region. They currently operate in three distinct service lines, one being contract transportation with the LSU School of Medicine in Shreveport as well as Oschner Medical Center.
iShuttle also has a non-emergency medical transportation service line as well as a charter service line that focuses on transportation for weddings, birthday parties, as well as other group events. The company even has plans to enter the luxury transport line in the coming year.
Feldhiser’s vision is to make it the largest people moving transportation business in the state or the region, and knows that doesn’t come without it’s fair share of adjustments and challenges.
“My idea is not to just run some small transportation company” he added.
Part of this strategy involves creating an organizational structure with a built-out career path for drivers and managers. iShuttle currently has team leaders as well as service line supervisors, and this available career path for drivers is something that is helping to keep their turnover rate down.
One of the challenges that his team was running into was the lack of a formalized process to keep all of their vehicles inspected and properly maintained, something imperative to future growth of the company.
Life Before Whip Around
Prior to getting started with Whip Around, the maintenance needs of the fleet was something that Bryan noticed needed more process around. Like many in the passenger transport vertical, small dents and dings often go undocumented until they begin to cause larger problems. This was something Bryan was beginning to notice.
The Problem
Before any sort of formal process was implemented for pre-trip inspections, everything was very informal and visual. One of the main problems was that while some drivers would walk around their vehicle and occasionally notice some things wrong, some drivers wouldn’t. Over time this began to lead to bigger problems that could have potentially been avoided.
“The only time that I would get a call is when it broke down” Feldhiser stated.
iShuttle had even tried using paper forms in the past for inspections, but it wasn’t something that they wanted to deal with moving forward. With as many shifts as they run every single day, Feldhiser admitted it would have been an ‘ungodly and unmanageable mess’.
“The less paperwork the better” he added.
Since Implementing Whip Around
To address problems with undocumented damage and a lack of process, iShuttle decided to launch Whip Around to help improve how they deal with vehicle inspections and maintenance on a day to day basis. Being one of the first customers in the northern Louisiana region, they’ve already seen a tremendous impact as a result of implementing it.
The Impact
One of the biggest benefits iShuttle has experienced has been the ability to triage the maintenance needs of the fleet. This has resulted in both cost savings and safer vehicles overall.
“Whip Around has reduced our maintenance costs by about $30,000, a 30% reduction. I am seeing problems before they become big problems” —Bryan Feldhiser, Operations Director at iShuttle.
Instead of only getting calls when vehicles are broken down, Bryan’s team is now getting calls whenever a vehicle may not be idling like it should. By having this formalized process in place, the app makes it easy for drivers to indicate what’s happening in real time. His team can then dispatch service technicians to address these types of minor issues before they escalate into something more.
When asked about what stood out about Whip Around, the Dashboard was at the top of the list. This portal now gives him an up-to-date visual of all vehicle faults and other maintenance issues that need to be appropriately triaged throughout the day.
It’s is also helping to reduce the number of days vehicles are out of service for iShuttle, something critical to their bottom line.
“Every day that a vehicle is out of service is a big deal for us” he added.
The Future for iShuttle
With Whip Around implemented to manage the maintenance needs of a growing fleet of charter buses (and soon to be 55-passenger coach buses), this has given Bryan more time to focus on growing the iShuttle business to other regions and throughout the United States.
While they currently submit a few RFPs each year, the plan is to be able to send out 3-4 each month, and to hire a sales manager to aid in expansion.
In expanding the iShuttle business nationwide, Bryan noted how critical it is to have a tool that’s easy and intuitive like Whip Around. With a growing number of maintenance technicians, service line supervisors, and team leaders onboarded in the future, the platform will make it easier to keep track of vehicle faults, repairs, and communicate with team members from anywhere.
See How Whip Around Can Benefit Your Fleet
If undocumented damage or lack of information is becoming problematic or leading to costly repairs and downtime, schedule a demo of Whip Around and see how easy it is to protect your drivers and assets with a single app.
Thousands of organizations are doing away with paper forms, inefficient inspection processes, and a lack of visibility into repairs by using Whip Around to make everything simple and easy for team members.
Start your free trial or contact us to speak with a product specialist to see how Whip Around could make it easier to reach your goals this year.
