Overview and Client Background
Since 2011, the city of Sorocaba, Brazil, has transformed its public transportation system through the implementation of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). Renato Andere, President of BRT Sorocaba, and Murilo Campiotto, responsible for driver scheduling, share how Optibus’ software reinvented and automated their scheduling and planning processes, turning them into a leading reference for digitalization and technological adoption within Brazil’s public transportation sector. The key outcomes:
- Replaced manual tools with one unified, digital planning and scheduling solution
- Reduced work time from days to minutes
- Optimized crew and vehicle resources
- Compliance with municipal and labor regulations
Murilo Campiotto, responsible for driver scheduling at BRT Sorocaba
Impact #1: Reducing work time to minutes through digitalization
BRT Sorocaba used to generate plans and schedules in a time-consuming manual process that required significant resources. Now, with Optibus’ cloud-native and easy-to-use digital platform, work has become significantly faster and easier.
“Scheduling and planning [with spreadsheets] took one to two days. Driver by driver, case by case. With Optibus, it can be done in minutes. Up to one or two hours maximum,” said Murilo Campiotto.
“With the Optibus software, we can instantly do what we need to do,” added Renato Andere.
Impact #2: Automated crew and vehicle scheduling
With a fleet of 78 vehicles making 1,400 daily trips, automation was essential to improving operational efficiency.
“Advice I would give to those who don’t have an automated tool: Run to get one. Because there is a structure behind it, an artificial intelligence, that is beyond comparison with the human resources needed to do this work,” Andere explained.
He noted that “It is impossible for someone to be able to look at all the loose ends when building so many schedules!”
“Can you imagine someone allocating all of these resources and fleet? That, in addition to complying with a series of rules: municipal rules, labor laws, vehicle mileage limits. All of this is automated today,” he said.
Renato Andere, President, BRT Sorocaba
Impact #3: Optimized resource usage
Optibus’ powerful computing capabilities help planners and schedulers discover the optimal use of available resources, leading to more efficient operations and service plans.
“It brings us practicality and agility when it comes to generating duties at scale and scheduling all of BRT Sorocaba. Through the platform, it is possible to identify the number of drivers and buses to allocate to carry out this service,” noted Campiotto.
Andere added that Optibus’ software provides “the structure we need to create duties. But with one big difference: it optimizes the resources we have in the best way possible. Manually, you may produce more driver hours or more vehicle hours or more mileage…”
Conclusion
Automation and optimization are not just a ‘nice-to-have’. They are vital capabilities for navigating daily operational challenges in public transportation. BRT Sorocaba’s success demonstrates how new technologies can redefine the speed and efficiency of how planners and schedulers work. The outcome is services that are more appealing to passengers and more cost-effective for cities and operators.
- 1,400 daily trips
- 24 million annual passengers
- Replaced manual tools with automated, digital system
- Planning and scheduling time reduced from days to minutes
- More efficient use of driver hours and vehicle mileage
- Products: Planning, Scheduling