Five things to ask every software stand at Euro Bus Expo

Euro Bus Expo takes place at The NEC Birmingham on 3–5 November. Before you walk the halls, here are five things to ask every software stand. Ours included.
New is exciting. Proven is better.
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A lot has changed since the last Expo, and this time more than one supplier will be showing you something new.
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New is exciting. But when you're choosing the system that runs your bookings, your fleet and your cash flow, it's worth knowing what's running and proven today, and what risks being an unfulfilled promise.
A demo shows what a system could do. These questions help you find out what it already does, for operators like you.
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Five things to ask every software stand
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1. What experience will my customers get?
Ask: Can my customers book, track and pay for their trips themselves today?

2. How much more can I get from every vehicle?
Ask: How much planning time will it save, and how much dead mileage will it cut?

3. Will my data help me make better decisions?
Ask: How are operators using their data today, and what has it changed for them?

4. Will you build what I need?
Ask: What have you built because an operator asked for it, and who's using it now?

5. Can I connect the tools I choose, including AI?
Ask: What other software can I connect today, and which operators are already using those connections?

Then ask one more question
After every answer, ask: who's doing that live today?

It's the simplest way to tell the difference between a roadmap and a working system. If a supplier can name an operator using the feature right now, you can ask how it works in practice. If they can't, you know it's still a promise.

Marshalls Coaches, Sutton on Trent, the first operator to use Ferdia in the UK, shows why question 1 matters. Ferdia automatically sends the lead passenger their driver's contact details and a live tracking link. Marshalls say it's the kind of detail that gives customers the confidence to choose them over cheaper competitors.

Question 4 in practice: no more chasing payments
In October we hosted workshops with a small group of operators in Leicester and Reigate. One thing came through clearly: operators want a say in what gets built.
So here's our answer to question 4. An operator told us their number one issue was chasing payments, with many journeys going out before they even knew whether the customer had paid.
It's a risk operators up and down the country take.

So we built an automated payment flow:
1. The customer confirms the booking.
2. A payment link is sent automatically.
3. The payment flows straight into the operator's accounting system.
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Payments that don't come through appear in an easy-to-manage list for the accounts team to prioritise, reducing cash-flow risk. It's live with several customers today.

That's how we work. Operators tell us what they need, we scope the commercial value and they see it come to life.

Take the list with you

Download the full list and take it with you to the show. Ask every stand the same five questions, then come and ask us.

We'll answer all five on stand 100 in the Technology Zone, with a live operator example behind each one.

Euro Bus Expo
3–5 November
The NEC Birmingham
Stand 100, Technology Zone

Want to book a time with our UK team? Email Daniel Morton, Country Manager UK, at dm@ferdia.co.