New data from Cybit shows commercial road usage dropped by 20 percent in February's wintry conditions

  • While many gritting vehicles averaged 18 hours each day

Huntingdon, 23 February 2009 – Data released by Cybit, the UK's leading online Telematics Service Provider, indicates that the effect of this month's heavy snowfall was a 20 percent drop-off in road traffic across the UK. The lowest road daily fall in usage was 25 percent. In contrast, many gritting vehicles were being used for an average of 18 hours per day throughout that week.

Cybit tracks almost 50,000 vehicle based assets and records in excess of 10 million live vehicle positions per day through Fleetstar-Online, the Internet-based Mobile Resource Management (MRM) and vehicle tracking suite. This data is also used by one of the UK's leading live traffic information providers, to deliver its service. After recording their lowest levels on Monday 3rd and Tuesday 4th, traffic started to recover on the Wednesday and Thursday, only to fall to 82 percent of its normal level on Friday 6th.

"It is no surprise to see that there was some drop-off in traffic on the roads during a week of heavy snowfall, but for there to be 1 in 5 commercial vehicles not travelling represents a dramatic effect on the productivity of these organisations and the economy as a whole," commented Richard Horsman, Cybit's Chief Executive Officer.

"Our technology collects positional data every 20 seconds, which means we have access to a very large amount of high quality information. This information helps identify many of these trends that run throughout UK fleets. A big part of using the Fleetstar system for individual organisations is assessing information over a length of time to identify trends within the fleet – and this is an instance where we can clearly see productivity dropping off in a particular week. This kind of information is valuable to every one of our 2,000 plus clients," continued Richard Horsman.

Fleetstar-Online is Cybit's industry leading, scalable suite of Internet-based Mobile Resource Management (MRM) and vehicle tracking tools. The high quality data relating vehicle and job performance is captured in conjunction with location information, reported and analysed through Fleetstar. This allows meaningful business decisions to be made using up to the minute information on operational performance. Powerful reporting capabilities facilitate effective management of operational costs and productivity; support strategic initiatives around Carbon footprint; and increase compliance with legislation including Duty of Care and Health and Safety. The strategic importance of Fleetstar-generated information extends beyond vehicle tracking into the heart of the enterprise: Fleet derived information can be directly integrated into a range of business systems to improve the efficiency of the entire organisation. Fleetstar provides the business-critical information that organisations need to execute a clear and rapid path to return on investment.

About Cybit:
Cybit is a global force in Telematics, operating within three core sectors: Internet-based vehicle Telematics solutions; Economic Exclusive Zone (EEZ) Management; and Private Mobile Radio (PMR) based asset tracking and precise positioning solutions.

In the vehicle Telematics sector, Cybit is one of Europe's leading Telematics Service Providers. More than 2,000 business-to-business clients use the company's fleet and asset management solutions to manage in excess of 50,000 assets primarily in the public sector, service industries and logistics and distribution markets. Solutions include in-vehicle technologies, workflow management, CanBus integration and internet-based monitoring and reporting software. The company also provides consulting services to advise on operational and legal issues such as duty of care and working hours.

Cybit is also a global leader in the field of EEZ fisheries management, tracking many thousands of fishing vessels on a daily basis. The company provides vessel monitoring and catch management solutions for many of the world's major fishing nations. As well as EC governments including the UK, Ireland and Greece, Cybit helps to manage valuable fishing stocks for emerging nations such as Ghana, Namibia and Mozambique.

Cybit's PMR business provides asset-tracking and precise positioning solutions for both maritime and land-based applications including mineral exploration and coastal security. Its precise positioning solutions are in constant use in the location and exploitation of oil, gas and mineral reserves around the globe.

Additional information is available at www.cybitholdings.com, www.cybit.co.uk, www.truck24.com, www.amatics.com, www.cybitpositioningsolutions.co.uk and www.bluefinger.com

Contact information:
Duncan Burford
IBA - PR for Cybit
Tel: 01780 721 433
Email: dburford@iba-europe.com

Graham Gordon
Marketing Manager, Cybit
Tel: 01480 389100
Email: ggordon@cybit.co.uk

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