Fleet planning and scheduling at Grupo Flecha Amarilla
Grupo Flecha Amarilla went from managing dozens of buses to thousands. Aleph5 built the models that let it plan, schedule, and execute its entire fleet operation, across two successive generations of the system.
- Client
- Grupo Flecha Amarilla (Mexico)
- Industry
- Passenger transportation
- Scope
- Management of thousands of buses
- Projects
- Two generations of the planning system
- Horizon
- Services from one day up to 13 days
Who they are
Grupo Flecha Amarilla operates passenger transportation services in Mexico with all of its information technology centralized, regardless of business unit.
Roberto Rodríguez, head of the IT Department, has been with the organization for eight years and has led that function for seven and a half.
The challenge
The group's growth changed the scale of the problem: it was no longer about managing dozens or hundreds of buses, but thousands. That calls for a far more powerful tool, one that lets the team plan, schedule, and execute the entire fleet operation.
Complexity grows with the horizon: a plan may cover a single-day service or up to thirteen chained days, and in every case the bus must reach its destination on the committed schedule — or another unit must be available to continue the service without affecting passengers.
The solution
Aleph5 built the models that identify the services to be provided not on a fixed calendar, but according to the different moments and demands of transportation: atypical days in a region, a festivity requiring more capacity, last-minute changes.
The whole operation is controlled through what the group calls the seal control card, which defines the service each unit must perform. With the tool, managing thousands of buses comes down to a few clicks.
The system has gone through two generations: the original implementation and a later modernization, driven by the natural change of databases, languages, architecture, and servers over the years.
Results
The benefits of the first stage were felt immediately by the business: the ability to manage thousands of buses with a few clicks, dynamic identification of services based on real demand, and precise control of plans covering up to thirteen days.
The second stage, the technology modernization, mainly benefited the IT Department. Together, the tool simplifies the management of an operation that is inherently complex.
“We have genuinely had many benefits that simplify how we manage the operation. The operation is complex in itself; with the tool we have something that lets us manage it in a simple way.”
Why Aleph5
Flecha Amarilla emphasizes how difficult situations were handled: where other vendors take advantage of urgency to press on price, this relationship has held with a willingness to negotiate on both sides across years of joint work.
“I don't consider Aleph5 a vendor, I consider them entirely a business ally. I am completely convinced I can recommend them, because they have been able to meet our needs, deliver projects on time and as required, and have the right team at all times, no matter the adversities we have faced.”
Testimonial
Testimonial from the IT director of Grupo Flecha Amarilla, sharing his experience with the development of the planning and scheduling models:
Questions about this case
What is the scale of the operation?
Thousands of buses, after the group moved past managing dozens and hundreds of units.
What planning horizon does it cover?
From single-day services to chained plans of thirteen days.
How many projects have been developed?
Two: the original implementation of the planning system and a later technology modernization.
“If you want the POWER to improve, Measure… if you want to Improve, Model.”
Peter Drucker
Proven in real operations
Arauco, Grupo Senda, Vitro, and Flecha Amarilla make daily decisions with Aleph5 models.