Skip to main content

QRoutes helps optimise routes for Sheffield’s special transport needs

Sheffield City Council is using cloud-based software from QRoutes to plan and refine around 145 routes for its Special Education Needs (SEN) Transport service. The UK council provides transport for 1,000 children to around 35 schools. Mike Keen, Sheffield’s senior transport officer, says the web-based solution’s multi-layered mapping allows users to view as many routes as required. Keen adds: “It takes about 30 seconds to run a plan and the system will give us an array of around ten different solution
June 6, 2018 Read time: 1 min
Sheffield City Council is using cloud-based software from 8661 QRoutes to plan and refine around 145 routes for its Special Education Needs (SEN) Transport service. The UK council provides transport for 1,000 children to around 35 schools.


Mike Keen, Sheffield’s senior transport officer, says the web-based solution’s multi-layered mapping allows users to view as many routes as required.

Keen adds: “It takes about 30 seconds to run a plan and the system will give us an array of around ten different solutions to consider – that would have taken days to do in the past.”

The SEN fleet includes a range of minibuses and large specialist wheelchair life vehicles that carry up to 16 passengers. The council also uses outsourced taxi services to transport 130 passengers that fall outside the scope of its fleet.

Related Content

  • April 25, 2013
    Growth of smart parking initiatives
    New initiatives in smart parking have been announced in the US and Europe in recent months. Is the age of smarter parking finally with us? Jon Masters investigates. Smart parking comes to Manchester, reads the headline to a story posted on the UK city’s website towards the end of March this year. Sensors will be fixed to parking spaces to give drivers and authorities information on parking availability via mobile phone apps and other software, the story goes on to explain. Lower down the page, Manchester Ci
  • March 4, 2019
    Kerb your enthusiasm, warns Passport
    Dynamic kerbside management is crucial if urban authorities are to address increasingly chaotic situations caused by the gig economy and mobility innovation, says Adam Warnes at Passport Demand for the kerbside is growing and changing and it’s no surprise when you consider the recent innovations within the mobility industry. For starters, there are new modes of transport, including ride-shares, electric vehicles (EVs), dockless cycles, last-mile consolidations and autonomous vehicles (AVs). Secondly, the
  • October 8, 2014
    Survey finds one third of parents witness near misses outside schools
    A detailed survey carried out by international tyre manufacturer Bridgestone, road charity Brake and internet-based market research firm YouGov has revealed that a third of primary school parents have witnessed near misses outside the school gates. More than half of parents are also worried about their child’s safety near roads on the school run, as autumn arrives and the nights get darker. The survey also revealed that: Two thirds see 4-11 year olds crossing the road without holding the hand of an a
  • May 8, 2019
    Cowlines app aims to bring MaaS to North America
    Europe is seen as leading the charge as providers battle to gain traction for their Mobility as a Service apps. But that could be about to change with the roll-out of Cowlines in North America It is widely agreed that Mobility as a Service (MaaS) platforms have the potential to replace a lot of urban private car journeys – more than 2.3 billion of them by 2023 in fact, according to Juniper Research. Implementation of MaaS options is likely to be quicker in Europe than in the US for a number of reasons (