A BostonCoach driver checks route instructions using a Handheld PC in a specially designed dashboard mount. Windows CE gave us the flexibility to make the screen look any way we chose, enabling us to build the system to emulate the previous screens. In addition, it provided BostonCoach with the flexibility to change the screens and enhance the system in the future. The application is straightforward and easy to use. The driver enters his or her user name, PIN, and vehicle number, and then presses a login button, which sends the information in seconds back to the dispatch office.
Drivers enter tolls, parking, and other billable expenses directly into the devices.
Ride billing data is transferred directly from the driver's data terminal into BostonCoach's back office systems, ensuring customer billing is done quickly and accurately. However, the company is migrating most of its operations to a Microsoft Windows NT -based platform, including its reservation, billing, and dispatch systems. IIS provides a basic intranet interface for some functions, such as giving drivers the ability to check their payroll hours, reimbursable expenses, payroll adjustments, and personal profile. This data is retrieved from the C.A.R.S. system and returned in a readable format using Active Server Pages technology. Microsoft's DCOM and ADO technologies for designing interfaces for the C.A.R.S. applications.