Article featured in the Passenger Transport special supplement, Scotland’s Buses 2025. Click on image to view printed article.
Control360 is ushering in a new era for UK bus operations
A sector under pressure
Bus operators across the UK face increasing demands to run networks that are not only reliable but also more efficient and responsive. Managing driver resources, tackling congestion, and maintaining consistent services all hinge on one place: the control room.
Historically, however, control rooms have operated with fragmented systems, requiring staff to juggle multiple screens and manually retype data to piece together the whole picture. This slows decision-making and increases the very real risk of service disruption.
Furthermore, the broader transport landscape is undergoing rapid changes. Rising passenger expectations, tighter regulatory requirements, and the push towards greener, more sustainable operations are all adding to the pressure. Operators need not only to react in the moment, but also to anticipate issues before they escalate into something greater, a factor that traditional systems are rarely equipped to deliver.
Nick Brookes, Chief Customer Officer at Velociti Solutions, explains: “The control room is the heartbeat of any bus operation. However, without a unified system, controllers often work harder than necessary to stay on top of the basics. That’s where Control360 changes the game.”
A single view of operations
Control360 unifies data from across the organisation, from scheduling and engineering to customer services and third-party systems, into one intelligent hub. For the first time, controllers can see what’s happening across the network in real time.
“Most operators already have lots of technology in place,” says Nick. “The challenge has been joining it up. Control360 delivers that single, joined-up view, enabling teams to plan more effectively, respond more quickly, and provide passengers with the reliability they expect.”
From reactive to proactive
The platform goes far beyond monitoring. With real-time alerts, predictive insights, and streamlined workflows, Control360 enables controllers to act before minor issues escalate into more significant service failures.
Aiden Proctor, Velociti’s Head of Product – Bus, gives an example: “If a driver is delayed in signing on, that can quickly impact multiple services. Control360 doesn’t just flag the issue; it helps the team resolve it quickly, compliantly, and cost-effectively.”
By eliminating the need for duplicate data entry and system-hopping, the software frees up controllers to focus on what matters most: keeping buses moving and passengers informed.
Better decisions, every day
With its intuitive graphical interface, Control360 highlights the most urgent issues while also providing the context behind them, whether that’s a driver’s work history, incident timelines, or network-wide impacts.
“Controllers make high-stakes decisions under pressure all the time,” notes Aiden. “Control360 ensures those decisions are based on facts, not assumptions.”
Over time, the platform also builds a rich dataset that operators can use to inform long-term planning. Patterns emerge, such as how school schedules affect punctuality, or which types of incidents most often cause lost mileage.
Nick explains: “These insights help operators reshape networks in ways that deliver lasting improvements.”
Built for the future
More than just a piece of software, Control360 represents a shift in how bus operations are managed. It bridges the gap between day-to-day service control and strategic planning, paving the way for more intelligent, data-driven networks.
Crucially, the platform is designed with adaptability in mind. As new technologies emerge, from electric fleets to AI-driven scheduling, Control360 can evolve in tandem with them. This ensures that operators are not locked into today’s solutions but are equipped to embrace tomorrow’s innovations without disruption.
“Control360 is already transforming how operators run their networks,” says Nick. “And this is just the start, the platform will only get smarter, faster, and more connected as time goes on.”
From proactive duty allocation and predictive network management to seamless integration across systems, Control360 is setting a new standard for what a control room can achieve.
Or, as Aiden puts it: “It’s not only about solving today’s challenges, it’s about building bus operations that are ready for the challenges of tomorrow.”
