Autocars Chaize optimises its fleet management and accelerates its energy transition with Samsara

“Samsara isn't just a tool, it's a partner that helps us offer a safer, more efficient and more transparent service. Whether it's for geolocation, payroll management or our ecological transition, Samsara has transformed the way we work.” Brahim Mansour, Chief Traffic Controller at Autocars Chaize

Standout Benefits

• Safety rating increased from 76% to 93% in one year

• Payroll processing time reduced by 80%

• Departure on-time rate increased to 99%

A company specialising in transporting people with reduced mobility

For over 30 years, Autocars Chaize has specialised in transporting people with reduced mobility, particularly children and adults with autism. Based in the Loire region, the company has 55 employees and a fleet of 45 vehicles, 40% of which are electric. In 2024, its drivers travelled the equivalent of 26 times around the world, or more than one million kilometres, while ensuring the safety and comfort of its passengers.

Improve operational efficiency and customer service quality

“We previously used a geolocation solution that didn't meet our needs. The tool only provided us with GPS location data, whereas we needed very accurate, real-time data to locate our vehicles”, says Brahim Mansour, Chief Traffic Controller at Autocars Chaize.

On a daily basis, operators had to call drivers on their mobile phones to find out where they were, or to find out how long it would take them to arrive at a customer's home to take them to their destination. This was a waste of time, a source of stress and an additional risk on the road. At the end of 2023, Autocars Chaize chose the Samsara solution.

“Today, in the blink of an eye, we know exactly where each vehicle is, how many kilometres it has left to travel and what time the driver will arrive. If families call us, we are able to provide them with immediate information, which is very reassuring for them”, emphasises Mansour.

The Samsara solution also allows alerts to be configured to indicate if a vehicle is going to be late for its scheduled departure, or if additional time needs to be allowed for due to traffic or roadworks on the route. Thanks to the tool, Autocars Chaize has virtually eliminated the number of ‘false starts’ and has data that allows it to understand the reasons for certain delays. “This gives us accurate information and allows us to modify the route in question if necessary. With Samsara's help, we now have a service quality rating of nearly 99%”, explains Mansour.

Payroll management: processing time reduced tenfold

Samsara enables Autocars Chaize to benefit from tangible improvements in drivers data management, particularly for payroll. Whereas processing payslips (gathering information, filing it, transferring it to the accountant, etc.) used to take up to 1 week each month, now it takes a day: a reduction of 80%.

“Processing time has been reduced by 80%. Everything is automated in Samsara and information is processed as it comes in. For us, this is a considerable time saver that allows us to devote even more time to our customers”, says Mansour. 

Protected drivers and improved driving quality

Another area that Autocars Chaize has improved with Samsara's help is safety. 

Samsara's accurate geolocation, its ability to define customised routes every day, and its provision of accurate, real-time information to operators and drivers on journey times and stop times all contribute to a more relaxed driving experience and reduced stress behind the wheel.

As a result, Autocars Chaize has seen a significant improvement in driving quality: the safety rating of all its drivers rose from 76% in 2023 to 93% in 2024.

The data provided by Samsara also helps protect drivers in the event of an incident or an offence for which they are not responsible. “We had two cases where a driver was issued a speeding fine. It was actually a case of licence plate theft. Samsara's data allowed us to prove the driver's innocence”, explains Mansour.

Towards an all-electric fleet

Today, 40% of Autocars Chaize's fleet is electric. The company's goal is to gradually move towards an entirely clean fleet. 

“Samsara simplifies the management of electric vehicles. First, it allows us to know the charging time at the depot: with a single click, we have the information. Secondly, the tool allows us to measure the charges made at drivers' homes, and therefore to compensate them accurately. Finally, Samsara allows us to see which vehicles need to be replaced as a priority – for example, those that mainly operate in urban areas – and thus to manage the transition of our fleet to all-electric more efficiently”, comments Mansour. 

Finally, Samsara is also very useful to Autocars Chaize in the context of tenders, particularly public tenders. Increasingly, public entities are requiring vehicles to be equipped with geolocation tools, but also that service providers have tools to measure CO2 emissions.

“Samsara is not just a tool, it is a partner that helps us offer a safer, more efficient and more transparent service. Whether for geolocation, payroll management or our ecological transition, Samsara has transformed the way we work”, concludes Mansour.