The world of ground transportation is reinventing the wheels.
Whereas customers used to order a car to the airport weeks in advance, mobile technology now allows for last-minute pickups, GPS tracking and hyper-local advertising.
Based in Hawthorne, N.Y., and with a footprint in Norwalk, Leros Point to Point transportation is developing new mobile technology to allow its customers to book trips directly, track their drivers and even alert hotel concierges that their car is five minutes away.
“We feel the key to success is investing in technology,” said Leros COO Jeff Nyikos. “Whether it”™s our infrastructure here, as far as running the organization goes, or through mobile technology.”
With hundreds of Fortune 500 companies in the New York-Connecticut region as its clients, Leros manages businesses”™ ground transportation locally and worldwide. Whether a client is traveling in Chicago, Singapore or Tokyo, the company partners with local car service companies to ensure clients get the best rates, quality service and a local flare in each trip.
Over the past 30 years, Leros has grown from a family business with as few as three cars, to a more than $20 million global company. In 10 years the company has acquired 10 companies. And now, the group has access to a network of nearly 25,000 cars, though some are independently driver owned.
Each step of the way however, Nyikos said he”™s been investing in technology. In the beginning, it was teaching his employees how to use a computer”™s mouse. Then it was about big in-car phones and beepers. Now, it”™s all about mobile apps and making the most of GPS.
After moving its Fairfield County regional office to the Dolce Norwalk Conference Center, the company is now testing its new geo-fencing technology. When a car is within five minutes of arriving at the hotel, the platform sends an email to Dolce”™s front desk managers so they may greet the customer in a timely fashion.
The partnership with the hotel is a first for Leros, though the company drives customers to hundreds of hotels every day. The company plans to officially launch the geo fencing service within nine months. After which, they may roll out the service immediately elsewhere, if all runs smoothly.
Recalling a time when the company used to write down reservations on paper and pin it to corkboard, Michael Basso, Leros vice president, said it”™s hard for him to imagine ever stepping back in time.
“I can”™t remember how we actually did it,” Basso said. “Technology has made life easier. But it”™s also increased people expectations exponentially. So it goes hand and hand.”
In the near future, Basso and Nyikos said the company would likely start offering advertisements through backseat iPad apps. If a passenger was traveling to Stamford for instance, he or she could scroll through a list local restaurants and receive a free drink coupon through text message.
“I”™d like to think we”™re surpassing expectations,” Basso said. “In a lot of cases we are. But I”™m somewhat realistic. We”™re ahead of the curve when it comes to most technologies. But sometimes things are so new.”
