FlowForma Software Vetting Process Has Taken Bus Éireann's Driver Vetting Process Online

FlowForma^®, the leading provider of Process Automation tools for Microsoft Office 365^®, today announced that Bus Éireann, has taken their driver vetting process online, using its intuitive FlowForma Process Automation tool.

Bus Éireann was formed in 1987 as a subsidiary of CIÉ (Córas Iompair Éireann), Ireland's national public transport provider. It provides coach and bus services throughout Ireland. With a team of 2,500 people, it operates a fleet of 1,200 coaches and buses of which 500 are directly allocated to school transport. In addition, over 4,000 contractor vehicles are employed by Bus Éireann to provide school transport services daily.

Under the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012 to 2016, vetting of personnel who work with children and vulnerable adults is required by law. Therefore, all drivers of coaches, buses and taxis providing school transport services for Bus Éireann must be vetted and approved. For many years, Bus Éireann were challenged with its paper-based vetting application process that was manual and time-consuming. Keen to improve this process Bus Éireann sought out a more efficient, digital solution.

Following much research and a demonstration of how the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) had streamlined their vetting process with FlowForma Process Automation, Bus Éireann approached the FlowForma team, to understand how they might use FlowForma Process Automation to automate their own vetting process.

Within months, Bus Éireann had deployed the no code FlowForma Process Automation tool and successfully launched its FlowForma Software Vetting Process in early 2018, with hundreds of applications already coming in. “It is true to say the staff in the Vetting Office are delighted, there will be no return to paper!” said Debbie O’Neill, Vetting Officer, Bus Éireann.

Drivers applying for vetting can now submit their personal information such as Drivers Licence, Medical Fitness Certificate etc. online, and answer pre-screening questions and submit personal information via a secure link from the Bus Éireann website. Once this information is submitted by the applicant, Bus Éireann are automatically notified and can begin the initial screening. With the initial background checks out of the way, the request is moved through an extensive screening process by the Irish Police force (An Garda Síochána). The results are then sent to the applicant, once a final decision has been made.

“By purchasing the FlowForma Public Accessible Forms functionality, Bus Éireann quickly built an e-Vetting form accessible to the public via the Bus Éireann website. This form sits on FlowForma’s own Microsoft Azure environment enabling anonymous access from the public,” said Luke Kennedy, Chief Technical Officer, FlowForma.

With FlowForma Software Vetting Process, Bus Éireann has seen a vast improvement in the turnaround of applicant vetting. The business now has clear visibility at each step of the process and all the data continues to be kept in a secure and controlled manner. Having seen the success of their first online vetting process, Bus Éireann intend to bring more processes online in the future. A satisfied Dorothy McGill of the Vetting Department added. “We have the best online vetting system around now.”