Available for Android smartphones from today, with Apple and Microsoft mobile devices to follow next year, GreenRoad’s Smartphone Edition App monitors driver behaviour based on risky or fuel-inefficienct manoeuvres including hard braking, cornering or acceleration, as well as logging journey times for expense reports and collecting idling data.

Unlike previous solutions, it uses the device’s built-in GPS and accelerometers to replace a wired-in device, and transmits the journey information via the phone’s data connection. Drivers are given instant feedback about their behaviour via a red, amber and green warning, and the software can run in the background while using a satellite navigation app, flashing up notifications as required.

With over a third of UK drivers using business-related smartphone apps, GreenRoad UK senior consultant Andy Cozens believes the application has great potential with car and van fleets where the vehicle turnaround is much quicker than in heavy goods vehicles or buses. Installation requires only a fixed phone cradle with a power source.

Each journey can be accessed by the driver to see where they can improve, as well as being fed back to the fleet manager, and the app can also disable physical use of the smartphone while the vehicle is moving. Idling and journey end times are calculated using the phone’s power supply.

‘GreenRoad Smartphone Edition means fleets have the option to replace all traditional systems, as well as implementing their phone use policy,’ said Cuzens. ‘It makes this more viable for cars and vans where the cost of installing and reinstalling a device can mean return on investment is smaller.’