A press photographer took a picture of the inauguration of Pope Benedict XVI in 2005. In 2013 he photographed the inauguration of Pope Francis from exactly the same spot.

In the second photograph, almost everybody was waving a smartphone with a camera. In the first, nobody was.

The difference between the two shots illustrates the speed with which smartphone use has spread and the impact it is having on society.

It is having an impact on fleet operators and their drivers too, with the use of smartphone apps continuing to spread.

AppDrive

Why go to the expense of installing a driver behaviour monitoring system in a van or car when you can glean at least some of the benefits it can deliver at a lower cost by using a phone app instead? In Germany TomTom has just announced a deal with insurer Signal Iduna, which involves doing precisely that.

AppDrive powered by TomTom provides data from the latter’s LINK 100 device on, for example harsh acceleration and braking and wayward steering, to the driver's smartphone. Such behaviour will affect the premium discount available giving the driver every incentive to behave sensibly.

Admittedly this is aimed at young drivers insured under private policies rather than fleets. However, the general principle remains the same.

LINK 100 is plugged into the car’s diagnostics point and does not transmit the vehicle’s position.

ProfiDriver

ZF has come up with an app designed to improve driving style called Profi Driver. It allows drivers to check their performance in comparison with the average results across the fleet on an Android display.

Fleet managers can analyse the driving styles of their employees on a web portal and receive the results in the guise of a graph, a table or a ranking.

The manager can set threshold values in terms of speed, engine idling time, acceleration and braking force. The driver is warned every time he or she deviates from these standards.

‘As a consequence Profi Driver significantly contributes to reducing the fleet's fuel consumption, wear and tear on vehicles and maintenance costs,’ says a company spokesman.

It was being showcased at the IAA Hanover Commercial Vehicle Show alongside an app aimed at truck drivers. Driving Times displays current information about how long an individual may drive in a day, a week or a fortnight without breaking the law.

Drivers are less likely to fall foul of legislation as a consequence and the traffic office will know how many hours each one has available at any given time. That will help it determine which drivers should be allocated to which jobs.

Zonar

Elsewhere, GreenRoad and US-based telematics provider Zonar have signed a deal that means GreenRoad’s driver behaviour feedback and monitoring package is being offered on the 2020 tablet. ‘Fleets using the 2020 are expanding the use of the mobile platform to streamline and improve a variety of driver functions,’ says Zonar chief operating officer, Vikas Jain.

Toyota Link

In Australia, Toyota owners can now access a new suite of apps directly from their car dashboard with the launch of Toyota Link developed by Intelematics. It does everything from finding service stations and comparing the prices they charge for fuel to giving the weather forecast for any location drivers find themselves in.

MyLink/OnStar

Other manufacturers are following a similar path. GM offers Intellilink or MyLink (for Chevrolet and Holden brands), which enables drivers to connect a mobile phone via Bluetooth and control on-line services via apps installed on the system. GM’s OnStar services are integrated in Intellilink, which includes Advanced Automatic Collision Notification, roadside assistance, diagnostics information and on-board navigation. For Europe, Intellilink first appeared in the Opel/Vauxhall Adam and is being rolled out across the European model range.

CarPlay

The new Volvo XC90 unveiled at the recent Paris Show showed Volvo’s thinking regarding apps and connectivity with a large eight-inch touchscreen at the heart of the system, using Apple’s CarPlay or Android Auto systems to integrate Apple and Android devices and functionality.

Volvo is one of several manufacturers who have signed up to offer Apple’s CarPlay. Apple’s Maps system offers in-car navigation while using Apple’s Siri voice activated system, Apple Messages can be dictated and sent or received. Not surprisingly, Android Auto offers similar phone and app connectivity, with Google Maps and voice activation among the functions for users of Android devices and will be supported by most major car brands. For both CarPlay and Android Auto, development is just beginning and we can expect to see many more apps, including those for fleet users, to become available as development continues.

SYNC 2

Ford offers the latest generation of its SYNC system, SYNC 2, which made its debut in Europe on the new Ford Focus recently and has been available in North America since 2012. This builds on the functions that Ford introduced with SYNC in 2007 and offers similar features to GM’s Intellilink in integrating mobile phone connectivity and offering apps covering areas such as navigation and vehicle tracking. The system is available on a range of cars and light commercial vehicles. SYNC 2 offers voice activation for many of the functions.

ParkRight

In the UK, Westminster Council has launched the ParkRight smartphone app to make it easier for drivers to find a parking space in central London. Sensors have been installed in 3,000 roadside spaces that show if they are vacant so that motorists do not have to keep driving around looking for an empty one, adding to traffic queues and pollution.

‘Part of the answer to the congestion conundrum lies in investing in technology like advanced parking services,’ says Matt Simmons, European director at real-time traffic, transportation analytics and connected driver services provider INRIX. ‘They will become increasingly important as electric car use becomes more widespread because drivers will have a critical need to pinpoint available charging bays when batteries are running low.’

This need not involve parking bay sensors however, he adds. ‘We can already determine where available on-street parking is located without having to go to the expense of installing and maintaining them,’ he says.