An innovative vehicle tracking system is proving a boon for Wanganui District Council and six other local authorities in the Wanganui-Manawatu region.
Called EROAD, the system was created by a New Zealand-owned company and uses state-of-the-art hardware and the internet to capture information for clients such as road user charges as well as tracking vehicles.
Wanganui council has a fleet of 52 vehicles and the hardware had been installed in 46 of them so far.
The councils got together under a local authorities shared services (LASS) arrangement and as well as Wanganui, they include Horizons Regional Council, and Manawatu, Horowhenua, Rangitikei, Ruapehu and Tararua district councils.
Kevin Ross, Wanganui council's chief executive, said as well as providing better management of its fleet, it improved health and safety for the staff using them.