New Delhi: Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) has expanded its DriveFresh initiative to more than 8,000 fuel stations, covering around one-third of its network of 25,000 outlets, as it seeks to improve access to clean and hygienic washrooms for travellers.
The initiative, launched in partnership with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, provides well-lit, sanitised and regularly maintained washrooms at BPCL retail outlets, particularly along prominent highways, in cities and at major driving destinations.
Subhankar Sen, Director (Marketing), BPCL, said the company plans to increase DriveFresh coverage to 50 per cent of its network over the next few months, with a particular focus on long-distance travel routes where access to reliable restroom facilities can be limited.
“Our priority is long-distance travel because our service showed that this is where the need is felt the most. In cities and urban markets, you are still living from home and reaching office, so the need is always there, but long-distance travel is where you have a lot of uncertainties,” Sen said.
The company eventually aims to have DriveFresh facilities across its entire network, although Sen said the initiative is not being viewed simply as a numbers-driven expansion.
“Eventually, we would love to be in a state where we can stand up and say that across the network, we have DriveFresh. But for us, it is not a number game,” he said.
The initiative is aligned with the Swachh Bharat Mission and is intended to make travel more comfortable by providing dependable and hygienic facilities, particularly when travellers are passing through unfamiliar locations.
According to Sen, maintaining consistent standards across thousands of outlets has required changes in the behaviour and approach of employees and channel partners. BPCL is treating DriveFresh as a mission, with greater emphasis on ownership and customer experience.
The company has also introduced digital monitoring of DriveFresh outlets. Each facility is monitored centrally for four parameters, namely temperature, humidity, total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs) and odour.
Sen said territory, state, regional and national teams monitor the facilities, with exception reports generated when any parameter crosses prescribed tolerance limits. The system allows BPCL to track the condition of facilities consistently and identify locations that require attention.
While maintaining consistency in employee and partner behaviour remains an ongoing challenge across different regions, Sen said BPCL has systems in place to address infrastructure and maintenance requirements.
Source: ANI
