News / Korea's first LCL online booking system – 'as easy as booking a bus seat'

Korean freight forwarder GLS has launched the country’s first online booking system for less-than-container load (LCL) cargo.

Consol Bus allows shippers to buy and sell container space and is modelled on reservation systems for bus seats.

GLS, an acronym for Global Logistics Square, said: “Consol Bus focuses on simplified processes and being user-friendly. It operates in a way that customers buy and sell standardised container space, just as bus passengers reserve seats.”

When shippers select the departure and arrival locations in the web-based booking system, a choice of schedules and costs is provided. Reservations  can be made immediately and customers can follow the progress of the booking, from shipment reservation to real-time ship tracking.

Should the shipping schedule change, shippers will be notified and all related documents such as bills of lading and invoices can be printed from the website.

Prices quoted include all hipping costs, including bunker adjustment factor, container cleaning, warehousing and drayage.

GLS said: “Many customers are feeling the burden of frequent increases in freight rates and additional items in the LCL logistics market. Our system guarantees price transparency and prevents shippers from being overcharged.”

CEO Nam Gwi-hyun added: “Consol Bus will rationalise costs and simplify business processes through digitalised logistics in the LCL market, in consideration of the MZ generation (a term to describe Koreans born between 1981 and 2005).”