QPaths - Passenger Transport Optimisation

Welcome to QPaths!

QPaths is map based software for determining walking route distances and routes. It is particularly useful for establishment transport eligibility assessements.

The planner loads in the journeys they wish to assess, and QPaths determines the minimum safe walking distance and route for each.

Getting started

The requirement can be specified in a QPaths File, a Comma Separated Values (CSV) format file which can be produced by spreadsheet applications like Excel or exported from databases. Download the template here. QPaths will automatically begin processing the journey requirements when a file is loaded.

Note: Eligibility Distances are read in metres by default but miles can be used by appending "[miles]" onto the Eligibility distance column. There is a configuration setting which controls this.

Alternatively if the user has only a single journey requirement they can use Add new Enquiry. This functionality is also available at any time through the Add Enquiry Map tool.

Results and map tools

See help for Results panel and map tools

Data security

It is impossible for anybody, even a QPaths administrator, to access any data uploaded by the planner to QPaths. The software doesn't store any data between sessions and so the planner should ensure they save their results before the end of a session.

Release notes

Find out what we added, changed and fixed in current and previous versions.

QPaths Support Request

Need some help? Click the link below to open a live chat session. If no-one is available, this will open the support message box and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

Browsers

Can I use Internet Explorer on Windows 7?

Why do I get an error message when I use Internet Explorer?

Which web browser can I use?

Password & Security

How do I reset or change my password?

Could QPaths carry Ransomware?

Google Street View

Why do I not always see an image when using Street View?

Back to FAQ list

Windows 7 with Internet Explorer version 8-10 is no longer supported by QPaths.

QPaths now uses TLS1.2 security, this newer protocol is not supported by older versions of Internet Explorer.

Users of IE11 may also have the same issue of accessing QPaths if the version of IE11 is set to emulate an earlier version, commonly version 8 or 9.

An option around this is to use the Google Chrome browser to access the QPaths application. However, this is not guaranteed to work and may be affected by network security’s and firewall setting within your network.

Click here for more information

Some Internet Explorer users will get an error message when trying to login to QPaths if the version of Internet Explorer is too old to support the security protocols required by QPaths.

The user should upgrade their version of Internet Explorer as described here.

Microsoft Edge

Version 38.14 and above.

For help with updating your browser click the link here

In some cases, the MS browser you are using may be set to emulate an earlier version. This is not uncommon if security updates are not up to date. To check this open your MS browser and press F12. Find the Emulation tab and look at the Document Mode, if that does not default to the version currently running this may have an effect on QPaths.

Chrome

Version 55.0.xxxx and above.

For help with updating your browser click the link here

Firefox

Version 43.0.1 and above.

For help with updating your browser click the link here

Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer is no longer supported although version 10 and above may work with all security updates installed.

For help with updating your browser click the link here

In some cases, the MS browser you are using may be set to emulate an earlier version. This is not uncommon if security updates are not up to date. To check this open your MS browser and press F12. Find the Emulation tab and look at the Document Mode, if that does not default to the version currently running this may have an effect on QPaths.

1: Open an internet browser and go to the login page at https://login.qroutes.co.uk/qpaths/login.xhtml

2: Enter your username (this is normally your First and Last name with a space between them).

3: If you have forgotten the password press the Reset Password button. QPaths will send a new password to the email address registered to the User Name entered.

4: If you want to change your password (for example if this is the first time logging in use the password sent to you by email) then enter the password, click the Change after login box and press Login. You may find it easier to copy and paste the password from the email.

5. The New Password window will open. Enter the new password twice and press the Red Change Password button.

The red Go to start page button will just open the map page and will not change the password!

QPaths will confirm a password change with the message that the Password has been changed.

No.

QPaths is provided from secure data centres managed by iomart. The data centres have extensive perimeter protection and no iomart hosted services have been affected by ransomware attacks.

iomart has published an e-book if you want to know more about protecting your organisation from ransomware.

Not all road locations are covered by Google Street View, for example some roads may be on private land or Google may not have the permission to show the image.

The Street View image database is owned and maintained by Google and QPaths has no influence on what is shown.

QPaths Support Request

Need some help? Click the link below to open a live chat session. If no-one is available, this will open the support message box and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Video Tutorials

The links below are for a series of videos demonstrating how to use all of the major features of QPaths.

The videos cover everything from the import of data, through the processing of that data, to the export of the results. It is recommended that a new user views them in the order presented.

QPaths Support Request

Need some help? Click the link below to open a live chat session. If no-one is available, this will open the support message box and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Version 1.10

What’s New

Extended functionality in API
New way of blocking - allowing more precise selection
Quicker safe walking calculation and batch processing
Configurable setting for eligibility distances for primary and secondary schools
Changes in distance or eligibility recorded when loading batch files or recalculating enquiries

What we have updated

Path and road data updated to January 2025
MFA can be enabled in QPaths
Enhanced map editor tool functionality
Refined polygon areas for local authorities
Added the ability to enforce stricter address validation rules

What we have fixed

Resolved issues with map panel positioning
Fixed a formatting issue in the configuration panel
Fixed a formatting issue in the establishment panel

Version 1.9.1

What’s New

A new configuration switch “Enforce stricter address validation rules” will look for a street number in the street column of the address and try to validate the address using this. Normally the street number will be picked from the Street No column in the address which is held separately.

What we have updated

An extended rule has been introduced to the in-catchment eligibility check to enable a test for any closer schools to be carried out if a pupil address resides in a catchment served by multiple schools.

What we have fixed

A fix has been made to deal with catchments checks for split area catchments. Previously the software would assume all pupils were not in catchment when the catchment is split over multiple areas. The software now correctly performs the in-catchment check.

Version 1.9

What’s New

A new option on the establishment icon Buffers enables circular buffer zones to be displayed on the map and printed.
It's now possible to upload and download blocked segments along with their respective geometry in a CSV or GeoJSON format
Additional audit information is captured when school gates are removed or modified.
A new colour has been introduced for blocked segments to make it easier for users to discern blocked roads when displaying a walking route.
A new distance column indicator has been added to the QPaths file to indicate whether the distance is S - a street route distance or C - a crow fly's distance.
A maximum distance filter has been added to Closest School Report so that distances over this value are not included in the report.
Its now possible to show the Preferred School as a row in the Find Closest School grid.
An extra option has been added to the batch eligibility testing for catchment checks where a pupil outside of the catchment is tested to see if the school they have applied to is their closest.
A gate number will be shown on the location icon in the Find Closest School grid if the gates are different for each of the distances displayed.
A user can edit an address to remove the UPRN value. This is useful if the walking path is snapping to a incorrect linked segment on the map.

What we have updated

A 'No Eligibility Mode' option has been added to the user account setup. Previously this was on the account
Top N button has been Changed to Closest N and includes more options for evaluating school distances in the Find Closest grid.
If a user is zoomed in on a pin either school or pupil marker on the map and Show Routes is selected then the system will maintain the current map zoom level.
A redesign of the main menu panel is now available.

What we have fixed

A fix was introduced to the Find Closest report to ensure the correct testing distance property is being used in the report.

Version 1.8

What’s New

The user can now specify addresses in the input file with just a UPRN.
The user can add a Tag of their choosing (e.g. FSM for Free School Meals) to each enquiry in the file and use the Tag to filter results.
The admin user can block road or path segments for both walking and driving.
The user can select which rows to export in the Find Closest report.
The user can deselect filtering based on specific attributes in Find Closest.
The user can select several enquiries on the map and overwrite eligibility for them all as a bulk action.

What we have updated

The file format (to include the UPRN and Tag fields).
Speed - large files in particular should be quicker to process.

What we have fixed

Waypoints added for one route are cleared before showing another route.
The Find Closest report has the same order in the PDF as it has in the application.

Version 1.7

What’s New

The user can choose to view Unsafe Walking and Straight-line distances as well as Safe Walking and Driving distances.
The user can the map to locate home addresses not yet registered with Ordnance Survey.
The Add Enquiry button is now available on the main menu panel.
The user can load a QPaths file onto the main menu panel.

What we have updated

The colour scheme!
The user doesn't need to create a Unique ID and enter a name for a general enquiry.

What we have fixed

Distances in the Find Closest screen update immediately once a path is blocked.
All custom data fields in the loaded pupil file are retained in the output.

Version 1.6

What we have updated

Ordnance Survey map data is now updated at least bi-monthly
NAPTAN database is now updated at least bi-monthly

What’s New

Calculate N top distances when entering multi schools screen
Safe/unsafe walking on routing panel
Saving/reading km/miles to/from QPaths file
Rounding float number for x/y in the overlay file
General enquiry mode - distances for school
Number of decimal digits for distances
Upload establishments improvement - updating school id (if changed) for connected overlays (polygon)
Overlays file - new format to support polygon with hole(s)
Map view report - main screen, extended report on multi-school page
Closest schools report
Login with azure

What we have fixed

There have been other minor improvements and bug fixes to this latest release

Version 1.5

What we have updated

If large polygons are exported from the QPaths system then the coordinates will be segmented into coordinate blocks of 1000 coordinates per column. This is to support a display limitation in Excel
A validation check has been introduced, when loading a QPaths file, to check if a reference to an invalid gate number exists in the file
If there is no walking route to a school then the distance will be shown as “N/A”
An information panel will be shown when loading a file if all rows are skipped in the file
There have been other minor improvement and bug fixes to this latest release

What’s New

A new configuration switch “No eligibility mode” has been added to QPaths to allow the a site to turn off automatic eligibility calculations i.e. in 2 miles or in 3 miles distance limits
A configuration switch has been introduced to allow the display of driving distances on the Find Closest School screen
The QPaths API has been extended to include additional functionality to support the Jadu/CXM system. This includes the ability to launch QPaths directly from Jadu
Custom statuses are now supported for journey information being sent from the Jadu/CXM system via the API
A search by location/place feature is now available on the routing panel
When linking polygons to establishments (and there is more than one polygon for the same establishment) then additional filter rules can be added to determine which polygon a case from Jadu is linked to. This only applies to the QPaths API
A configuration option has been introduced to allow users to specify no first or last name in the single enquiry screen
A user can now search for a polygon by name in the overlay panel and the map will display the polygon
When adding a new pupil enquiry an address search using the UPRN (Unique Property Reference Number) can be used if known

What we have fixed

A bug has been fixed which rectified a occasional issue with drawing the last segment of a path as a straight line
A bug has been fixed to deal with the Zendesk 'Message support' button not appearing on the help panel

Version 1.4

What we have updated

Support for shortest driving route as well as shortest walking route is provided on the routing tool
Improvements to the polygon overlay capability is provided to enable single selection of a polygon when they overlay each other

What’s New

A Find Closest tool is available to check for closer schools of a given type
Can now add a Date of Birth to the application so that Age range filters on schools can be applied in the FInd Closest screen
Support for this year or next year application which uses dates of birth to calculate age for the relevant year
A new pdf report option is available on the Find Closest screen
A right click Edit or Delete option is available for use on the main journey panel so that journey records can be amended or deleted.
New configuration settings are available to the default search attributes used in the Find Closest screen.
New configuration matching rules are supported against the attributes e.g. searching on Boys schools can enable Boys and Mixed schools to be displayed.
A polygon can be linked to an establishment (this is for future API support)

Version 1.1

What we have updated

OS Map and Address data update

What’s New

Establishments are now stored within QPaths.
Add a new single enquiry using a map tool.
The Routing map tool now has a vehicular option.
Enquiries can be deleted from the list.
Eligibility criteria can be compared against multiple local establishments. Upgrade to this add-on

Version 1.0

This is the first major release of QPaths. Enjoy!

QPaths Support Request

Need some help? Click the link below to open a live chat session. If no-one is available, this will open the support message box and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.