Predictika · Transit bus quotes

An AI sales agent's transit bus quote, checked before it goes out

An AI sales agent prepares a quote for a fleet of low floor transit buses, with a length, a body style, a powertrain, seating, wheelchair positions, charging equipment, a discount and a stated subtotal. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the bus options and returns a verdict and every reason.

Scope: Low floor transit bus quotes: Low Floor, Low Floor Plus and BRT Plus bodies; 29, 35 and 40 ft; diesel, CNG, hybrid and battery electric; wheelchair positions, depot chargers, overhead charging and fleet discounts. See everything this validator covers

This validator models transit bus fleet quotes, not just the scenarios shown below.

  • Body, length and powertrain — which bodies come in which lengths, which powertrains fit which lengths, battery electric only on the Low Floor Plus body, and the seats and wheelchair positions each length can carry.
  • Charging — battery electric buses need charging equipment on the quote or at the agency, overhead (pantograph) charging applies only to battery electric buses, and the daily route miles are checked against the range with and without it.
  • Subtotal, discount and reviews — the subtotal stated on the quote against the computed one, the discount limit and approval band, agency-owned chargers to confirm, and large fleet orders that need a contract review.

Any bus fleet quote that touches these rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: parts, service contracts and financing. Product names, lengths, powertrains, the battery electric body restriction and the seating baseline follow Gillig's public information; the other rules, thresholds and all prices are modeled, not published by Gillig, and the prices are illustrative.

The AI sales agentBuilds the bus quote from the conversation and says it is ready.
Predictika validatorChecks every rule at once and returns the verdict, each finding, and the computed figures.

6 scenarios in 3 groups · each group runs from the agent’s first attempt to the outcome · click one to switch

What the agent proposes

The AI sales agent says

Illustrative agent statement. The validator receives the structured request below.

Proposing agent: AI sales agent (scripted)

Before sending, the agent must call Recorded run

Predictika validator


      

        
        
        
      

      
Waiting for the call.

      
    

  

  
  

    
Where rules-based CPQ gets it wrong
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Our assessment of what a typical rules-based CPQ (product rules, price rules and validation rules, as in Salesforce CPQ) does with the same cases. It is a judgment about effort and reliability, not a claim that nothing can be built.

    
What the validator caughtTypical rules-based CPQPredictika
Body, length and powertrain combinationsOnly with care
Battery electric is offered on one body only, BRT Plus on one length, and the shortest bus only with two powertrains.		The body, length and powertrain are fields of one request and are checked together on every call.
Seats and wheelchair positions by lengthOnly with care
Each length carries a different number of seats and wheelchair positions, so a change of length changes both limits.		Seats and positions are checked against the length chosen, whatever order they were entered in.
Charging equipment and route rangeOnly with workarounds
A battery electric bus needs chargers somewhere, overhead charging only suits battery electric, and the range depends on that choice.		Chargers, overhead charging and daily miles are checked together, including the range with and without it.
Discount limit and approval bandOnly with workarounds
A small discount passes, a middle band needs sales management and a larger one is not allowed.		The discount is checked on every call and the approval comes back with the blocks.
Stated subtotal against the computed subtotalOnly with workarounds
The subtotal depends on length, powertrain, body, positions, chargers and count, so any change has to be recomputed.		The stated subtotal is a field of the quote and is compared with the computed one on every call.
Every problem returned in one answerOnly with workarounds
Rules tend to fire as a step is completed, so a rep often fixes one error and meets the next.		All findings come back together, whatever order the choices arrived in.

  

  

    
What this validator catches: findings from its test cases
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Every rule is checked on every call, in any order the choices arrive; one problem never hides another. Blocking findings stop the quote; approval findings need a person to sign off; everything else is computed.

    
1Battery electric is offered only on the Low Floor Plus body; the quote has a different body.
2The BRT Plus body is quoted only at 40 ft in this model.
3The 29 ft bus is diesel or CNG only in this model.
4The agency needs 41 seats per bus; this length seats 40.
5The quote has 4 wheelchair positions per bus; this length allows 3.
6Overhead (pantograph) charging applies only to battery electric buses.
7Battery electric buses need charging equipment on the quote or at the agency; the quote has neither.
8The quote relies on chargers the agency already owns; a person should confirm they work with the quoted buses.
9The route needs 130 miles a day; a battery electric bus without overhead charging is quoted for at most 129 miles.
10The route needs 190 miles a day; a battery electric bus is quoted for at most 187 miles even with overhead charging.
11The quote states a subtotal of 5,000,000 dollars; the quoted buses add up to 5,750,000.
12A discount of 6 percent is above 5 percent and needs sales management approval.
13A discount of 10 percent is above 5 percent and needs sales management approval.
14A discount of 11 percent is over the 10 percent limit.
15An order of 25 buses needs a contract review before it is sent.
16The route needs 160 miles a day; a battery electric bus without overhead charging is quoted for at most 129 miles.
17The agency needs 32 seats per bus; this length seats 28.
18The quote has 3 wheelchair positions per bus; this length allows 2.
19The quote states a subtotal of 17,000,000 dollars; the quoted buses add up to 17,250,000.
20A discount of 12 percent is over the 10 percent limit.
21An order of 30 buses needs a contract review before it is sent.
22A discount of 8 percent is above 5 percent and needs sales management approval.

  

  

    
Scenarios and results
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The recorded result of the validator for each scenario on this page: the request the AI agent sent, the verdict, and every finding, in the order they appear above.

    
1. 35 ft battery electric order: A quote for twelve 35 ft battery electric buses with wheelchair positions, a long route and a discount

    
The agent's request. Please quote twelve 35 ft Low Floor battery electric buses with 34 seats and 4 wheelchair positions per bus, for a route of 140 miles a day, and a 12 percent discount. The quote states a subtotal of $11,900,000. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Battery electric only on Low Floor Plus. Battery electric is offered only on the Low Floor Plus body; the quote has a different body.
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  • Seats required exceed the length. The agency needs 34 seats per bus; this length seats 32.
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  • Wheelchair positions exceed the length. The quote has 4 wheelchair positions per bus; this length allows 3.
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  • Battery electric needs charging equipment. Battery electric buses need charging equipment on the quote or at the agency; the quote has neither.
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  • Daily miles beyond depot-charge range. The route needs 140 miles a day; a battery electric bus without overhead charging is quoted for at most 129 miles.
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  • Stated subtotal does not match. The quote states a subtotal of 11,900,000 dollars; the quoted buses add up to 12,804,000.
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  • Discount over 10 percent. A discount of 12 percent is over the 10 percent limit.
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2. 35 ft battery electric order: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote twelve 40 ft Low Floor Plus battery electric buses with 34 seats and 4 wheelchair positions per bus, with depot chargers on the quote and overhead pantograph charging, for a route of 140 miles a day, and a 5 percent discount. The quote states a subtotal of $15,324,000. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Price summary. 12 bus(es) at 1,277,000 dollars each, subtotal 15,324,000 dollars, net 14,557,800.0 dollars after the discount.
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3. 29 ft hybrid order: A quote for fifteen 29 ft hybrid buses with a pantograph

    
The agent's request. Please quote fifteen 29 ft Low Floor hybrid buses with 32 seats and 3 wheelchair positions per bus, with overhead pantograph charging, and a 4 percent discount. The quote states a subtotal of $11,640,000. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • 29 ft is diesel or CNG only. The 29 ft bus is diesel or CNG only in this model.
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  • Seats required exceed the length. The agency needs 32 seats per bus; this length seats 28.
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  • Wheelchair positions exceed the length. The quote has 3 wheelchair positions per bus; this length allows 2.
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  • Overhead charging needs battery electric. Overhead (pantograph) charging applies only to battery electric buses.
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4. 29 ft hybrid order: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote fifteen 35 ft Low Floor hybrid buses with 32 seats and 3 wheelchair positions per bus, and a 4 percent discount. The quote states a subtotal of $10,965,000. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Price summary. 15 bus(es) at 731,000 dollars each, subtotal 10,965,000 dollars, net 10,526,400.0 dollars after the discount.
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5. Large battery electric order: A quote for thirty battery electric buses on agency-owned chargers

    
The agent's request. Please quote thirty 40 ft Low Floor Plus battery electric buses with 36 seats and 2 wheelchair positions per bus, with the agency's existing chargers, for a route of 100 miles a day, and a 12 percent discount. The quote states a subtotal of $31,500,000. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Stated subtotal does not match. The quote states a subtotal of 31,500,000 dollars; the quoted buses add up to 33,600,000.
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  • Discount over 10 percent. A discount of 12 percent is over the 10 percent limit.
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  • Agency-owned chargers to confirm. The quote relies on chargers the agency already owns; a person should confirm they work with the quoted buses.
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  • Large fleet order to review. An order of 30 buses needs a contract review before it is sent.
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6. Large battery electric order: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please quote thirty 40 ft Low Floor Plus battery electric buses with 36 seats and 2 wheelchair positions per bus, with the agency's existing chargers, for a route of 100 miles a day, and an 8 percent discount. The quote states a subtotal of $33,600,000. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Needs approval.

    
    
      
  • Agency-owned chargers to confirm. The quote relies on chargers the agency already owns; a person should confirm they work with the quoted buses.
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  • Discount needs approval. A discount of 8 percent is above 5 percent and needs sales management approval.
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  • Large fleet order to review. An order of 30 buses needs a contract review before it is sent.
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  • Price summary. 30 bus(es) at 1,120,000 dollars each, subtotal 33,600,000 dollars, net 30,912,000.0 dollars after the discount.
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Narration transcript
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The text of the narrated walkthrough, step by step.

    
    
      
  1. Welcome to a demo of Predictika's Validator. An AI sales agent prepares a quote for a fleet of low floor transit buses, with a length, a body style. Before it goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the bus options and returns a verdict and every reason.
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  2. I will start with the first request by the agent.
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  3. The agent says. Please quote twelve 35 ft Low Floor battery electric buses with 34 seats and 4 wheelchair positions per bus, for a route of 140 miles a day. The quote states a subtotal of $11,900,000. The rest of the request is on screen.
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  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
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  5. Blocked, with seven findings, all in one answer. Battery electric is offered only on the Low Floor Plus body; the quote has a different body. The agency needs 34 seats per bus; this length seats 32. The quote has 4 wheelchair positions per bus; this length allows 3. The other four are on screen.
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  6. The validator returned seven blocking findings in one answer. A check that reads one field at a time would pass most of this; it shows only when the choices in the quote are checked against each other and against the stated total.
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  7. What this shows: for seats and wheelchair positions by length, a rules-based CPQ is error-prone for this.
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  8. Now the agent resubmits.
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  9. The corrected request. It changes the length to 40 ft, the body to Low Floor Plus, the overhead charging to yes, the chargers on quote to yes, the discount to 5 percent and the stated subtotal to $15,324,000.
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  10. It calls the validator again.
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  11. This time the validator clears it.
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  12. All seven earlier findings are cleared.
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  13. Seven problems caught in one call, fixed in one pass, and a clean $15,324,000 quote. That is the value of Predictika's validator: catching mistakes before they reach the customer. Now you can try the other scenarios yourself.
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