Centrad to launch AI-powered dashcam at Euro Bus Expo
With insurance premium going through the roof, Centrad believes its new AI-powered camera technology that it will unveil at Euro Bus Expo will offer operators a timely cost-saving solution.
The advanced technology is designed to take a preventative approach to avoiding incidents, thus improving driver behaviour and reducing the number of insurance claims made.
Centrad’s AI Connected Dash Camera is a windscreen-mounted dual camera that offers real-time alerts for risky driving behaviours such as mobile phone use, fatigue, and smoking, which is all aimed at ensuring driver vigilance.
The forward-facing camera is designed to recognise potential hazards, issuing audible warnings to drivers when there is a risk of collision with a vehicle ahead or if they stray from their lane without signalling.
It not only offers immediate feedback to the driver but can also send real-time alerts and video footage of events to a remote dashboard so that managers can monitor driver skills.
The camera integrates with Centrad’s Video Telematics platform, which supports multiple cameras on each vehicle with 360-degree camera coverage, as well as the company’s blind spot detection solutions.
In addition to showcasing the latest product at Euro Bus Expo, Centrad will give live demonstrations of its Centrad Live platform, an all-in-one video telematics and fleet management solution.
Centrad Managing Director Geoff Cross says: “Insurance costs have been a sore topic for the industry for some time.
"From conversations with our own customers, the pendulum is clearly swinging in the wrong direction with regards to their affordability, which is why we’ve looked to develop solutions that can have a tangible impact in helping operators combat expensive premiums in the long run.
“One of the key aspects of minimising the likelihood of incidents occurring is to take a preventative approach, and AI offers capabilities that were previously not possible — mainly in identifying potential risks and alerting drivers to threats or dangerous behaviours, in turn mitigating the number of claims made over the course of a year, especially those as a result of driver error.”
Euro Bus Expo is the UK's only dedicated coach and bus trade show. To register for free tickets, visit the show website.
Further innovations shortly for Tranzaura fleet maintenance app
Tranzaura will soon add further innovations to its fleet maintenance app. CEO Shane Mann says those will help bus operators to optimise driver management and sustainability impact including via language translations, digital incident reporting, and driver duty cards.
Full details will be revealed at Euro Bus Expo, to be held on 12-14 November at the NEC Birmingham. The further advancement will come against a background of over 11,000 buses in England – or 36% of the market – now captured by the Tranzaura app daily.
The app supports operators by:
- Digitising and streamlining daily vehicle inspection checks and maintenance processes
- Improving reliability, safety and sustainability
- Eliminating paper use in daily pre-service checks and handling potential defects throughout the workday
- Enhancing control over unplanned maintenance, reducing defect reporting times, and engaging end-users more effectively.
Bus drivers check an average of 130,000 items daily, or almost four million per month. Around 65% of Transport for London contracted buses are captured by the Tranzaura app.
Other customers include Transdev Blazefield, where Operations Director Vitto Pizzuti notes that it is use on over 500 buses across Lancashire and Yorkshire. Data is gathered about real-time compliance and unplanned maintenance from more than 1,000 drivers.
“Transdev has wholeheartedly embraced the technology and actively involved both drivers and engineers from day one, with 90% of drivers rating it as positive," says Mr Pizzuti.
“We have also embarked on our next step of digital transformation with Tranzaura around driver incident reporting and are helping it to pioneer language translations as the next big step in driver engagement.”
Mr Mann adds that the supplier is proud to support operators “to not only excel in safety, reliability and efficiency, but to also deliver more value to customers.” While he notes that the further innovations are in hand, “our lips are sealed until Euro Bus Expo in November!”
Euro Bus Expo is the UK's only dedicated coach and bus trade show. To register for free tickets, visit the show website.
Irizar UK supplies 26 integral coaches into Ministry of Defence
Irizar UK has supplied 26 integral coaches for use by the Ministry of Defence via a multi-stakeholder deal. Babcock International managed the procurement via competitive tender, while Novuna Vehicle Solutions was selected as lease provider.
21 tri-axle 14m i6 integrals each with 59 seats and five 12.9m two-axle i4 integrals that each seat 51 make up the batch. Irizar UK Managing Director Andrew Blundell notes that they are built to a specification “that optimises the Ministry of Defence’s unique requirements around passenger seat numbers and payload capacity.”
All the Irizar integrals are to PSVAR ready specification to allow straightforward conversion to full compliance later in life. Their DAF engines are coupled to ZF Traxon automated manual gearboxes.
HVO compatibility of the power units “was particularly important in the selection criteria,” Irizar UK says, with use of that renewable fuel offering a 90% reduction in CO2 emissions.
Mr Blundell adds that that winning public sector tenders such as that with the Ministry of Defence forms part of Irizar UK’s strategic roadmap. Upon his appointment in March 2020, diversification of the dealer's customer base and volume growth were two clear objectives.
“I am delighted that Irizar in the UK is now actively engaged in supplying units in larger fleets and the public sector,” he adds.
“While the retail market will remain vitally important to us, our successful divergence into larger volume deals will deliver critical mass into our business, and strategically underpin our medium-term plans for the UK market as we embark on the next exciting phase of our growth.”
Speaking about the procurement process, Novuna Vehicle Solutions National Business Development Manager Toby Carter says that it has been “seamless” from order to user delivery, including the leasing provider’s pre-delivery inspections and driver training.
“Everyone in the process has been very satisfied with the outcome, and we have received excellent user feedback – so a great job done by all involved.”
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