When it comes to issues plaguing the bus and coach industry, safety has been the main topic filtering into conversation.
Whether it be compliance issues, violence, fatigue or concerns around innovation, safety has always been a top priority for the industry.
With an escalating number of assaults — both verbal and physical — against bus drivers and passengers making its way into the news, spare parts and CCTV distributor Parts Supply Solutions has begun stocking a worthy remedy.
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Now carrying Hikvision body cameras, Parts Supply Solutions is ensuring bus drivers and passengers can now breathe a little easier, with all interactions captured on film.
“At the recent Bus and Coach Show in Queensland, we had these on the stand and we got quite a lot of interest in them,” Parts Supply Solutions director Fiona Watson told ABC.
“They were a great discussion point actually, something you wouldn’t normally see at a bus event, that’s for sure.”
The camera technology, most often associated with police, has a vast range of applications that have become increasingly intriguing to local councils and government transport departments.
For operators looking at supplying their public transport inspectors with the body cameras, the technology hopes to serve as a deterrent to fare evaders.
“There has been interest from these government bodies, calling out for a solution to an ongoing problem that has plagued metropolitan areas for years,” Watson says.
“These body cameras not only protect the inspectors who carry out this role, but makes the job of catching fare evaders much easier. You cannot get away with it when you have footage.”
Another major hope for the technology is that its presence could be enough to keep assaults at bay.
“One would assume wearing a body camera may mean that the person involved might think twice before injuring the wearer, knowing they would be clearly caught on camera,” Watson says.
“The introduction of CCTV onto buses was a big step for the bus and coach industry, and we feel it has paid off immensely.
“This is the next step.”
Streaming live, footage caught can be viewed in real time and is stored after-the-fact, ideal for evidence verification.
The GPS module in the camera also uploads each user’s location data to the command center in real time, allowing law enforcement and operators to see where the bus and incident is happening.
“The cameras also have an SOS system. The wearer can press the duress function and alert the operating centre if they need extra help – they also have a massive 12 hours of high-definition recording time on one charge,” Watson says.
The cameras come with a dual system touchscreen docking station that can be opened with multi authentication methods – a PIN, facial recognition or even fingerprint recognition. The body cameras also have several flexible options for mounting.
“Our customers that already run our current CCTV system and use live view were very impressed that these can be linked into the same system and the data collection is so similar.”
“It helps keep everything organised and under-control.”
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