While new vehicle technology continues to evolve and arrive on Australasian shores, it’s the harder-to-spot pieces of software that are rapidly enhancing the passenger and driver experience.
As we hit the second half of 2024, one would be hard-pressed to find a new bus coming from manufacturers that didn’t have some form of telematics running through it, but it wasn’t always this way.
- Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter to receive the latest news and classifieds from Australasia’s bus and coach industry
- Don’t miss a second and subscribe to our monthly ABC magazine
Suspicion was rife throughout the industry upon the first introduction of the technology, with drivers hating the idea of being constantly monitored by cameras and operators with privacy and data concerns.
But now, perspectives seem to be changing, with Bridgestone’s ANZ marketing manager for Webfleet Scott Elkington telling ABC the bus industry has begun capitalising on the benefits this technology can have.
Being at the forefront of mobility with a broad range of vehicle tracking and fleet management solutions, Elkington has seen firsthand how the industry is changing its view on emerging technologies.
“Many people think telematics is dot-on-the-map tracking and navigation,” Elkington says. “But it’s evolved well past that now.”
Elkington says a primary function of modern fleet management technology is to act as a live data extraction and monitor – in whichever form the data takes.
“The biggest advantage of such technology is that it’s vehicle agnostic. It can be installed into any bus, new or old, essentially modernising it, and gives you a unified data set and platform to see it all. Need to see the CO2 emissions from a vehicle? Telematics can provide whatever insights you need.”
Elkington says one of the biggest drawcards of the technology is its application for safety.
“Fleet management solutions such as our AI dashcams provide safety in layers,” Elkington says.
Cameras facing the driver’s seat and the road are often paired with bus monitoring software, which can indicate significant events occurring on the bus. These can range from harsh braking or poor cornering to signs of fatigue, such as closing eyes, and bursts of quick acceleration.
“Incidents often have a single point of failure, where something goes wrong, and there’s no secondary system or failsafe to prevent a catastrophic spiral of events.”
“With AI dashcams, however, risky or unusual behaviour is caught early, alerting the drivers immediately of an issue.”
Webfleet’s dashcam has three cameras installed: one outward-facing camera, one inward-facing camera, and an AI inward-facing camera.
The software installed on top can detect numerous markers for fatigue and distraction, such as eyes drifting, lane drifting, cell phone use, and eating food. It can also detect tailgating, potholes, and road surface deterioration.
“While alerting the drivers there and then, the data can also be sent to any supervisors and managers,” Elkington says.
“One of the things we have seen is that the technology can be used to grow integrity in drivers by handing the data over to them and giving agency over how they can improve.
“For such a small investment, it drastically improves safety outcomes.”
While safety is one of the selling points, telematics also provides valuable information that goes hand in hand with the modern bus revolution. As more operators switch to electric and zero-emissions standards begin popping up across the states, many are looking towards bus technology to help them achieve their goals.
Telematics like Webfleet can help fleets reduce their CO2 impact nearly immediately by targeting wasteful activities like idling or excessive revs and promoting beneficial ones like coasting and green zones.
The devices can be installed very quickly and at a low cost, providing operators with the exact data and numbers that they need for emissions reporting.
“It’s tough to accurately assess how much energy your buses are using because there isn’t a fixed cost. It’s not like buying a thousand litres of fuel for the yard; the cost fluctuates on where and when charging occurs.”
“You can use Webfleet to report where, when, and how much an electric bus has charged, giving hard numbers on energy consumed. There’s a lot of value in that.”
While the technology is modern and forward-thinking, it isn’t just reserved for newer buses; the devices also work seamlessly in older models.
“Technology like this doesn’t require a whole new bus,” Elkington says. “It can be easily installed into an older model to bring it up to a fleet standard for a fraction of the cost.”
“Our technology has continued to upgrade older vehicles and give them new life in the face of shifting standards. Even though it may not have been considered, it’s one of the cheapest ways to ensure your vehicles are ready for any future.”
Read more: