Coach and bus safety: The tools of the trade

According to Department for Transport statistics, coach and bus are approximately on a par with the car when it comes to travel fatalities. The data from 2021 shows a rounded figure of two deaths per billion miles travelled for coach and bus occupants — the same as for car occupants.

These figures might be encouraging when you take into account that occupants of local buses do not have to use seatbelts. It reflects the high standards to which coach and bus operators adhere.

Of course, one death is one too many. That is why coach and bus operators have to follow such a strict code of safety. The laws concerning the safety of drivers, passengers and other road users are also in place to protect the reputation of the industry.

Falling short of these standards can lead to criminal proceedings, loss of O-Licences or, for those more fortunate, a dent to your business’s good name.

That is why safety management in the transport sector is such a huge industry in itself and a wide variety of tools are at the disposal of operators.

Driver drink and drug testing, digital cameras to eliminate blind spots, low-bridge detection, safe flooring, charging safety, preventative engine diagnosis and workshop safety are just some of the many aspects to which operators need to pay attention.

However, in this article, we concentrate on two suppliers, CheckedSafe and Timespace, which focus on two main areas of safety management: Drivers’ hours and vehicle checks are a vital part of the process. Meanwhile, CCTV is becoming ever more important — particularly in view of recent crime and antisocial behaviour on buses.

Vehicle and driver checks

When it comes to the transport industry, ever-changing legislation updates and DVSA regulations can be a minefield for businesses of all sizes to stay on top of.

If you’ve found yourself with a headache when it comes to managing your fleet effectively, you’re certainly not alone.

CheckedSafe, which celebrated its 10th anniversary last year, offers tools to help operators manage these difficulties via one platform.

The business guarantees a compliant paperless solution which can be managed in real-time.

Among its key features are daily driver walk-round checks, driver licence verification and drivers’ hours checks.

Managing commercial vehicle fleets, including grey fleets, comes with the legal responsibility of conducting regular checks to ensure vehicle safety and roadworthiness.

CheckedSafe can supply the full toolkit from bespoke daily checks to full preventative maintenance inspection. It is also an Earned Recognition supplier.

If you have staff driving for work in company or private vehicles, you are duty-bound to ensure they licenced and fit to drive.

CheckedSafe provides a full driver licence check service, including Driver CPC and tachograph checks via a process that has been audited by DVLA.

CheckedSafe has also developed a domestic drivers’ hours module, which is capable of capturing live data and reporting on such data, including exception reporting.

Operators have no need to wait for drivers to hand in his or her book weekly and the driver can have a copy on their phone so that anyone who wishes can see the log book at any time.

Aside from complying with the domestic hours rules, the system will help you in managing driver fatigue as you can see the data in real time.

DVRs for CCTV

Most fleet operators are now clear about the benefits of installing vehicle CCTV systems. High-quality, reliable CCTV can bring operational efficiencies and cost reductions, with the benefits outweighing the cost of system installation.

The presence of CCTV serves as a deterrent to criminal activity, enhancing passenger and staff safety. It also protects companies from false claims by providing clear video evidence, potentially avoiding costly payments.

Additionally, fleet operators can improve safety by using CCTV footage for driver training and monitoring risky behaviours such as speeding, harsh braking and distracted driving.

Timespace continues to develop high-quality digital video recorders (DVRs) in an effort to meet the market demand for reliable, UK-made vehicle CCTV.

We take pride in our reputation for ‘fit and forget’ products, with our recorders delivering years of reliable performance, and regularly outlasting the vehicles they’re installed in

The new Timespace V700 is a full-HD recorder, providing excellent image quality, and is robust to cope with harsh vehicle environments.

“The V700 is the next generation of vehicle CCTV, meeting Transport for London’s latest specification,” says Henry Heylen, Timespace’s Commercial Director.

“Fleet operators can use up to 20 high-definition IP cameras to give excellent coverage both inside the bus and out.”

With its ONVIF interface, the V700 can also integrate with other vehicle systems, helping operators to streamline on-board technologies.

Timespace’s LANLink platform provides fleet-wide CCTV management, allowing fleet managers to remotely monitor live camera streams and address incidents as they arise.

It also simplifies evidence management, enabling the preview and download of video evidence over 4G/5G. This allows managers, emergency services and insurance companies to access footage quickly, and without waiting for the vehicle to return to the depot.

Hundreds of V700s are now installed in London bus fleets, and the product is rapidly being adopted outside of London by forward-thinking fleet operators.

According to Darren Marjoram, Operations Manager at Timespace, fleet managers choose Timespace products for reliability and ease of installation.

He says: “We take pride in our reputation for ‘fit and forget’ products, with our recorders delivering years of reliable performance, and regularly outlasting the vehicles they’re installed in.”