Mistral Group is another vehicle supplier to stress the importance of CCTV fitment to coach and bus fleets, highlighting its partnership with Centrad in that work. Centrad supplies and fits six- and eight-camera systems to Mistral vehicles to deliver comprehensive coverage.
The sale, lease and finance specialist says that adoption of CCTV on vehicles has wielded a “profound impact” on the sector. It has been driven by operators, and while there was what Mistral Sales Director Freddie Fuller describes as “a brief feeling of trepidation” around CCTV in its infancy due to potential privacy concerns, that quickly changed.
“The growing need to provide further support for drivers to avoid incidents and mitigate rising insurance premiums has quickly dampened scepticism or preconceptions,” says Mistral.
Continues Mr Fuller: “The vast majority of coach and bus operators we engage with simply refuse to operate without these systems retrofitted, as from their perspective it leaves them exposed to a number of unwanted risks.
“This attitude shift has primarily been driven by operators’ heightened sense of responsibility to implement necessary measures to encourage road safety and for the benefit of protecting fellow road users, drivers and passengers, as well as lowering premiums.”
Mr Fuller adds that a sizeable proportion of bus passengers in the UK are children or otherwise classed as vulnerable. That “further emphasises the importance for camera solutions to be installed, as from a customer perspective, safeguarding passengers is not an option – it is imperative.”
Mistral says that the approach from Centrad was progressed thanks to the latter’s track record, reputation, and innovative methodology around CCTV.
Concludes Mr Fuller: “Over the decades, our customers have come to expect a certain level of service with us. Naturally, any business we choose to partners with becomes an extension of ourselves and therefore we want to ensure that it reflects our values and customer-centric approach.
“Centrad has done this and more. Not only are its systems quality driven, but it is also willing to the extra mile for our customers time and time again by installing systems regardless of location, and often at short notice, which is a rarity from our experience.”
