Angela Coaches has lauded the benefits of Wheely-Safe technology fitted to a VDL Beulas Cygnus coach after a trial of the connected technology spared the Southampton operator a breakdown.
The system has been fitted to the Beulas since summer 2024. That coach is used for touring work. In its latest version, Wheely-Safe has wheel loss detection, brake and hub temperature monitoring, intelligent a tyre pressure monitoring system, and an ability to feed data to both the driver and the operator.
Angela Coaches Managing Director Robert Pressley says that Wheely-Safe has “been very impressive” and allowed the business “to stay on top of the pressures in the tyres and alert the driver quickly if there is a problem.”
On a recent occasion when the Beulas was in France, the system identified an underinflated inner rear tyre. “Our workshop manager was able to let the driver know, who then pulled up safely, checked the tyre, and resolved the problem,” explains Mr Pressley.
“Left unchecked, we would have been looking at a flat tyre and a coach full of passengers pulled up at the side of the road. That would have been a huge inconvenience to our customers and an expensive call-out to get the coach back on the road.”
Wheely-Safe has also been fitted by Angela Coaches to two midicoaches with a view to rolling it out across more of the fleet over coming months. The move began when the operator experienced first-hand the impact a wheel loss incident can have.
“A couple of years ago a wheel came off one of our coaches and that is something that we never want to happen again,” continues Mr Pressley.
“The Wheely-Safe system gives us peace of mind that we will know about any issues before it is too late. Safety is always the number one priority for a passenger transport company, but this technology also brings added benefits such as improving fuel consumption and reducing tyre-related downtime. It really pays for itself.”
