John Lewis shares his views on technological developments which are likely to impact on operators this coming year
Over the next 12 months operators will face even more pressure to cut emissions and make their fleets as environmentally-friendly as possible. In many cases, that will involve switching to gas, hybrid or fully-electric buses – a big ask if the Euro 5 diesel vehicles you operate have many years of work left in them. Products are available that will help your current buses clean up their act however; and their popularity looks set to increase in 2018 and beyond.
Among those product providers leading the charge is Eminox, one of five approved suppliers of retrofit exhaust systems appointed by Transport for London (TfL) as part of an £86.1m project that will see over half the capital’s buses upgraded to Euro 6.
The other suppliers are Baumot Twintec, HJS, Proventia and Amminex.
A Danish company, the last-named firm’s ASDS (Ammonia Storage and Delivery System) emissions management technology is now being handled by Eminox in the UK. Said to be especially effective at low temperatures, it releases gaseous ammonia held as a solid in swappable onboard cartridges into the exhaust system in a bid to reduce NOx and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions.[wlm_nonmember][…]
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London operator Metroline has had ASDS fitted to 55 of its Euro 5 buses and Engineering Director, Ian Foster, is pleased with the results.
One of the vehicles was independently tested at the Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire in line with the Millbrook London Transport Bus test cycle, which is used to represent typical driving conditions in the capital.
Said Ian: “From previous trials we knew that the ASDS system was doing a good job. However, it was quite a surprise to us when the official test results showed that the NOx emissions of a Euro 5 bus were reduced to Euro 6 levels just by substituting ammonia for AdBlue.”
When fitted with ASDS, the previously Euro 5 vehicle emitted less than 0.5 grams of NOx per kilometre (0.41g/kWh) and NO2 had fallen to 0.01g/km; or virtually zero.
to be especially effective at low temperatures, releasing gaseous ammonia held as a solid in swappable
onboard cartridges into the exhaust system in a bid to reduce NOx and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions
Eminox Marketing Manager, Kathye Vicente, says that Eminox’s own SCRT (Selective Catalytic Reduction Technology) system was the first to receive approval for the government’s Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme (CVRAS) operated by the Energy Saving Trust. CVRAS certifies systems that comply with real-world Euro 6 emission levels and has been used to underpin applications for cash from the latest £30m Clean Bus Technology Fund.
Euro 6 compliance will be mandatory for central London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) which comes into force on April 8, 2019 – 17 months earlier than was first envisaged. “As a result a lot of operators will be doing something about it in 2018,” Kathye said. “Whatever we install will be remotely monitored to ensure that it sticks to Euro 6 emission levels at all times.”
The ULEZ will operate within the same area as the current Congestion Charging Zone. However, London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s office opened a consultation on extending the area to the entire capital so far as trucks, buses and coaches are concerned by 2020. The consultation, which opened on November 30 and can be found at consultations.tfl.gov.uk/environment/air-quality-consultation-phase-3b/ , runs until February 28, 2018.
Not to be ignored either, says Kathye, are the 28 Clean Air Zones planned in England or the four Scottish Low Emission Zones. The first is likely to be introduced in Glasgow by the end of 2018, with Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee expected to follow by 2020. The minimum standard will be Euro 6 or the retrofit equivalent in all cases.
According to Cummins, there is another route to compliance in 2018 and thereafter if you have older vehicles – re-power them with a Euro 6 diesel, plus the necessary exhaust aftertreatment.
As reported in CBW1321, Cummins recently launched a re-power package with an integral stop/start system which automatically switches the engine off when passengers are boarding and alighting. It can cut a double-decker’s fuel usage by up to 8% on a 16-hour duty cycle, the manufacturer said.
The package can be based around either a B4.5 four-cylinder diesel (up to 210hp) or its B6.7 six-cylinder stablemate (up to 300hp).
“We can deliver real-time engine data over the air to the operator using our Cummins Connected Diagnostics system,” said Director, On-Highway Business Europe, Ashley Watton. An email is immediately trig
gered if a fault occurs together with advice on the action that should be taken.
The 2017 Busworld Europe show in Kortrijk, Belgium saw Cummins unveil an electric driveline with full-electric and range-extender options. Demonstration vehicles for both should appear in the UK in early 2018.Cont
ributing to a cleaner atmosphere helps make life safer for children, the elderly and people who suffer from respiratory problems. Bus and coach operators have other safety obligations imposed upon them however, especially so far as the need to protect vulnerable road users such as cyclists and pedestrians are concerned; and those obligations seem unlikely to be diluted in 2018.
Vision aids
The Coach & Bus UK 2017 show saw Vision Techniques launch VT TurnAware which uses cameras and video analytics to help drivers spot cyclists. Motion, speed and pixel-density sensors are used to tell the difference between people pedalling towards the vehicle and pedalling away from it.
Conventional rear-view mirrors could stand to be upgraded with new camera-based technology, although this would require a change in the law.
Coach & Bus UK also saw Vision-Systems display Smart-Vision on the 21st Century Technology stand. A newcomer to the biennial exhibition, Smart-Vision replaces traditional glass exterior mirrors with high-definition digital cameras linked to interior displays. With no blind spots or glare, it delivers clear vision in all lighting conditions, Vision-Systems contends. Compact external cameras create less aerodynamic turbulence and are less prone to accidental damage than mirrors, it adds, although one suspects that they will cost rather more to replace if they do happen to come to grief.
Continental has just come up with the latest version of its ProViu digital rear view mirror. It merges field of view images from multiple cameras into a single image on an interior display, increasing the visible area and reducing blind spots and again doing away with traditional outside mirrors.
According to Dr Michael Ruf, Head of Continental’s Commercial Vehicles and Aftermarket business unit: “Lower air resistance as a consequence means a fuel saving of up to 2%.”
Safety packages
Drivers are monitored by their employers to a far greater degree than they ever were in the past. That is a trend which is bound to continue with video-based driver risk management packages from companies such as SmartDrive Systems likely to be fitted more widely.
SmartDrive’s technology picks up driver actions, such as harsh braking and sudden swerves, and captures 20 seconds of video which encapsulates the event. The footage goes straight to SmartDrive, where a safety team reviews it and gives it a risk score.
The score is fed back to the bus or coach company, which can then use it as a driver training aid. In addition to the forward-facing camera, an inward-facing camera gives a clear view of the driver’s actions; and can spot if a hand-held mobile phone is being used.
Vehicle manufacturers are upgrading the safety packages they install too. Spring 2018 will see Daimler Buses make Active Brake Assist 4 (ABA 4) available in Mercedes-Benz and Setra coaches. In what is said to be a world first for this type of vehicle, it is an emergency braking system that will detect a pedestrian should he or she wander out in front of the driver and will brake the coach automatically.
Already offered on trucks, and launched so far as coaches are concerned at the 2017 Busworld Europe show, ABA 4 employs the latest long- and short-range radar. Scanning directly ahead, the former registers vehicles and stationary objects up to 250m away, cyclists up to 160m away and pedestrians up to 80m away. The latter has a range of up to 70m and is capable of spotting people and vehicles to either side of the route ahead.
If there is any danger of a collision, then the driver will receive both visual and audible warnings and partial braking is triggered automatically. He or she can then sound the horn, steer around the person or people at risk, or brake hard to bring the coach to a halt – whichever action is the most appropriate.
Emergency braking systems have been mandatory on coaches ever since November 2015, but ABA 4 goes beyond what is required by legislators.
Information
Returning to emissions, the best way to cut pollution is to encourage as many people as possible to leave their cars at home and take the bus instead. That means providing them with information on where buses depart from, how frequently, where they go to and when they are likely to arrive.
The practice of deploying such knowledge using websites, emails and text messages is becoming well-established, but it is not the whole answer. Some people still prefer to look at a printed timetable at a bus stop.
“Not everybody has online access and not everything can be done on the internet,” remarked Omnibus Solutions MD,
Peter Crichton.
Hence the roll-out of OmniSTOPdesign , which should gain increased traction among operators in the coming months. One of Omnibus’ newest offerings, and featuring heavily on the company’s Coach and Bus UK stand, it can be used to create a variety of timetable display formats.
A bespoke design can be created for each stop if required, with summary frequency patterns and time bands. Schematic maps can be inserted and services included, omitted or merged at stop level. Route branding can be used throughout the display.
Early adopters include Channel Islands HCT Group subsidiary CT Plus Guernsey. Operations Manager, Lee Murphy, said he is pleased with OmniSTOPdesign: “It enables us to create a range of templates that suit the footfall of each stop.”
Other Omnibus products which should find favour with a growing number of bus fleets and their employees in 2018 is the latest version of the myDAS Touch app. Forming part of the OmniDAS driver self-service module, which links them to Omnibus’ depot allocation system, it allows drivers to check duties, rest days, and holiday details from their smartphones. As a result, there is no need for them to ring the office should they have a query.
Another area Omnibus is engaged in is Electronic Bus Service Registration. The company has developed a number of data management tools to help operators comply with the new regulations.
The last 12 months have witnessed the onward march of changes to ticketing, which is sure to accelerate in 2018 and beyond.
“Bus operators are on a digital journey that will enable their customers to access services more easily using a payment methodology that is becoming increasingly popular in every area of daily life,” said Parkeon Head of Sales and Marketing, Gavin Trimnell. “The use of contactless bank cards alongside Apple Pay and Android Pay on mobile phones offers an improved passenger experience, but it’s only the beginning of a journey that will lead to frictionless travel.
“We’re now working on new architectures that will make ticket retailing seamless for end users through integrated platforms capable of bundling apps, payment options and automatic best-fare functionality into a single solution. This will make multi-modal travel easier for individuals than it has ever been, with all the environmental benefits that this brings. What’s more, it will enable them to tailor the services they receive to meet their specific preferences, for example through account-based ticketing and personalised travel information.”
Passengers benefiting from contactless include Arriva customers in the North East. It is being made available through technology developed by Parkeon for the Wayfarer200 ticketing platform with the newly-installed Axio 4c secure card reader.
Parkeon is also the technology partner for Transdev Blazefield for its fare collection technology in Lancashire. It is a payment method central to the modernised ticketing system being developed by the company for a major multi-modal project for state-owned bus and rail operator Translink in Northern Ireland.
“Implementation is expected to start in 2018 with the new Bus Rapid Transit System,” said Translink CEO, Chris Conway. “In 2019 we plan to introduce contactless payments for Metro and Ulsterbus services.”
Other operators that have embraced contactless – this time with the assistance of Ticketer – include Reading Buses and Go-Ahead. The latter’s activities include rolling out a contactless payment system at Oxford Bus, Thames Travel and Carousel Buses.
Data protection
Parkeon will be expanding into the onboard CCTV market – surely a mature market so far as the UK bus industry is concerned – over the coming year in conjunction with technology provider Timespace.
Operators who hold data on their passengers as a result of the ticketing system they use need to double-check the measures they have in place to ensure they do not lose it. Failure to do so could lay them open to eye-watering penalties that could be imposed under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Due to come into force on May 25 and voted into European Union law by the European Parliament on April 14, 2016, it replaces the Data Protection Act 1998 and applies to the UK regardless of the Brexit vote.
It imposes tougher requirements on firms to protect personal information they hold on employees, as well as customers. Break the rules, and a fine of up to €20m or up to 4% of a company’s global turnover in the previous financial year, whichever is the greater, could be imposed.
To that can be added the prospect of civil litigation brought by individuals who have suffered damage because data about them was made public. Nor does data consist solely of an individual’s name, address, bank account details and National Insurance number.
Timespace has launched a face-blurring tool that can be made available as part of its PCLink Suite V8.0 software. The idea is to enable operators who are reviewing CCTV footage to blur the faces of individuals if necessary without having to subcontract the work to a specialist before releasing the footage to third parties.
Showing innocent people travelling on a particular service at a particular time of day could be deemed to be a GDPR breach. That will not of course prevent police officers viewing un-blurred footage, says Timespace, if a crime has been committed. Objects such as number plates can be blurred as well.
Going paperless
Passengers will not be going anyway, no matter what sort of ticket they hold if vehicles are not available to transport them. Fleet uptime matters – and that means an even-more-efficient approach to maintenance.
Well-known for providing maintenance management software, Freeway Fleet Systems’ latest introductions include a multi-screen electronic 24-hour worksheet designed to help plan, show and manage a schedule of daily workshop jobs. It replaces the traditional A3 paper document.
Paper running cards for drivers are being banished by Freeway too. Drivers using the company’s walkround check smartphone app can receive their route details on their phones instead.
Banishing paper is one of the themes for 2018 so far as Freeway is concerned, and it is an approach that has already been embraced by Reading Buses. Working with Freeway, it has decided to scrap paper workshop inspection reports and job cards and replace them with apps on Samsung tablets.
Reading Buses Engineering Manager, Phil Herlingshaw, is pleased with the change that has been made. He said: “In the past we often struggled to read what people had written on manual cards and reports. When details were missing – a tyre’s tread depth, for example – we’d have to backtrack and get the job completed. With the app, the report cannot be sent unless all the fields are filled in first. Furthermore, because we no longer have handwriting issues we get better-quality data.”
RATP Dev-owned Yellow Buses has just announced it has selected Freeway to provide its maintenance management software.
“Its solution is particularly appealing because it allows us to complete many of the tasks using mobile devices,” explained Service Delivery Director, Phil Pannell.
Details of key performance indicators governing maintenance and driver activities will have to be held electronically and be capable of being transmitted to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency if any of them have been missed, should an operator wish to participate in its Earned Recognition Scheme. The scheme was still being piloted at the time of writing, with the pilot phase scheduled to end on March 31.
Freeway is by no means the only company offering a daily checks app. TruTac launched CPT Daily Checks at Coach & Bus UK in conjunction with the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT). It can be integrated with the, self-explanatory, CPT Tacho Analysis. With 37 vehicles, Hertfordshire operator Golden Boy Coaches is using the latter and estimates that it is saving around 60 hours a month on administration and cutting operating costs.
Andy Wing, Transport Manager at the respected Hoddesdon-based firm said: “The biggest time saver for us is when it comes to monitoring the Working Time Directive. Previously our drivers would use time sheets and at the end of the day we would have someone in the office adding up their times manually and putting them on a spreadsheet. However, CPT’s Tacho Analysis records everything for us and displays it in the way we want so I can see it live. As a result, I can see who is getting near their driving time limits, and who isn’t.”
Andy is particularly pleased with the package’s ability to generate automatic infringement letters.
Still with drivers, Braintee-based transport training provider Novadata makes the point that many of them now have less than a year to complete their 35 hours of periodic Certificate of Professional Competence training.
“For many bus and coach drivers, the deadline is September 9, 2018,” said Chairman Derek Broomfield. “It’s essential to plan now.”
Distinctive Systems has unveiled enhancements to its Vehicle Maintenance System (VMS) software, which it says should aid operators aiming for Earned Recognition. Again with the aim of banishing paper, VMS now also features an electronic job card and Distinctive has come up with the latest version of its Driver Walk-around Check Mobile app. It is available for both Apple and Android devices.
The enabling of drivers to go directly to their employer’s website, rather than have to phone up for information or await instructions from the boss is an increasingly common theme. Distinctive has recently come up with a Driver Online Portal for its Coach Manager private hire and contract booking system. Having logged in, drivers can view an online diary showing the bookings that have been allocated to them. Clicking on a booking will bring up the full details of the work ticket. The driver can print it out or download it to a desktop, laptop or mobile device.
Ask bus travellers to list a few of the things they hate and waiting at a stop not being entirely sure whether the bus will turn up or not is sure to be one of them. That will not be such a problem in parts of Worcestershire now that real-time passenger information screens have been installed at over 50 shelters in Worcester and Malvern. Passengers can also access a live feed on their mobile phones, enabling them to check the actual arrival time before leaving their home or workplace.
The screens were sourced from 21st Century Technology and supplied to Worcestershire County Council in a £1.8m initiative funded by the Department for Transport. Said Cllr Alan Amos, Cabinet Member for Highways: “This helps people to plan their time and their journeys more effectively; meaning that public transport is the smart choice in every sense of the word.”[/wlm_ismember]
