The system has already saved the operator time and money by detecting a tyre with falling pressure
Angela Coaches has hailed the benefits of Wheely-Safe technology, after the cloud-connected system spared the company a costly breakdown. The Southampton-based company has Wheely-Safe Connect fitted to its Beulas VDL 44-seat coach that is used for a variety of tours across Europe. The latest generation wheel loss detection, brake & hub temperature monitoring, and intelligent tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) brings the ability for upgraded Wheely-Safe sensors to feed data not just to the driver in the cab, but to the transport team back at base too.
Angela Managing Director Robert Pressley explained: “We’ve been trialling the system on our touring coach since last summer and it’s been very impressive. It allows us to stay on top of the pressures in the tyres and alert the driver quickly if there’s a problem. Recently we had a tour group in France, and an underinflated inner tyre was flagged by the sensors. Our workshop manager was able to let the driver know, who then pulled up safely, checked the tyre and resolved the problem. Left unchecked, we’d have been looking at a flat tyre, and a coach full of passengers pulled up on 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.”
Angela Coaches also has two standalone Wheely-Safe systems, with driver alerts, fitted to smaller midi coaches, with a view to rolling out the technology across more of its fleet in the coming months. The company says it chose to install Wheely-Safe technology after it experienced the impact a wheel-loss incident can have first-hand.
“A couple of years ago a wheel came off one of our coaches and that’s something we never want to happen again,” added Robert. “The Wheely-Safe system gives us peace of mind that we’ll know about any issues before it’s 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 any tyre-related downtime. It really pays for itself.”
