Press releases

Pioneering technology which gives live footage of onboard and external bus activity - and which measures accident impacts - is being piloted by Arriva on Merseyside.

The new, bespoke technology is the result of a 5-year development programme by Arriva and 21 st Century Crime Prevention Services. Arriva expects that around two-thirds of its Merseyside bus fleet will be fitted with the equipment by the end of 2005.

Merseytravel has helped to accelerate the initiative by committing to 'pound for pound' match funding, and other other local authorities in the North West have expressed their interest in working in partnership with Arriva to introduce the ground-breaking technology.

The system is capable of monitoring activity 24-hours a day and its cameras provide top quality playback. A major feature of the equipment is the airline-style 'black box' recorder function, which captures key details of incidents and an in-built inertia chip that can identify the 'G-force' of any impact.

A 'code red' function gives the bus driver instant two-way communication with the control centre. Once the driver hits the code red button, SMS text messages are released and cameras switch into 'live' mode so that the control room personnel have live viewing of the driver's situation and two-way communication is activated. And GPS mapping data plots the exact location of the bus so that it can be reached quickly should the driver need assistance.

In addition to improving on board safety, reducing accidents and damage, Arriva also believes that the new technology will protect the business from fraudulent insurance claims. Like other transport operators, its insurance costs have increased due to the 'no win, no fee' compensation claims culture.

Bob Hind, managing director of Arriva North West and Wales , said:

One of the barriers to using public transport is concern about safety. We are working hard to make bus travel safer, more convenient and a better experience for our customers and potential customers.

We expect the benefits will be a reduction in vandalism incidents, anti-social behaviour, assaults, accidents and fraudulent insurance claims.

Bob Hind said:

We settle claims quickly when we are content that they are legitimate. This new equipment enables us to refute bogus or inflated claims, whilst reducing litigation costs.

Staff at a control room, which is being set up in Merseyside, will be able to locate each of Arriva's 800 buses using GPS technology and can download footage from each bus's nine cameras instantly. And police have already found the system useful in the fight against crime.

Almost a quarter of Arriva's buses throughout the UK are now fitted with CCTV, and Arriva plans to fit all of its UK buses – some 6,000 – with the system over the next four years. Arriva expects that around two-thirds of its Merseyside bus fleet will be fitted with the equipment by the end of 2005.

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