SBS Transit introducing predictive maintenance with Stratio

Singapore bus operator, SBS Transit and predictive maintenance specialist, Stratio, have forged a strategic collaboration.

The team-up is expected to boost the service reliability of SBS Transit’s buses through a fleet-wide implementation of predictive maintenance technology. This marks the first-ever deployment of predictive maintenance of this scale representing 62% of Singapore’s public bus fleet.

Powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) algorithms, the solution by Portuguese Stratio provides an early warning system that helps technicians anticipate and correct faults before they can lead to bus breakdowns.

In April 2022, SBS Transit started installing this system on 1,000 of its buses and experienced at least a 20% drop in bus breakdowns. With positive feedback, it has begun to install it fleet-wide where work is expected to complete by end-2024. The system provides real-time visibility over critical systems and components such as brakes, electric systems and fluid levels, and will be able to remotely monitor data from over 200 vehicle parameters.

With this new phase of roll-out, the system will also be equipped with the ability to predict faults with the bus air-conditioning system where failures related to it rank among the top three leading causes of bus repairs.

The Stratio bus condition monitoring system will also be piloted on the electric buses that SBS Transit operates. This will mark a first for electric buses to be installed with a bus condition monitoring system locally. It will monitor the state of health of the bus’ battery pack for operational efficiency and effectiveness.

“We are committed to bus service reliability as part of our efforts to promote public transport usage” – Jeffrey Sim, Group Chief Executive Officer of SBS Transit

Jeffrey Sim, Group Chief Executive Officer of SBS Transit, said: “We are committed to bus service reliability as part of our efforts to promote public transport usage. It is also aligned with our sustainable mobility roadmap. With this bus condition monitoring system, we are able to anticipate faults and undertake predictive maintenance and contribute to better service reliability and elevate our passengers’ travel experience.

“As a leading public transport operator, we have also taken a step forward by extending this predictive maintenance technology to our fleet of electric buses where 50% of Singapore’s public fleet will be green by 2030. Our investment in this system will enable us to do a better job at operating and maintaining these zero-emission vehicles and we will continue to set the standards for the industry.”