VIDEO: Stagecoach rolls out Intelligent Speed Assistance on Busway
Stagecoach East is rolling out a new technology onboard its Busway services in Cambridgeshire.
The Intelligent Speed Assistance technology is designed to automatically reduce the speed of vehicles entering speed safety zones. Stagecoach East have been working with Volvo Bus, who developed the software, in the UK and Europe over the last 18 months to make the system operational on the Busway.
The system rollout marks the first time that this technology has been used this way onboard buses in the UK, and globally on a guided Busway vehicle.
The Cambridge guided Busway was opened in 2011 and is owned by Cambridgeshire County Council. As the longest busway in the world, the service carries three million passengers a year between Cambridge, Huntingdon and St Ives, with two guided sections making up 16 miles of the route.
“We have provided extensive training for our drivers and look forward to the prospect of having this technology rolled out to other bus operations in the future” – Terry Absalom, Engineering Director for Stagecoach East
Terry Absalom, Engineering Director for Stagecoach East, said: “Our number one priority is the safety of local people, which is why we have worked tirelessly over the last two years alongside our partners at Volvo Buses to develop and adapt this innovative system for use on our Cambridge Busway.
“This is the very first time that Intelligent Speed Assistance technology will be used in the UK to automatically reduce a vehicle’s speed using the vehicle’s retarder and we are very proud to be the first bus operator in the world to launch this system on a guided Busway setting.
“We have provided extensive training for our drivers and look forward to the prospect of having this technology rolled out to other bus operations in the future. We will continue to embrace new technologies and invest in innovative systems such as this one to ensure the safety of our passengers, drivers and other road users.”
“We see this level of technology as being key to creating smoother and safer urban transport for the future” – Domenico Bondi, Managing Director of Volvo Bus UK & Ireland
Domenico Bondi, Managing Director of Volvo Bus UK & Ireland, says: “Seeing this project go live is testament to the close partnership working we have enjoyed with the team at Stagecoach East, which has seen us successfully test and now roll out a unique digital service which will help to considerably improve road safety. We see this level of technology as being key to creating smoother and safer urban transport for the future, and it’s an integral part of what we can offer to customers as one of the world’s largest manufacturers of commercial vehicles.”