ABELLIO LAUNCHES MOBILEYE BUS SAFETY TECHNOLOGY TRIAL

One of London’s leading bus operators has launched a major trial of safety technology that aims to reduce collisions with cyclists, motorcycles, pedestrians and other vehicles.

Abellio London operates 48 bus routes across London and runs more than 740 vehicles. It operates one of the cleanest fleets, with Euro VI and diesel/electric hybrid buses.

The company has now installed Mobileye collision avoidance technology on all the buses on three of its London routes. The Mobileye system provides audio and visual alerts to assist the driver in preventing or mitigating a collision.

Mobileye technology warns the driver of an impending collision with a pedestrian, cyclist, motorcycle or other vehicle (Forward Collision Warning and Pedestrian & Cyclist Collision Warning). It also warns the driver if the distance from the vehicle ahead becomes unsafe (Headway Monitoring & Warning), of unintentional lane deviation (Lane Departure Warning), and of exceeding the speed limit (Speed Limit indicator & Traffic Sign Recognition).

A total of 66 buses on three London routes were involved in the trial, which found that avoidable collisions (those in the driver’s control to prevent) were reduced by 29%, and injuries from avoidable collisions were reduced by 60%.

Transport for London is supporting the trial with a grant from its Bus Safety Innovation Fund.

Mobileye's aftermarket collision avoidance technology is provided by the same team developing some of the world's most sophisticated advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicle technology and can be retrofitted to almost any vehicle.

Tony Wilson, Managing Director at Abellio London, said: “Safety and driving standards are our top priority, and we’re delighted to be trialling Mobileye’s technology on three of our London routes. The Mobileye system gives aural and visual alerts to drivers that allow them to react - reducing incidents and keeping everyone safe in the communities we are proud to serve. It is imperative that bus companies pursue investment in this kind of innovative safety technology. We are grateful to TfL for supporting this important trial.”

Tom Cunnington, Head of Bus Business Development at TfL said: London's bus network is one of the safest in the world, with fewer than three injuries for every million passenger journeys. We recognise that any passenger injury is one too many and are always looking at innovative ways to improve bus safety. We welcome Abellio’s trial of Mobileye as part of TfL’s Bus Safety Innovation Fund, and look forward to sharing their early findings at the Bus Safety Summit in October.

Gil Ayalon, Director of EMEA at Mobileye, said: “All over the world bus companies are investing in Mobileye technology to improve safety standards, ensuring that drivers can take prompt action when danger is detected. Abellio takes safety very seriously and they’ve been a superb partner, helping their drivers get the very best out of the system.”

All the buses on Abellio’s 49, 345 and 414 routes in London have been fitted with Mobileye technology - a total of 66 vehicles. A camera unit is installed on the inside of the windshield, and a display is placed in the driver’s cab. The results of the trial will be available later in the year.

• Route 49 runs between White City and Clapham Junction.
• Route 345 operates between Peckham and South Kensington.
• Route 414 runs between Putney Bridge and Maida Hill.