FARA, an innovative transit and data intelligence partner, are excited to announce their collaboration to introduce a new fleet performance tool for bus operators across the Nordics and Baltics. Bledsystem, is the leading solution for safe and efficient driving and operations for public transport operators (PTOs) across Europe and North Africa – developed and commercialised by ADN Mobile Solutions. The partnership will enrich FARA’s current RTI offering to its customers and will give Bledsystem a strong partner for expansion into new markets.
Through an integration with the existing FARA SmartHUB device onboard the bus, the innovative Bledsystem offering for efficient and safe driving, will enable full visibility and optimisation of driver and operational performance. The solution is provided through a simple software upgrade and will not require any additional hardware installation on the bus. FARA is fully integrating Bledsystem into their existing RTI offering, providing operators access to live driver feedback through the FARA back-end web portal, as well as directly onto the driver tablet.
Behaviours like frequent excessive acceleration, rapid braking patterns and other sudden driver tendencies can lead to increased fuel or energy consumption and can also negatively affect various components onboard the bus. The Bledsystem driver behavioural tools use a sophisticated approach which maps the various driver patterns, whilst considering a number of influencing factors like; traffic, weather conditions, passenger load etc., in order to fully contextualise and evaluate performance. The data is then analysed, and automatically generated suggestions for improvements are made available to the operator. Personalised recommendations are also offered to help operators refine their overall strategy and meet their set Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
The launch of this new insight tool provides operators with valuable feedback on how the bus is run, which in turn can be used to improve operational efficiencies and lead to cost savings. Operators that have implemented the solution to date have seen significant reductions in energy consumption, ranging from 6-10% annually, and have overall reached investment break-even point just past the third month of activation. For electrical buses, the tool helps provide extra autonomy and a longer lasting battery life, and overall, it helps lower emissions too.
With an average of 15% less accidents across an operator’s fleet, independent surveys also show an increase in overall driver satisfaction (measuring 4.5 on a scale of 1 to 5). Better driver behaviours will in turn lead to a smoother passenger experience, alongside both the economic and environmental benefits of a more efficiently run public transport network.
Fernando Aparicio, Business Development Manager at Bledsystem says:
”We are delighted to have a strategic partner like FARA for these important markets, where we are strongly committed to implement Bledsystem, not only across traditional diesel fleets, but to electric, gas propulsed and hybrid buses. We know that supporting environmentally friendly fleets is also one of FARA’s key priorities and an area in which they are pioneering.”
Thomas Bach Petersen, VP Products RTI at FARA, comments:
”We know our operators are increasingly concerned about their environmental impact and passenger comfort. Our partnership with Bledsystem will help deliver improved driver performance, which in turn will facilitate a more eco-friendly operation, as well as a better passenger experience. The launch of our partnership in the Nordics is just the start, as we’ll look to bring this innovative offering to other markets in the future.”