Duane Ellison, a mobile technician for Velociti, installing DriveCam equipment on a Metrobus at Bladensburg Metrobus Division.
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) began installing new DriveCam cameras on its fleet of 1,500 buses to assist with improving Metrobus safety by documenting incidents and assisting operators to develop safer, more efficient driving habits.
As part of a five-year contract, DriveCam will install cameras on all operational Metrobuses; review and analyze video footage; and provide feedback on operator driving habits.
Metro currently has security cameras on many of its buses that are primarily used to document customer-related incidents. DriveCam’s main focus is to help the Metrobus staff reduce incidents, and improve safe driving habits.
The DriveCam system will capture video and audio inside and outside of Metrobuses, detect when an operator makes a defensive move to avoid an accident, brakes or accelerates suddenly, turns sharply, or is involved in an incident.
DriveCam will analyze the data from such events and that analysis will be provided to management, supervisors, trainers and operators. The information will be used to encourage good driving habits, correct poor habits, and help in investigations.
Installation of the system began in mid-August and is expected to be completed and fully operational by January 2011. Metrobus officials are integrating the system into the bus fleet in phases, which includes equipment installation, operator and supervisor training, and policy education throughout all nine Metrobus divisions.
Deployment of the system on Metrobuses, which cost $3 million to install and monitor during the next two years, resulted from an extensive analysis of the DriveCam services by Metro officials. The system is already in use on MetroAccess vehicles.
Along with the training and safety benefits to operators and customers, the system is expected to help reduce vehicle damage, workers’ compensation claims and personal injury through accident prevention. Metro also anticipates that the system will help save fuel as a result of improved driving habits.