RATP Dev USA has deployed the SmartDrive® program to improve safety in agencies and support drive2zero™, RATP Dev’s safety management system. RATP Dev USA selected the SmartDrive fully-managed solution following a review of competitive systems, citing the quality of events captured, the value delivered by the subsequent analysis of those events, easy-to-use program dashboards and key performance indicators. The program features and benefits allow agency management to identify areas of success and opportunities for improvement.

RATP Dev USA transports more than 78 million passengers across the U.S. and operates a wide range of transportation services including bus, urban, or intercity rail lines; streetcar; and shuttle services. After a competitive review and impressed by the superior quality of SmartDrive Systems’ services, RATP Dev USA immediately saw the benefits of the SmartDrive and did not need to pilot the program. They elected to immediately begin to deploy the video-based safety and analytics solution across contracted agencies in support of its drive2Zero™ initiative, as well as ensure adherence with the requirements of the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Safety Management System (SMS).

“We appreciate SmartDrive’s ability to quickly and efficiently identify coaching opportunities for us, which has enabled us to improve safety throughout our fleet,” explained Michael Anderson, VP, safety and security, at RATP Dev USA. “The program allows us to proactively reduce incidents while allowing us to engage our operators so they understand where they can improve performance.”

With a strong emphasis on coaching, the SmartDrive program reinforces RATP Dev USA’s “just culture” approach, which aims to help operators improve fleet safety and operational efficiency by ensuring drivers, supervisors, and managers learn from their mistakes and feel comfortable and confident in reporting safety-related incidents. As a result of effective coaching, RATP Dev USA has successfully improved its SmartDrive Safety Score by 79% and reduced risk throughout its fleet.

“SmartDrive is the golden nugget of our safety solution,” commented Anderson. “Telematics may provide the ‘what,’ but the SmartDrive program provides the ‘why.’ Although you need to know what happened, it’s critical to understand why an event has occurred so you can coach your drivers or praise them for a job well done.”

A culture of safety is critical to RATP Dev USA’s entire operation, with safety controls built into every aspect of the business. drive2Zero is the company’s premiere program for building a sound safety culture and is comprised of four crucial components: safety policy, safety risk management, safety assurance, and safety promotion. In addition to reducing risk by identifying coaching opportunities and preventing incidents, the SmartDrive program also provides the data necessary to ensure SMS compliance.

Noting that the SmartDrive program also provides necessary contextual evidence to exonerate a driver wrongly accused in an accident, Patrick Manley, director, safety and security, at RATP Dev USA, added, “Nothing else tells a better story than video. Video immediately exonerates a misunderstood situation and turns grey areas into black and white.”