Big Bus Tours, an operator of open-top sightseeing tours, is expanding its use of GreenRoad, a driver performance and safety management company from London, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, to its fleet of 17 buses touring San Francisco. It is also considering deploying GreenRoad in a further 88 buses in Hong Kong; Shanghai; Washington, D.C., Las Vegas and Miami.

GreenRoad has already reduced driving risk 60% for the 70 buses in London where it has been in use by 110 drivers since 2010. The blameworthy incident rate is now just one per 13,000 miles. Dubai and Abu Dhabi have also seen driving performance improve.

Using mobile and cloud technology, GreenRoad helps drivers self-improve. It provides them with instant feedback about their maneuvers using the traffic light LEDs on the dashboard as well as detailed analysis and recommendations for drivers and depot managers.

“Unlike other bus operators speed is not an issue as our drivers remain under 20 mph while our passengers can take in the sites. But GreenRoad gives us peace of mind about the quality of the ride our customers’ experience — and this is of utmost importance to us,” said Gerry Price, group commercial director, Big Bus Tours.

Rather than relying on the feedback from customers and the police, which tends to focus on problems, Big Bus can now understand exactly how its drivers are performing and is looking at rewarding those drivers with the safest GreenRoad scores.

“Our drivers appreciate being recognized for good driving skills. As many of our drivers have part-time, seasonal contracts, GreenRoad ensures we hire back the best drivers available. Furthermore, as we are effectively paying the majority of third party claims ourselves through our self-funded account, the reduction in incidents, thanks to GreenRoad, has had a positive impact on our bottom line,” added Price.

Companies using GreenRoad save money as better drivers use less fuel, have fewer accidents, and cause less vehicle wear-and-tear. GreenRoad embraces the ”Connected Fleet” where mobile, cloud computing and real-time insights enable fleet managers to save money, maximize fuel efficiency and minimize risk. A typical customer sees up to a 10% reduction in fuel-consumption and emissions as well as a 50% reduction in collision costs. UK customers include First Group, Stagecoach, Osborne and Bunzl.

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