Wrightbus has launched a new telemetry system to provide real-time feedback on performance, maintenance and CO2 savings.
WB UPTIME 365 will enable all Wrightbus models to maintain performance for longer, communicating with control rooms via 5,000 thresholds and sensors.
Aiding drivers of both zero-emissions vehicles – the hydrogen-fuelled StreetDeck Hydroliner and battery-powered StreetDeck Electroliner – as well as diesel variants – WB UPTIME 365 aims to keep vehicles on the roads for longer through its remote fail-safe intervention technology.
“Our aim is to ensure we keep our buses running more efficiently and for longer, wherever they are in the world,” said Wrightbus CEO, Buta Atwal.
“WB UPTIME 365 does exactly as the name suggests; it keeps bus fleets at peak performance, each and every day of the year and offers a clearer understanding of their operation and availability.”
The AI-based system provides real-time predictive data analysis and can alert operators when a bus needs preventive intervention, saving on maintenance costs. It is backed up by the company’s support and repair service.
“We have developed and perfected the telemetry while on the ground in Aberdeen and it’s a real credit to Aberdeen City Council and to FirstGroup that they have embraced this new technology so readily, putting the city firmly and historically on the zero-emissions map,” added Wrightbus Group director, Ian Gillott.
He also noted FirstGroup’s 250 bus drivers had played a pivotal role in the technology’s development.
“We set out with an over-cautious approach in Aberdeen, just to ensure we responded to every issue regardless of how minor it may have been. You have to remember these buses were a world-first and it was always going to take some time for them to bed in.
“But the last few weeks have been a revelation, not only in how we’ve been able to support this bedding-in period on the ground, but the way everyone at FirstGroup has responded so positively.
“Adoption from the drivers has been fantastic, especially as many of them had only ever driven a diesel bus and they have been enormously helpful in helping us iron out driver-related issues.”