Saturday, Sep 03, 2016

Dubai: A new monitoring system installed on public transport buses in Dubai has helped reduce fatigue among drivers, making bus journeys safer, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) revealed on Saturday.

Dubbed ‘Al Raqeeb’, the system being trialled on 50 buses has helped reduce fatigue-related cases by 88 per cent.

The system has a sophisticated device fitted in front of the bus driver to monitor any indicators of fatigue, tiredness or illness suffered by the driver through technological indicators, which are transmitted to the Control Room at RTA where the case will be responded to immediately.

RTA says that physical exertion can result in accidents that may undermine the safety of riders, besides having a direct impact on the operational efficiency of buses in terms of on-time arrivals.

The system has been adopted as part of the smart city initiative launched by the Government of Dubai.

Adel Shakri, director of Transportation Systems, RTA’s Public Transport Agency, said, “RTA is the first government entity responsible for public transport to adopt this drivers’ monitoring system. The drop in the exhaustion and fatigue cases experienced by bus drivers by 88 per cent is indicative of the success of the trial phase covering 50 buses in an initial step.”

He said that another smart system is also on trial, monitoring the driving attitudes in terms of exceeding the speed limit, disregard of safe driving principles, irresponsibility in using brakes, sudden swerving, and using the mobile phone while driving.

“The two systems are being experimented on in standard buses, articulated buses and double-decker buses covering Dubai city or inter-city services. According to the results, a plan will be set up to implement the system in our bus fleet comprising more than 1,500 buses operated by more than 3,000 drivers,” he added.

Staff Report

Gulf News 2016. All rights reserved.