Wi-Fi CCTV fitted to new Isle of Wight fleet
18 January 2008
21st Century has just completed the installation of a new Wi-Fi CCTV system for Southern Vectis, the Isle of Wight's main bus operator. The installations were made to a brand new fleet of Mercedes Citaro and open top vehicles. Southern Vectis has marked the occasion with a further order for 28 more new buses to be fitted in 2008.
Southern Vectis buses not only serve the resident population, including the transport for 2,500 school children, but also the large tourist contingent. The open top buses operate ‘The Needles tour', which is reputed to be ‘Britain's most spectacular bus service'.
Fitting CCTV to its fleet brings benefits to Southern Vectis staff and passengers. The very presence of a system offers staff and passengers protection from crime and protects vehicles from vandalism. The images can be used as evidence in crime and vandalism cases and can be used to combat fraudulent insurance claims - all of which keep costs down.
All the cameras used in the Southern Vectis fleet are high resolution and IP65 rated. This means that all are guaranteed waterproof, which is especially important for the cameras fitted to the open top vehicles.
The buses have been fitted with the very latest in CCTV recording technology, wifi and telematics. During playback all recorded CCTV is displayed, along with the vehicle's speed, location, indicators and use of brakes, as well as tachometer and G-force readings. 21st Century has also installed its fully automated CCTV download manager and HeartbeatTM, the easy to use vehicle checking system with fault diagnostics.
The operational status of the Southern Vectis CCTV system is remotely monitored by the 21st Century customer service team. HeartbeatTM automatically reports on every CCTV camera installed on the Southern Vectis fleet, and any problems are immediately highlighted and the exact location of the problem identified. Heartbeat provides 24 hour protection at a fraction of the cost of routine manual checks, which may only take place once or twice a year. This dramatically reduces any potential system downtime meaning that whenever CCTV is required, it is there.
Marc Morgan-Huws, Southern Vectis' Operations and Commercial Manager, comments: "The Southern Vectis bus service is an essential part of island life, so it is vital for us to protect it, our customers and our staff, with a modern CCTV system. As one of the UK's fastest growing bus networks, we have to stay one step ahead and make preparations now for future expansion. The 21st Century system allows us to do this because of its extended capabilities."
