Making a B-Line for safety

A safety device offering customers a new level of protection has been rolled out across the NSW Government’s hugely successful and popular B-Line bus fleet.

All B-Line buses will trial Mobileye, a forward-facing collision avoidance technology system developed by tech giant Intel.

Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Andrew Constance said the state-of-the art safety feature could benefit all road users.

"Public transport safety is a top priority for this Government so investing in a trial of technology that could save lives and prevent injuries was an easy decision to make," Mr Constance said.

"Our B-Line drivers will now have a third eye on the road to help keep customers and other road users safe.

"The addition of Mobileye will ensure B-Line remains one of Australia’s most high-tech public bus fleets. They already have in-seat USB chargers and real time service information for passenger convenience, we hope this safety feature adds further assurance."

The Mobileye device fitted to B-Line buses is a system which uses audio and visual signals to alert a driver to potential collisions and provide lane departure warnings.

State Transit CEO Steffen Faurby revealed the advanced driver assistance technology was first used on a B-Line bus earlier this year before being rolled out to all 38 B-Line buses.

"We are in the early stages of assessing Mobileye but anything that may assist our drivers with incidents outside of their control is well worth looking at," Mr Faurby said.

"We know from our testing in February that the technology can work but now it needs to be evaluated in our challenging operating environment."

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