Bristol Airport Buses

As a busy transport hub, Bristol Airport approaches vehicle surveillance from a number of angles. More than just an investigation tool for onboard incidents, it is a business tool that supports a wide range of safety, security, and operational objectives.

Located eight miles south of Bristol and serving over eight million passengers a year, Bristol Airport is one of the UK’s fastest-growing regional airports. It is also one of the most efficient – the organisation is immensely proud of being named the most punctual in the world in 2014, and in 2018, it came joint first for the 5-10 million category at the Airports Council International Awards. So, when it became clear that an opportunity existed to further improve the efficient and safe flow of passengers, the Transport Management team turned to surveillance solutions expert Ocular Integration for help. The opportunity in question? The airport’s bus fleet.

When better bus surveillance means better business

Unlike many airports solely served by external bus operators, Bristol Airport runs a fleet of eleven Mercedes-Benz Citaro vehicles, including Citaro G articulated or ‘bendy’ buses, to help transport passengers from their car parks to the terminal efficiently and safely.

The buses feature luggage racking, a driver microphone/speaker system, and LED destination displays with an interior display screen showing important passenger information to help ensure a smooth transition from the bus to the car park. They also incorporate Ocular's surveillance solutions, comprising high-quality recording equipment integrated with telematics and Ocular’s on-vehicle cameras (internal and external), an addition that is making quite a difference. Using footage and telematics data from the buses, driver activity, driving style, and exact manoeuvres can be analysed to ensure buses are being driven optimally. “They have to operate in pretty confined and busy areas, so it’s helpful to fine-tune performance,” commented Martin Fisher, Motor Transport Manager at Bristol Airport.

Improvements by design

For an airport known for its efficiency, ‘fine-tuning’ is also paramount in other areas. Greg Price, Head of On-Vehicle Sales at Ocular, comments: “Like many of the customers we work with, Bristol Airport approaches vehicle surveillance from a number of angles. It isn’t just about investigating on-board incidents; it’s a business tool that can support a wide range of safety, security, and operational objectives. By listening to these needs and clearly understanding the customer's goals, we can deploy the best solution – one tailored to exact requirements.” 

For Martin, one operational objective is understanding where infrastructure layout might be optimised.

“By reviewing the footage from external cameras, for example, to see why there have been delays or damage to the vehicles, we can identify any problem areas or incident hot spots. An example is where an existing parking layout might make life difficult for our bus drivers. Once aware, we can make the necessary changes to ensure everything flows smoothly.”

Saving money by verifying claims

As the fifth busiest airport in the UK outside London, another issue Bristol Airport has is traffic. In addition to receiving local train and bus services from Bristol and Weston-super-Mare, multiple bus operators from outside the area also have regular routes to the airport from locations including Swansea, Plymouth, and Bath. Combined with taxis, passenger drop-offs and collections, and passenger parking, at peak times, it is a busy transport hub for the area.

“Before we had the onboard vehicle surveillance, we had no visual record of how incidents involving vehicles could have occurred and how to prevent similar incidents in the future. Since commissioning our first surveillance solution from Ocular in 2014, there have been many benefits, and it has helped improve both safety and efficiency for passengers, staff, and our drivers,” said Martin.

Supporting airside accuracy and passenger safety

In addition to providing surveillance solutions for Bristol Airport’s landside buses, Ocular has also started to retrofit the airport’s airside buses, which operate between the terminal and the aircraft.

An Ocular system has been fitted to the newest twelve Cobus 3000 buses currently operating at the airport to ensure it brings the same benefits as the systems fitted to its landside fleet. As well as aiding the drivers navigating the busy airside road system – for example, showing rear-view cameras when reverse gear is selected – the cameras also help monitor passenger safety, comfort, and well-being, alerting drivers to any problems or medical emergencies whilst on board the bus.

Surveillance support that makes life simpler

In addition to the cost, efficiency, and passenger safety benefits of having bus surveillance, one of the main reasons Bristol Airport continues to work with Ocular Integration is the way support and service are provided. “For each new Citaro we receive, we know Ocular will work with Mercedes and EvoBus GmbH to ensure the solutions we need are factory fitted to specification, but we also know that we can call on the team to retrofit where needed, as is the case with our airside Cobus 3000 vehicles.

"Another major bonus is that the team at Ocular really listens to our needs. For example, with such minimal drive times we haven’t yet felt the need to adopt WiFi on our vehicles which would allow us to transmit data wirelessly so rather than sell us a solution that doesn’t meet our current needs, Ocular has developed the best possible solution while still making sure we are prepared for the future as our requirements develop. It’s just a great working relationship.”