Nottingham City Transport

Nottingham City Transport (NCT) is the biggest transport operator in Nottingham. Their fleet is fitted with TimeSpace CCTV Systems.

In 2015, Nottingham City Transport chose TimeSpace CCTV systems for all future new factory-built buses. This decision came after a competitive trial that included their current supplier, another competitor, and Ocular. The TimeSpace CCTV system features a remote connection to a LAN Link through the depot’s wireless network. The software manages remote connectivity and will facilitate condition monitoring and the upload of incident footage.

Impressed by the systems’ performance and value, NCT upgraded the DVRs on its entire fleet of approximately 300 buses with TimeSpace systems in 2016. From that point forward, every new bus specified by NCT has been equipped with CCTV systems supplied by Ocular —establishing a trusted, long-term partnership.  

In 2022, NCT was awarded funding through the ZEBRA (Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas) scheme to support replacing some buses with electric vehicles (EVS). As part of this fleet transition, NCT met with Ocular to outline their vision for a unified CCTV and Passenger Wi-Fi solution delivered by a single supplier, to achieve:

• System Integration: Achieve operational efficiencies through streamlined CCTV and Passenger Wi-Fi integration.
• Hardware Reduction: Minimise redundant equipment and lower capital expenditure.
• Data Contract Consolidation: Reduce the data SIMS needed by leveraging multifunctional connectivity hardware.
• Simplified Supplier Management: Deal with a single point of contact for both systems.

Solution

Before 2022, every NCT fleet vehicle was equipped with a TimeSpace CCTV system which included a router connected to LAN Link, the TimeSpace software platform for managing remote CCTV connectivity via NCT’s depot wireless network. A separate third-party system provided passenger Wi-Fi with its distinct hardware, data contract and support subscription with the vendor.

Recognising the potential for system consolidation, Ocular identified an onboard dual-radio 5G/Wi-Fi router capable of supporting remote connectivity from the CCTV to LAN Link and delivering passenger Wi-Fi. When equipped with a SIM card, these routers effectively provided both services, eliminating the need for separate Wi-Fi-specific hardware. This streamlined approach significantly reduced system complexity, minimised the hardware footprint, and lowered costs.

To support this integration, Ocular worked closely with NCT to design and implement a Passenger Wi-Fi platform tailored to their operational and customer-facing needs. The platform features:

• A passenger-facing captive portal for DNS browsing analytics.
• The ability to monitor and manage onboard internet services.
• Tools to configure usage policies and generate custom reports.

As part of this process, Ocular engaged directly with NCT’s marketing team, which manages the Passenger Wi-Fi service.

During this collaboration, NCT shared valuable insights into its usage patterns, reporting needs, and desired functionality, which guided the design and refinement of the platform.

Ocular installed a next-generation dual radio router (Wi-Fi and 5G) for the electric buses funded through the ZEBRA scheme. These routers continue to connect the CCTV system to LAN Link via depot Wi-Fi, but now also support 5G remote access through an NCT-supplied SIM card. 

This setup enables:

• Faster upload of incident footage while the bus is in service for more urgent requests.
• Passenger WiFi delivery through the same hardware.

Result

Our tailored solution brought several immediate benefits. Working with NCT, we developed a Passenger Wi-Fi platform that they use to manage and monitor Passenger Wi-Fi, complete with a passenger captive portal and DNS browsing. The benefits of NCT include:

• Cost Reduction: Using a shared router for CCTV and Wi-Fi dramatically reduced the need for additional hardware.
• Contract Efficiency: By using a single SIM card across CCTV and Wi-Fi services, NCT lowered its ongoing data costs and simplified its data contract portfolio.
• Enhanced Control: NCT now enjoys more autonomy and flexibility in managing Passenger Wi-Fi, including configuring usage policies and generating custom reports.
• Operational Simplicity: Integrating both systems on a single hardware platform has reduced points of failure and simplified maintenance processes.

Key Complexities, Challenges and Approach

Delivering two mission-critical services—CCTV and Passenger Wi-Fi - over a single hardware architecture posed significant performance challenges. They ensured the passenger internet experience remained unaffected during concurrent real-time CCTV data transmission. Addressing this required meticulous planning, custom software development, and extensive performance testing. By working closely with NCT and adopting an iterative testing approach, Ocular engineers could fine-tune the network’s configuration, achieving a balanced system that met operational needs and passenger expectations.

Our approach prioritised transparency, adaptability, and collaborative development. Our engineers worked with NCT teams throughout the trial and deployment phases.