Arriva inks telematics deal to slash bus emissions

One of Arriva's electric bus models 

Arriva announced on Tuesday (25 June) that it had signed a contract with TomTom Telematics, recently acquired by Bridgestone, to install their telematics systems on up to 15,000 buses across the UK and nine countries in Mainland Europe.

According to the company, the deal will provide drivers with instant feedback on driver performance, such as braking, idling and accelerating. Data will then be used by Arriva to make decisions that reduce fuel use from its bus operations by up to 6% annually, cutting emissions by 72,000 tonnes as a result. Arriva claims this is the equivalent of reducing greenhouse gas emissions generated by 15,000 cars annually.

Arriva’s group transformation director Jo Humphries said: “This investment in TomTom Telematics is an investment in our drivers. Every second of every journey, our 32,000 drivers have to make the right decisions to take passengers safely from pick-up to destination.

“When supported by regular coaching and training, our drivers will be equipped to drive the best they can. In doing so they can provide even safer and more comfortable journeys for passengers and reduce fuel usage to deliver substantive reductions in CO2 emissions.”

Telematics will also be used on Arriva bus fleets located in Croatia, Czech Republic, Italy, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Spain and the Netherlands and are already in use in Denmark, Portugal, Serbia and Sweden.

Electrification

At a UK level, the UK Government has unveiled plans to purchase 263 new ultra-low emission buses for transport schemes across the nation, doubling the UK’s existing e-bus stock.

A total of £48m will be invested into new vehicles and infrastructure across seven towns and cities, in a drive to help the Government meet the aims of its Clean Air Strategy and Road to Zero plan. An additional £25m has since been added to the funding pot.

Globally, Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) has predicted that electric vehicles (EVs) will penetrate the global bus, van, truck and passenger car markets faster than it envisioned in previous years. According to the research, fully electric buses will account for 81% of global bus sales by 2040.

Matt Mace