Vehicles
Public transport to be tested for ‘road worthiness’
AFTER the recent mishap between two buses on Edsa that resulted in 19 injuries, the Department of Transportation will be inspecting the road worthiness of all public buses and monitor their drivers. Transportation Undersecretary Tim Orbos, who heads the Roads and Inter-Agency Council for Traffic (IAct), said the IAct and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) would be doing the rounds of all BMDS terminals starting on Friday.
The BMDS in Alabang, Fairview, and Baclaran aims to regulate the number of public utility buses (PUBs) dispatched in Edsa.
Orbos said the collision between the Joyselle Bus and another PUB happened after the Joyselle bus allegedly lost its brakes.
The incident showed the need to check the roadworthiness of public utility vehicles (PUVs), especially buses before they ply the road.
“Road-unworthy PUVs don’t have a place in our streets and major thoroughfares. We don’t want another road mishap caused by broken parts or lost brakes which can be avoided if the vehicle is maintained properly,” Orbos said.
Body (appearance), engine, lights, brakes, tires, horn, battery, and smoke emission are some of the items included in the roadworthiness test. MMDA Chairman Danilo Lim said that the joint inspection in all BMDS terminals would be very helpful and would ensure the safety of passengers as PUBs carry the most number of passengers per unit among any other PUVs. “Buses carry passengers ranging from 48 to 60 which make them the most risky public transport vehicle.
A single accident can produce a huge number of injuries, or worst, fatalities,” Lim said. MMDA General Manager Jojo Garcia said the inspection would minimize the effects of heavy traffic caused by road accidents. “Any road accident automatically results to heavy traffic because lanes will be occupied and vehicles involved become a road obstruction,” Garcia said.
Failure to pass the roadworthiness test would mean that the affected PUBs won’t be allowed to travel and their franchises cancelled until they have complied with the requirements.
JAMES GALVEZ
Loading…
Transport Industry Determined to Tackle Road Safety
Wednesday, 20 June 2018, 10:42 am
Press Release: Teletrac Navman[1]
Transport Industry Determined to Tackle Road Safety With Technology Auckland, New Zealand, 20 June 2018 – Transport professionals are responding seriously to the concerning leap in New Zealand’s road toll. The 2018 New Zealand Telematics Benchmark Report conducted by Teletrac Navman, a global leader in GPS tracking technology and services, found that safety technology took investment priority over other emerging technologies, as companies look to improve driver safety through alerting and fatigue monitoring technology.
As of the end of May 2018, the road toll in New Zealand reached 164 deaths, an increase of 10 deaths from the same time period last year1. Even though truck drivers have primary responsibility for only about a third (32 percent) of the fatal crashes in which they are involved2, the transport industry is taking action. The rise of fatal road crashes is a strong incentive for transport companies to develop more safety measures, particularly as some drivers are so fearful of crashes that they are leaving the industry3.
The Telematics Benchmark Report represents the responses of 250 New Zealand fleet operations and fleet management professionals in the transport, construction, manufacturing, retail, government and professional services industries. It was conducted as part of a global survey of 2,400 fleet operations and fleet management professionals. Key New Zealand safety findings include:
The top two emerging technologies that organisations are considering for implementation in 2018 are driver warning and alerting technology (26 percent) and fatigue monitoring (18 per cent).
Driver warning and alerting technology, at 36 per cent, is the top choice of emerging technology that organisations expect to have the greatest impact on business operations in the future. It is followed closely by fatigue monitoring on 18 percent, big data analytics on 17 percent and artificial intelligence on 16 percent.
One in five respondents (21 per cent) cite improving driver safety as a top business goal.
Around one third of respondents (34 per cent) reported fewer accidents as a result of using telematics — an increase of 11 per cent from 2017.
Speed prevention is the top safety benefit realised by using telematics, cited by nearly half of respondents (46 per cent), followed by monitoring and benchmarking driver behaviour (29 per cent) and monitoring hours to prevent driver fatigue (24 percent).
“The report indicates that Kiwi organisations are placing an even larger focus on driver safety going into the future,” says Ian Daniel, Vice President and Managing Director Asia Pacific. “Technology is driving change in the fleet management area, from driver safety technology and cameras to EVs and autonomous vehicles.
Pair technology innovations with changes in laws and regulations, and you will find that fleet managers are increasingly tasked with guiding major business decisions.” Telematic technology tracks vehicles and assets for businesses to efficiently manage fleets and improve safety. To download the full report, visit www.teletracnavman.co.nz/benchmark/general2018
Survey methodology The 2018 New Zealand Telematics Benchmark Report is based on survey responses from 250 fleet operations and fleet management professionals based in New Zealand. Results may exceed 100 percent for questions with multiple possible responses.
For reporting purposes, all statistical values have been rounded to the nearest whole number.
1New Zealand Transport Agency. (2018). Road death statistics.
2Ministry of Transport. (2017) Truck Crash Facts 2017.
3Guy. A. (2018, January 25).
Truck drivers leaving the industry over fear of crashes, haulage company says. NZ Herald ENDS
Scoop readers – Donate and help us create quality, independent news & journalism that is freely available to the public.
Become a Supporter
Professionals – ‘At work’ users of Scoop need a ScoopPro licence.
This keeps Scoop open, plus licensed users enjoy exclusive new tools.
More about ScoopPro[4]
References
- ^ Teletrac Navman (info.scoop.co.nz)
- ^ (C) Scoop Media (www.scoop.co.nz)
- ^ Become a Supporter (foundation.scoop.co.nz)
- ^ More about ScoopPro (pro.scoop.co.nz)
Bharat Forge invests GBP 10 million in UK’s electric truck startup Tevva
Image Source: justdial.com x DOWNLOAD[1]
Bharat Forge invests GBP 10 million in UK’s electric truck startup Tevva
Bharat Forge invests GBP 10 million in UK’s electric truck startup Tevva
ETAuto reported that India’s auto component giant Bharat Forge has made a strategic investment of GBP 10 million or about Rs.90 crores in Tevva Motors, a British and Israeli electric truck company incorporated and registered under the Companies (Jersey) Law 1991 carrying out its operations from Chelmsford, UK.
As part of this investment, Bharat Forge has also acquired a license for commercialization of the Tevva technology within India for strengthening its Research and Development activities in the e-mobility space. Founded in 2012 by Asher Bennett, a former submarine officer in the Israeli Navy, Tevva provides electric power-train solutions for Commercial Vehicles & buses in the 7.5-14 T weight category. This is soon to be extended for the development of new Commercial Vehicles, especially trucks and buses.
The investment in Tevva will help Bharat Forge to move at the forefront in the fast-growing Electric Vehicle market to identify technology trends and co-develop solutions for electric mobility in India and abroad.
Mr Baba Kalyani, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharat Forge Limited, commenting on the investment said, “This will also bring very focused and state-of-the-art EV powertrain solutions to our customers in India and worldwide.
This investment coupled with the ongoing work at Tork Motorcycles will enable Bharat Forge to gain better understanding of the 2-wheeler and the Commercial Vehicle EV space.”
References
- ^ download this image (steelguru.com)
- ^ ETAuto (www.indianweb2.com)