Cuckmere Buses, a community public transport service, has adopted a next-generation dual-view dashcam from SureCam to provide added protection for its team of volunteer drivers. The bespoke solution has been rolled out across a fleet of 16-seater minibuses, replacing a previous SureCam camera system that had helped the charity to improve employee welfare and eliminate false and exaggerated insurance claims and complaints.
“Our minibuses operate from a central base in Berwick, East Sussex, with a team of 40 volunteer drivers handling around 20 weekly timetabled services and over 80,000 passenger journeys a year,” explains Wayne Evenden, Engineering Director at Cuckmere Buses. “With mainly rural routes, connecting villages and towns in the area, the drivers often face challenging driving conditions along narrow roads with poor visibility, so the video telematics plays a crucial role in ensuring their wellbeing at all times.”
Cuckmere Buses had been using a two-camera system from SureCam since 2019 following a successful trial of the technology. Since the installation, the solution has proved invaluable, helping the company to understand exactly what has occurred and providing the evidence needed to quickly challenge and resolve any accusations against their drivers. Prior to this, Cuckmere Buses had used SD-card cameras, designed for the consumer market, which had proved inadequate for their requirements in terms of video access and quality.
This year, Cuckmere Buses made the decision to update the camera solution to take advantage of improvements in terms of connectivity, video quality, and tracking accuracy. The upgrade uses SureCam’s latest dashcam with a supplementary internal camera that is fitted flush to the rear window. As part of the project, SureCam has developed a bespoke casing for the rear-facing device to minimise glare from the vehicles’ lights when driving at night, which was impacting the clarity and usability of the footage.
The added tracking functionality and live camera view are proving useful for real-time fleet monitoring, providing added insight into what is occurring on the roads, especially when there is heavy traffic or a road incident that is causing vehicle delays. Moving forward, Cuckmere Buses also plans to take advantage of the comprehensive reporting package to analyse driver behaviour, manage maintenance requirements and identify areas of fleet improvement.
“As we celebrate our 50th year, our commitment remains to provide a safe, reliable and courteous local passenger transport service, supporting rural and urban communities not served by the commercial bus companies. Our drivers are all volunteers who put themselves at risk out on the roads every day, so their safety and protection will always be our top priority. The partnership with SureCam allows us to protect them proactively, while maintaining trust in our service and continuously improving how we operate,” adds Wayne Evenden.
Sam Footer, Partnership Director at SureCam commented: “Cuckmere Buses provides a valuable service to their local community, so we are delighted that we can support them with a specially designed video telematics solution. We work closely with every customer to ensure we meet all fleet requirements, exceed expectations, and deliver value, helping them achieve measurable business and operational improvements.”
