Cambridge Guided Busway has multiple help points that will let passengers speak to operators along routes between Huntingdon, St Ives and Cambridge.
The Guided Busway required help points for passengers to report any emergencies, and act as a deterrent for anti-social behaviour. Commend UK Series 700 Help Points have been installed at 24 locations along the routes, chosen for their durable metal design for outdoor, public spaces. Each help point is connected to a CCTV camera that is activated when the help point button is pressed. CCTV is monitored by one of the three control centres, so that the operators can ‘see’ who is calling. This system has helped to manage incidents and another attributed benefit is that to date there have been no acts of vandalism on any of the Busway Help Points.
Within the control room, the Commend UK 2-Wire DSP-Intercom Stations’ ergonomic and uncomplicated design is convenient and comfortable for operators to use. A multitude of functions allows for simple call forwarding, message management and the setting of reminders and alarms. As with the Help Point, the excellent 16kHz speech quality allows clear communication even from a distance of up to seven metres.
When only one operator is working at a control room, handsets can be used for instant communication between the three control rooms and even for operators to connect to another control station, should they need to hear what is happening.
Shaun Harrison-Fuller, Guided Busway Team Leader, says: “We chose the Commend equipment because it is of the highest quality. Since they were installed, the systems have worked without fault and we will most certainly be coming back to Commend UK when the time comes to upgrade our technology to meet the increased demands for our services. The Commend Help Points have been worth every penny and more. The impact has been positive; it has stabilised a well-used and popular bus route and given customers a helpful end-user experience.”
About the Busway
The Guided Busway provides frequent bus services between Huntingdon, St Ives and Cambridge, and has been so successful that passenger numbers have reached four million since its launch in August 2011 – exceeding all expectations. This success is expected to continue as new stops are introduced and as a consequence of 5,000 new homes being built in Cambridge.
Short profile on Series 700 Help Points
The Series 700 Help Points have been designed for use in city and town centres, transit scheme locations, car parks and any other exposed areas. Bespoke designs can be created to match company colours and aesthetic requirements and the devices can be fitted with two buttons if there is a requirement to transmit calls to different destinations, for example for emergencies or recorded messages.
Short profile on 2-Wire DSP-Intercom Station Series EE811A
With a range of functions and transmission options, the 2-Wire DSP Intercom Stations are a control station Help Point support tool. The stations are prepared for future functions, which will be available as software updates.
