It just may be the greatest thing to happen to public transportation safety since Keanu Reeves kept a Los Angeles city bus from detonating in the mid-1990s.

And while the Crescent Guardian Inc. (CGI) Fusion Vehicle Permission Switch is still in the early stages of acceptance, chances are you’ll be hearing a lot more about its deployment very soon. The first unit was installed as a demonstration on a New Orleans bus during the recent American Public Transportation Authority convention.

Veolia Transportation, which oversees public transportation authorities across the U.S. and Europe was impressed and expects to add more to its fleet

The Vehicle Permission Switch is a keyless ignition switch for secure access to public transportation vehicles such as buses, trains, streetcars, shuttles and taxis. The system is part of a comprehensive plan by American Public Transportation Association (APTA) to improve mobility and security of the public transportation system. It’s been widely deployed in construction for years, says Ray Cavanagh, vice president of worldwide sales for CGI. The device is impervious to heat, wind and sand, he says.

“(Beolia) definitely wants to deploy it in other places,” he says, noting he expects other transportation authorities to follow Beolia’s lead and install the units in their vehicles as well. “It pays for itself.”

The unit features an RFID card reader to automatically enable the vehicle start-up with a touchscreen keypad for individual key codes. The LCD display provides operators a daily checklist that can shut down the vehicle for critical items, and maintenance scheduling by date or hour meter readings.

In addition, there are option modules for sensing of: speed, impact, seat switch, auxiliary input, seat belt usage, and low oil/high temperature. Wireless options such as Wi-Fi, ZigBee and Bluetooth are available for advanced programming such as text messaging, emailing, and event notifications.

The advanced system ties in to OSHA and Department of Transportation information to cut down on reporting and response times for accidents or other critical information.

The hardware and software package is available as a monthly rental, Cavanagh says, and could lead to a significant drop in insurance costs for public transportation authorities as they show they’re protected from theft or damage to their vehicles.

Users can choose either a simple keyboard, which costs $75 to $85 per month, or an LCD unit with accident reporting capabilities and five sensor inputs for $105 to $115 a month.

About the author

D. Craig MacCormack

Craig MacCormack is a veteran journalist with more than 15 years experience covering local and national news and sports as well as architecture and engineering. He joined Commercial Integrator in January 2011. Follow him on Twitter: @CraigMacCormack.

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