'Golden Eye' helps SBS Transit bus drivers stay focused

Operator will be equipping 30% of its fleet with fatigue monitoring system by year end

- Esther Loi

Whenever he operates service 51 from Jurong East to Hougang, bus captain Guek Peng Kian finds it challenging to stay focused towards the end of each journey, which lasts more than 21/2 hours.

A bus captain for about five years, the 47-year-old finds the new fatigue monitoring system complete with audiovisual alerts and vibrations - helpful in keeping him alert while driving, especially during longer journeys and on hot days.

Rolled out by public transport operator SBS Transit, the system Golden Eye comes with a dashboard-mounted camera that can detect signs of fatigue or distraction in bus drivers, by sensing that their eyes have been closed for two seconds or that they have been looking away upwards or downwards - for four seconds or more.

Once these are detected, Golden Eye will send audio and visual alerts via a screen next to the camera, and produce seat vibrations powered by 24 volts.

Mr Guek, who has been using the system for about two years, said he is happy it will be installed on more buses, and hopes for it to be set up on all buses to ensure greater safety for everyone.

First trialled in 2019, Golden Eye is currently installed on 250 buses, or 7 per cent of SBS Transit's fleet.