THAMESDOWN Transport has bought an innovative device that monitors tyre pressures, improving the safety of passengers, bus drivers and depot mechanics alike.

The ground-breaking system has been developed in the UK by Oxford-based WheelRight.

The new system uses the latest technology to calculate tyre pressures, doing away with the need for manual checking. To check tyre pressures, Thamesdown’s maintenance team simply drive the buses over a flush mounted device embedded into the road that contains highly sensitive, yet robust sensors.

The WheelRight sensor is installed at the Barnfield Road depot, enabling pressures to be checked quickly and without the need for any additional equipment.

Head of engineering at Thamesdown, Dave Spencer, is confident that the system will help maintain the company’s high standards of passenger and employee safety as well as enhancing its environmental credentials.

He said: “With this new technology, our passengers can be assured of even greater safety on the road. More consistent tyre pressure monitoring will improve braking performance on our buses, reduce the time needed for tyre maintenance and improve the efficiency of our fleet. This smart piece of kit has also been proven to spot punctures before buses even leave the depot, thus enabling us to change or repair tyres before they become a problem.

“This has reduced the number of instances we’ve had to call out our service van in the event of tyre failures, which in turn has reduced disruptions to our services locally.

“Adopting the WheelRight system also reduces our impact on the environment, saving fuel, cutting CO2 emissions and reducing the number of tyres sent early to landfill.”