Istanbul transportation company to place 'black boxes' on public buses

The Istanbul Electric Tramway and Tunnel Company (İETT) has decided to install black boxes on public buses, Doğan News Agency has reported.

In an initial stage, the black boxes were placed in 520 buses, while 700 bus drivers were trained to use the new system. 

The black boxes, also known as flight recorders, record data on operating buses and transmit data to the İETT's server via GSM operators. 

The software used in the new system also records reports on drivers and vehicles, as well as service conditions. 

This new measure is aimed at minimizing accidents, increasing road and driving safety and ensuring fuel is used efficiently. 

The "black box" project, which started with the support of the İETT, Development Ministry and the Istanbul Development Agency, is the first stage of the "Black Box for Sustainable Public Transportation" project.

İETT head Arif Emecen said the black boxes were designed and inspired by black boxes used on airplanes.  

"This system will analyze location, temperature, route and distance and will report on vehicle and driving data such as speed, fault information, fuel pressure and oil pressure. These notifications will be monitored by a center that will intervene immediately in the event of an incident," he said.  

Emecen said they were expecting a 15 percent decrease in the number of accidents, and a 10 percent increase in the quality of driving after the project comes online. 

The black boxes have the capacity to save six months of information.