Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) for buses

An Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS), also referred to as a Collision Warning System (CWS), refers to a broad group of safety systems that improve driving safety by tackling human error, a leading cause of vehicle accidents.

ADAS systems have been featured on Singapore buses since 2014. While earlier adopted ADAS systems were standalone alert systems, newer buses also feature 360-degree camera-based systems.

Functionality

On Singapore buses, ADAS systems are non-intervening, i.e. they only provide audio/visual alerts to the driver, and do not take over control of the vehicle in any way. These ADAS systems typically offer the following functionalities:

  • Pedestrian & vehicle proximity alerts
  • Headway distance monitoring
  • Speed limit indicator
  • Lane departure warning
  • Blind-spot monitoring​

Different ADAS systems offer different degrees of functionality, and some are bundled with telematics capabilities as well. The most common models are varieties offered by Streamex (distributed by TNT Surveillance), Mobileye, ST Engineering, and Continental Automotive. Since 2022, 360-degree camera-based systems that fulfil all the above functionalities have also been adopted.

LTA Requirements

Under the Bus Contracting Model (BCM), the Land Transport Authority (LTA) is responsible for the procurement of buses and their specifications. While several types of ADAS systems have been trialled in the mid-2010s, the LTA made ADAS a mandatory requirement for buses procured starting in late 2017. Both the LTA and individual bus operators have also retrofitted ADAS systems to existing buses since the late 2010s and early 2020s.

In the Committee of Supply Debate 2025, the Government accepted the recommendations of the Bus Safety Tripartite Taskforce to improve safety practices for the public bus sector, reinforcing the desire to expend the use of ADAS systems on buses. In particular, the Taskforce recommends equipping the entire bus fleet with 360-degree collision warning systems, and enhanced with artificial intelligence for collision alerts.

Related Systems

These systems are covered in a separate article.


ADAS Systems

SBS Transit was the first Public Transport Operator (PTO) to introduce ADAS systems on its fleet in November 2014. Following a small-scale trial of the Mobileye 560 installed on 30 buses, SBS Transit would later embrace the technology and equip its entire fleet of more than 3,500 buses by 2019.

Basic ADAS models (e.g. Mobileye 560/630, TNT Surveillance T-DA) comprised a front-facing camera unit coupled with a small dashboard display unit that displayed vehicle/pedestrian proximity alerts and lane departure warnings, with corresponding audio alerts. Later, additional cameras and display units were fitted for side blindspot monitoring (e.g. Mobileye Shield+, TNT Surveillance T-SA), and some models integrated these individual dashboard displays into a larger monitor (e.g. ST Engineering Drivesafe).

It is believed that the merits of the technology were accepted by the LTA and eventually adopted into its requirements for its bus procurement. Under the Bus Contracting Model (BCM), buses procured by LTA since late 2017 are fitted with ADAS systems. By bundling ADAS systems with LTA-owned buses, these systems are now LTA-owned, providing opportunities for standardisation between bus operators, easing driver familiarity, and facilitating system maintenance.

On top of supplying ADAS systems to new buses, PTOs have also retrofitted ADAS systems to their existing buses during BCM tendered contract terms, such as SBS Transit during the Seletar and Bukit Merah bus package (first terms), and Tower Transit which installed 360-degree camera systems on all Sembawang–Yishun Bus Package buses. Since these buses are assets leased from the LTA, it is not yet known if operator-retrofitted ADAS systems would be uninstalled or reimbursed when ownership of buses is transferred between LTA/operators, if any.

ADAS Systems in use

1. Mobileye 560 / Mobileye 630

2. Mobileye Shield+

3. ST Engineering DriveSafe

4. TNT Surveillance T-FA / T-SA

5. MooVita Advanced Driver Assistance System

6. Continental Automotive (trial model)

7. Agil DriveSafe+

360-degree Surround View Camera systems in use​

Sometime in 2022, Surround View Camera Systems gained prevalence, with both new and retrofitted buses receiving the system. On top of the existing collision and blind spot monitoring alert features offered by other ADAS systems, these systems use a set of externally mounted cameras around the bus (at least 4) to generate a top-down image in real-time, which is fed to a driver display monitor.

Surround view camera systems further improve blind spot monitoring over other ADAS models and different viewing angles can also be generated (e.g. the TNT Surveillance model pivots the viewing angle to prioritise the left or right side blindspot depending on which blinkers are activated). During the transition, some buses had surround-view camera systems fitted in addition to non-surround-view ADAS models, but newer buses have been exclusively fitted with surround-view cameras.

1. TNT Surveillance T-A.I. 360°

2. Continental ProViu ASL360

See also: Anti-Fatigue Systems, Camera Mirror Systems


External Links & References:

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2 thoughts on “Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) for buses

  • 19 May 2020 at 5:11 PM
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    Everytime, I take any Single Decker Bus have Mobileye Installed, I always can’t sit Infornt?

    Very Irritating with these Noisy Mobileye installed on SBST Single Deck Buses?

    Reply
  • 16 February 2019 at 3:50 PM
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    something new is installed on SG5012X, unsure of model but it is an ADAS

    Reply

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