“This public-service video, produced in cooperation with SmartDrive transit customers, follows on the heels of our recently released Public Transit Fuel Efficiency Study which revealed that top drivers improve MPG on average nearly 19% simply by engaging in fuel-efficient driving. The SmartDrive Eco-Driving Training video shows how,” said SmartDrive President Jason Palmer.

Commenting on the new training video, Ken Westbrook, COO, Veolia Transportation, Transit Division noted, “the SmartDrive Safety program delivers valuable insight into how our transit vehicles are being driven, helping us develop targeted tools to improve performance. SmartDrive’s new Eco-Driving Training video is great addition to that tool box — it not only raises awareness of the issue of fuel economy, it teaches a solution.”

The fast-paced video combines live footage and animation to illustrate how some easy-to-implement driving techniques can result in significant fuel savings and reduced emissions. It demonstrates that driving “the green way” involves looking ahead, anticipating curves and traffic changes, and generally applying a “softer” touch to braking and acceleration.

The video also shows how in-cab instant driver feedback (IDF) alerts drivers to inefficient maneuvers, allowing them to quickly correct their driving in real time. IDF lights are one of the features of the SmartDrive Safety video-and-data recording system used by companies to measure and improve driving performance for fleet management and risk reduction.

“Without question, fuel consumption is a major operating expense for public transit fleets today, but we can do something about it. Our fuel efficiency study, based on the real-world experience of our transit customers, showed that transit fleets can dramatically reduce fuel consumption just by implementing the smooth-driving techniques highlighted in the SmartDrive Eco-Driving Training video,” Palmer noted.

For a copy of the full-length version of the Eco-Driving Training DVD and the SmartDrive Public Transit Fuel Efficiency Study, please visit www.smartdrive.net/transit.