First Bus cut waste management costs by 57% during a six-month trial of Aquasentry’s battery-powered oil separator alarms. The remote monitoring system helps prevent pollution, reduce tanker visits, and support the operator’s environmental goals.
First Bus Group Plc is one of the UK’s largest bus operators, connecting communities from Aberdeen to Cornwall. With a fleet of approximately 4,500 buses, the company transports over a million passengers daily. First Bus is firmly committed to environmental protection and regulatory compliance.
Oil water separators are installed at depots across the UK to help prevent pollution. These separators must be emptied before reaching capacity to maintain their optimum efficiency and avoid potential overflow incidents. Previously, First Bus relied on a scheduled tanker service to empty the separators, regardless of whether it was needed. Looking to reduce waste management costs and enable centralised remote monitoring, a First Bus Property Project Manager contacted Aquasentry for advice.
Our experienced sales team recommended a battery-powered oil water separator alarm system designed to monitor up to two tanks for the build-up of oil, silt or excess liquid — or all three. These smart alarms notify designated users via text message and/or email when the tanks require emptying. This eliminates the need for a fixed emptying schedule, which can result in unnecessary visits. Users can view the system status and settings anytime via the Aquasentry Monitoring Service website.
First Bus agreed to a six-month trial at 10 sites to evaluate potential savings. Our engineers installed the alarm systems at depots across the UK.
At the end of the trial, First Bus reported a 57% reduction in waste management costs. If rolled out across all sites, this would equate to annual savings of tens of thousands of pounds.
The customer was so pleased with the results that they proceeded with a wider rollout, installing 79 alarm systems across an additional 18 sites. A second phase involving a further 18 sites is planned for 2025. Aquasentry will also be returning to each site every six months to carry out routine maintenance and calibration to ensure the continued efficient operation of the alarms and compliance with BS EN 858-2.
The battery-powered oil water separator alarm systems can be installed in separators from any manufacturer. Because they operate independently of mains power, there are no limitations on their installation location. The units contain a SIM card that sends alerts about probe status changes to designated users. Monitoring is achieved via in-tank receivers that transmit a LoRa signal to an on-site gateway, which relays data to the Aquasentry Monitoring Service website.
Aquasentry is the UK’s sole provider of wireless separator monitoring systems. Our alarm units are manufactured at our facility in Merseyside and shipped to customers across the UK and Europe.
Remote monitoring of oil, silt and liquid levels ensures that separators are emptied only when necessary, reducing both waste management costs and unnecessary tanker journeys. This not only cuts operating expenses but also reduces carbon emissions, contributing to First Bus’s environmental goals.
This solution supports First Bus’s ambition to lead the transition to a low-carbon future, aligns with its commitment to operating a zero-emission fleet by 2025, and helps maintain its ISO 14001 certification for Environmental Management.
Get in touch to find out how Aquasentry’s smart monitoring solutions could save your business money and support environmental compliance.
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