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New technology brings seat backs to life on First Aberdeen buses

Posted: 13 February 2014 | First Group | No comments yet

Local bus operator, First Aberdeen, is thought to have become the first bus company in the world to bring its seatbacks to life using the latest ‘augmented reality’ technology.

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Local bus operator, First Aberdeen, is thought to have become the first bus company in the world to bring its seatbacks to life using the latest ‘augmented reality’ technology. Customers, using their smart phones or tablets, can scan vinyls on the backs of seats to view interviews with First Aberdeen staff, learn more about services, surf the net or even book tickets for the theatre.

First Aberdeen

Customers, using their smart phones or tablets, can scan vinyls on the backs of seats to view interviews with First Aberdeen staff

First has implemented the ground-breaking initiative on its Platinum Service 19 buses and on all its Service 17 & 18 Northern Lights buses – 35 vehicles in total, all of which feature free wi-fi for customers.

Talking about the new technology, Director and General Manager of First Aberdeen, Duncan Cameron, said: “Over the last 18 months, we’ve invested significantly in our services as we seek to improve bus travel and encourage more people on to our services.

“Our announcement today demonstrates that we are at the forefront of new technology. Our new ‘Augmented Reality’ feature brings our seatbacks to life and makes bus travel that little bit more interesting, enjoyable and useful for our customers.

“We believe we are the first company in the world to use this kind of technology on the backs of our seats. Following the launch of our industry leading customer focused Platinum services, I’m very proud that at First Aberdeen we are again raising the bar for bus travel.

“The cutting edge technology is incredible. It’s amazing that our customers, by using their smart phones or tablets, can watch specially recorded interviews with First staff and learn more about our services.”

First Aberdeen also revealed a unique partnership with Aberdeen Performing Arts. The new technology allows customers to book a trip to the theatre and watch high quality video trailers of some of the blockbuster West End shows coming to Aberdeen – including Ghost The Musical and Wicked.

It’s not the first time that First has used ‘augmented reality’ technology. First’s customer newspaper, ‘Aberdeen SHOUT’, the next edition of which will be available on board buses in the Spring, features interviews with key First employees that readers can watch by using their smart phones or tablets. So far thousands of customers have used the technology.

The initiative has been developed by leading augmented reality platform ooh-AR, whose Director, Andy Jackson, said: “We’re excited to have launched on-board entertainment on First buses through augmented reality. It couldn’t be easier for customers to download the free app and enjoy content while travelling. It literally is a first for First – the company is leading the way on the buses with an exciting new passenger experience. augmented reality is the future of communications and this project is just the start of a new era for First.”

To watch interviews via First’s seat backs, customers should simply download the ‘First Scotland’ free app and use their smart phone or tablet to scan a special ‘SHOUT Channel’ logo on the seatback vinyl. Customers are then be given the option to view interviews, book theatre tickets or learn more about First Aberdeen services.

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