Covid-19 has some city dwellers rethinking public transportation as metro areas across the country still struggle to curb the spread of the coronavirus. For many, sitting on a crowded bus, shoulder to shoulder with dozens of strangers, isn't worth the risk.
To reimagine what public transit could look like in the age of Covid-19, a team of designers has created a futuristic bus concept that minimizes contact and creates a potentially safer transportation experience for riders.
The international team, which includes Northwestern University student Ryan Teo, has redesigned the way passengers get on and off the bus by installing a single large sliding door that allows riders to hop on and off with minimal contact. The team also alternated the seating direction to create a protective barrier for riders, and uses copper-infused fabric, which is known to reduce pathogens.
The design, called the "Futurebus," recently won the top prize in the FourC Challenge, a design competition sponsored by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Design.
With the large sliding door, the team said its design was inspired by the dandelion flower.
“The dandelion opens its petals widely, allowing its seeds to be dispersed freely," Teo said in a statement. "We wanted to give passengers that same freedom of movement to minimize contact.”
Another aspect of public transit in need of an upgrade amid Covid-19 is the bus handlebar. In the Futurebus design, the handlebar is a stainless-steel tube covered by a disposable plastic wrap that makes a 360-degree rotation each time the bus stops. This allows the entire surface of the tube to be sterilized by a UV light strip. The rotating plastic wrap was inspired by the rotating toilet seat covers at O'Hare Airport, the team said.
The Futurebus design team also included students from Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Design, Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Harvard University Graduate School of Design.
