Your comments
December 8, 2008
As mentioned in my previous post, I will now post your comments here, as not to spam the website with individual comments, I will keep all comments in this post. And I look forward to receiving more.
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Hello
Can I safely say that these will be designed, and manufactured in the UK, Using BRITISH workers and not farmed out to China, France, taiwan or wherever the hell else as seems to be the norm these Days.
David Greenwood
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Yes i would love the development & manufacture to be undertaken in the UK, especially for the Uk and european markets, however we will also be seeking world wide production operations to serve regional markets.
Hugh Frost
December 8th, 2008
Just like to say that I have studied your plans and find them excellent, but I feel you are approaching this the wrong way.You should be looking at first to run this system in a town not a city were there are major problems. At first in a town you could work with the council and use this vehicle to its best value.Also I have always believed that vehicles loading and unloading goods should only be allowed in major towns and city in the evenings between say 21.00hrs and 6.00hrs.That is another thing that you really would have to work out with individual councils in London.
Whilst in a town it is all one department. also in a town the roads are wider in a city like London the roads are to slim in certain areas.We have already seen the problems with the bendy bus’s which are a totall disaster in certain areas.You want a smooth test and doing it in London will not be that,Try somewhere like Middlesbrough they are crying out for an answer to their traffic buildup this will be it and the council want to move into the future what better way.
Yes I am a Middlesbrough man. :-))
David Raynor
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Very good points
Yes it would be great to do a test in middles borough, which I am sure, you are correct would be far easier to implement than say London. Can you introduce the concept to the relevant departments on our behalf.
The collection / delivery times, the system could be regulated as you state i.e. restricted, however the Freight change is fast, no more than the time to load 3-4 people and will be on the dedicated route, out of rush hour times, not creating any hold ups and in fact reducing hold ups caused by HGVs/Vans etc.
December 8th, 2008
I had a quick look through the site, and I am very intrigued by this new idea. However, I just wondered what facilities there would be to accomodate and help less able passengers, i.e. those using wheelchairs, blind and partially sighted passengers, deaf travellers etc.?
I would hope that the “next generation” of transport would be much more accessible for everyone, and if this provided the support for these travellers that is much needed then I can see it already having a great impact on people’s lives!
December 8th, 2008
Hi,
I’m very excited to see designs for a brand new bus! I am not a London resident, however I do realise that what happens to the London buses will certainly have a knock-on effect across the rest of the country, so I do have a huge interest in the design.
What I would really like to know is, how much consideration in this new design have you given to we, the disabled? I am registered disabled, and therefore qualify for a free bus pass, but cannot manage to use it very often, making it virtually useless to me. The reason being, what happens before and after the bus journey. I have to make my way to the bus stop/station to get on the bus, and then when I get off I have to mobilise myself at my destination. I am a mobility scooter user, and as well as two others, I have a really small, foldable one suitable for travelling. At the moment, I am denied travel by bus with it [or any other for that matter] and would really like to see consideration for that fact in any new bus design. I, and I’m sure many others like me, would really love to be able to take my scooter onto the bus, as luggage, for more ease of travel, and therefore more independence.
Please, please, please, tell me that the disabled are being considered? We don’t all use wheelchairs, but we do need an acceptable method of travel for the future.
I would love to hear from you on this subject.
Many thanks and best regards
Linda Wilson
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Yes Linda, Disabled accessibility is a Major+ with the concept.
• No limit to no’s of wheelchairs or scooters
• Wheel chairs on upper deck (great for kids)
• Warm purpose built accessible shelters at hub locations links to taxis etc
• More busses on more routes ( all with access)
• Secure storage system for fold up scooters & standard bikes
• Bike/storage system attached to rear of bus ( not yet disclosed)
If you have any ideas of what you would like to see please add
Hugh Frost
December 8th, 2008
Hi Hugh,
I just read about your great idea on Yahoo.
If you need any help animating your bus we’d be happy to help.
Best regards
Stuart
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thanks, like your website to, yes we will need some video content soon.
ideas welcome
Hugh Frost
December 8th, 2008
love, love, love the idea and design. I will keep my fingers crossed for you. You are probably a bit ahead of your time but people usually catch up. keep going!
All the best
Julie Angel
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Thanks Julie
You may be right, but we do need a step change, and how can busses say they are green when running 75%-80% empty of passengers, where’s the sense!
Thanks Again
Hugh
December 8th, 2008
Hi there
I just wanted to let you know that I love the concept for the new FreightBus - the green credentials are great and its about time we had a smaller, more manoeuvrable bus on London’s street to replace the bendy monstrosities. Combining this with the transportation of good around the city during less people-packed times is a great idea.
I have 2 comments though which you might wish to consider - the first you may already have - disabled access. That’s one of the Bendy’s plus points. My second thought arose from looking at a sketch of the inside of the front of the bus - it appeared you had an area next to the driver designed for shopping. From experience I can tell you that no sane Londoner would leave their shopping so far away from where they are seated (in busy times standing people would also block their view). A friend of mine once had a bag stolen on a bus so I’m always keen to keep shopping close at hand.
Other than that - great concept and best of luck with it!
Best wishes
Diane
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Hi Diane
Sorry the illustration is abit misleading with ref to the shopping, That is just a shelf to place shopping whilst paying the driver ( if in the driver conductor mode)
There is secure luggage at the rear under stairs, also a luggage pod on the upper deck also secure lots of room for all your bags.
Disabled access is critical
• Low floor curb level, direct wheel in
• If no curb level the freight lift is also scooter or chair lift.
• Multiples of chairs or scooters due to the folding seats providing infinite flexible and safe space.
• High spec shelters at hub locations with taxi and inter model links all accessible
• All these functions cost money! The usual excuse for not doing them. Freight bus will generate revenue that will subsidise these facilities not just the tax payer or passenger.
Regards
Hugh
December 8th, 2008
Hi.
I have been looking at your bus. One of the things that strikes me is a safety issue. The bus appears to have rear boarding. The safety of this was an issue with the old type of bus before it was replaced by the Fleetline buses.
The driver had no way of knowing if a pasenger was boarding or not, and even with a conductor onboard would pull away and accidents happened.
The mid door exit was largely done away with on Fleetline buses because of passengers coats becoming trapped in the doors.
I’m wandering what safety precautions you have in place that would cover such eventualities.
All the best
Steve Jones
December 8th, 2008
@Steve Jones
Hi Steve,
The rear entry platform is primarily to satisfy the ‘Boris spec’, however you raise some good points.
The rear door could be closed ( as on tube) before leaving the stop and or speed controlled i.e. close above 5/10 mph/ the inner door is also intended to add to safety by segregating the platform area from the body of standing passengers.
The conductor will also monitor this area with the addition of camera links to the driver as a second pare of eyes. Camera systems are now capable of acting as a safety feature by automating preventing motion until area is clear.
With reference to mid door, the coats may well be a problem, obviously they will have pressure sensor release systems, beyond that any ideas you may have could be of interest.
December 9th, 2008
Hi Hugh
An interesting concept , Having driven Double deck Buses and delivered freight , the two jobs have never been welded together as far as I know , the red tape involved in road transport will be a huge obstacle to overcome , also the bus companies would have to double train its employees in both disciplines which have different licence requirements or employ two sets of drivers , that is if a driver is willing to do both jobs and the Unions involved would agree. I think making the Bus would be the easy part !
December 9th, 2008
This is definitely an idea whose time has come! Bravo! It just needs some persons of vision to have the courage to fund such an innovative and necessary development.
December 12th, 2008
Consortium progress
We have been overwhelmed with interest in the project, and have had several serious approaches from individuals and companies wishing to be involved. However there are still key areas of expertise & resources that are required, so please do contact us with your proposals.
December 15th, 2008
I came across your page on Yahoo this morning. It looks like a great idea and I thoroughly investigated your website. I think it is a wonderful solution for a definite problem. I am currently studying Mechanical Engineering abroad in London. It is nice to see engineering principles applied in a refreshing and innovative way. I wish you all the best. Good luck!
December 15th, 2008
From the statement “However, it is the designer’s view that the latest and emerging advances in battery technology will make the re-fit and the use of hydrogen and fuel cells unnecessary”
It appears that you are very serious about reducing emissions. Battery electric vehicles can be 80% efficient, tank to wheel, and will probably get better still. Unless there is a seismic breakthrough in hydrogen fuel technology, hydrogen transport technology, even with fuel cells, will never come close to this level of efficiency and at the end of the day the energy has top come from somewhere.
Direct electrically power busses, i.e. trolley busses, should be even more efficient, in this regard has any one considered a trolley/battery hybrid. This combination should reduce the battery size, and hence weight, but allow the busses to work off the electrified route for part of their journey
December 15th, 2008
@ Nick
Hi Nick, you raise a good point.
Why bother using hydrogen fuel cells when it requires power “electricity” to be created itself.
These factors need to be considered.
Production costs
Transportation (big one)
While if you can plug directly into the national grid, you practically wipe out transportation (obviously there is a degree of loss over distance power travels through cables) but it’s far less damaging than transporting fuel.
December 15th, 2008
Dear Bus Design Team,
I live in Ipswich Suffolk. I was very interested to read on Yahoo about your proposals for a new bus design. I am a father of a disabled lad and a few years back my son tried using his electric wheelchair on a bus to college but he encountered severe difficulties. After some correspondence I spent some time with First buses demonstrating my son’s problems. In particular it was difficult to easily manoeuvre in between the hand rails etc to get the wheelchair into position, then he gets stuck getting off the bus.
I later took these issues up with the Dept of Transport and was rather disappointed with their attitude to my concerns. (It was as though they were civil servants just going through the motions.) In particular I spoke to Mr McDonald who is responsible for the bus wheelchair standards and he later admitted that he hadn’t even tried using a wheelchair on a bus himself. (A problem disabled people endure is they tend to have food handed to them by people who don’t eat it themselves.) I would like your reassurances that engineers designing the bus have themselves tried using wheelchairs on buses. When I tried my son’s wheelchair I found that problems with camber, little bumps, hand rails etc. can cause problems - especially on a bus that is moving, turning or crowded.
I would happily arrange a day of travel by electric wheelchair for your engineers. Believe me its amazing how so much design for disabilities gets taken for granted. The current standards for wheelchairs really only apply to the traditional ‘push’ type whereby they can be tipped backwards and rotated on the two large wheels, thus have a smaller turning space.
I hope this helps and please do contact me to discuss further so I can send you my report. Perhaps we can have a day in London travelling across by electric wheelchair.
Best wishes
Thomas O’Brien
December 15th, 2008
Lots of good points you have brought to my attention, I will endeavour to answer them.
A test run/have a go. It does seen incredible that the person responsible for the wheel char standard has never tried it!
I must be honest and say neither have I, my intentions now prompted would be to do so when we have an outline prototype to see how it performs, but to ensure we do design to a high spec I will take you up on your proposal.
Our idea to date includes .
Low floor * kneeling bus parallel crab steer for good alignment to allow direct access onto the platform which is wide and spacious for manoeuvring both wheelchairs and scooters.
If no dedicated curb high available the Freight*Lift is also a wheelchair lift, this lifts rotates and positions the chair or scooter in the correct direction for access.
Once onboard all the lower deck is available for chairs or scooters if required the folding seats.
The concept is that if every other one of the double seats is folded away this leaves a sandwich secure location for chairs and scooters, the same principle can be applied to the upper deck if required.
I am sure that the H & S may have an opinion on this but given the correct system what better than access to the upper deck especially for the younger wheel chair users, good views and great fun.
To conclude we do need to do more work in this area but the concept of freight on a bus does give an extended opportunity for better access with the cost being subsidised by the freight activity rather than the public /tax payer.
Thanks again for your comments