Big Blue Bus operations have changed a lot over the years: we upgraded to new alternative fuels, built eco-friendly facilities, and added new technologies to maintain buses. But what about what we ride in? You're invited to help us celebrate 80 years of innovative service in our signature style: by looking forward. Share your ideas on this blog about what we can do to make buses more futuristic, comfortable and fun to ride. For example, what amenities would you like to see inside the bus of the future? What would the perfect seat be made from? Where would the doors be located? Would there be an espresso machine on-board? Feel free to get creative!
Who's with me on individually-activated climate controls and fuel sources to improve air quality? I'll save you a seat!
19 comments:
For operation within City limits I envision 'driverless' buses that are guided by satellite signals automatically stopping at predesignated stops within the City and fueld by solar energy.
The buses would travel above street level suspended from a sophisticated overhead rail system.
Customer service would be personal with each stop having a concierge that would welcome riders and direct them automated fare / quick pay system or for local commuters a zip pass that is electronically debited.
Video surveillance would be state of the art and include security elements to maximize the safety of passengers; including annonymous 'bus marshals' like the 'air marshals' of today with real and effective emergency response.
That's it...
Thanks
I want to see above seat bag racks so I could leave my groceries or bags above my seat instead of crowding them on the floor. It's a more economic use of space.
I guess I'm more pragmatic than anything.
Thanks! Very interesting! One follow up question: why "driverless"?
Thanks, Pragmatic! I like the idea of having storage spaces off of the ground, too, for space saving and cleanliness reasons.
As someone who uses a bicycle frequently I would love to see something better then the current model of buses holding two bikes.
Bus transit alone is often too slow because of transfer delays or stops far away from a destination. So I would use the bike to skip to a bus that will take me most of the way I need to go and get off and bike the rest.
With the increase in bike commuting and bus use, at peak teams bike racks are always full and it's no longer worth it to bother. That and I bike fast enough now that unless it is at off hours, I always beat the bus if I bike the whole way anyways (this includes cross town commutes such as Santa Monica to Hollywood). Maybe I'll come back to bus use when the transit times are faster then me on my bike.
Thanks, Gary. I will certainly pass on your feedback to BBB staff who order racks, but I bet the designers can address it in an even more innovative way for the bus of the future. As for the traffic, hopefully we'll all get the chance to vote for "bus only" lanes someday.
I'd like a button you could push, so that when you arrive at your transfer point and see the other bus is already there, you could send a signal to it to wait just 15 more seconds for xfer passengers.
I'd also like a brake system that allows for very smooth, soft stops at each intersection.
As a daily rider, I too am mostly concerned with very pragmatic things.
If the bus goes “driverless”, I would still want to see a person on board to greet you and answer questions. My driver is the first person I talk to before I get to work and the last person I talk to on my way home. Most are very friendly and I would not want to lose the customer service aspect of the driver!
The problem is not so much with the bus, but what the bus does. The bus needs to be faster. It inches along most places and sometimes takes forever. There should be bus only lanes or streets where the bus has the priority over the cars.
The boarding process also needs to be sped up. People need to be able to pay before boarding the bus so they can just swipe or tap when they board making the process faster.
There should be plenty of seats. There's got to be a way to provide decent leg room (I'm 5'5" and on some buses my knees hit the back of the seat in front of me) while still providing plenty of seating. And forward-facing is more comfortable, at least for me. I know that the sideways seating is generally there to accommodate disability access, but there's got to be a way to make that possible without eating up so much seating real estate with sideways seats. Maybe seats that fold up into the floor when needed?
Also, I second the vote for more bike storage. The overhead racks seem like a good idea, too.
Another item, which might not be solely on the actual bus itself: a way to know when the bus is arriving at my stop, so that I can tell from my desk or home if it's running late.
I want large windows and windows that open wide. Until you can do something about some of the passengers who don’t shower, we need our fresh air.
DRIVERLESS! Please.
Ms. Linda Gamberg, if you don't understand this, you need to get out of your government bubble. The purpose of government is to provide basic services and structure, not to employ people.
Drivers are the most expensive part of a transit system, and they are the biggest source of aggravation for the public. I know our government is behind the times, but even LA County finally relieved its last elevator attendant in 2006.
The technology exists today. It is only the will that lacks.
Future buses should be electric, not internal-combustion. If that means an overhead wire, that's fine.
They should have their own full-time lane and signal pre-emption, not just "priority". Average speed should approach 30mph, point to point.
Without the cost of a driver, service should be very frequent, every 2-5 minutes.
Every run should be time-stamped, and the results posted on the web for public review. If there is "86% on-time record", we have the right to know why.
Real-time bus routing info should be available on the web, so we can see where the bus is, or isn't, rather than asking the 9-5 folks that sometimes answer the phone at BBB.
Air conditioning should work, all the time. Sensors should detect soap-challenged people and prevent their boarding.
Seats should have a "security call button" that transmits video and GPS info, so help can be summoned, instead of trying to navigate the stupidity of LASD / LAPD / SMPD dispatch when en route, or rely on the bus driver who does nothing, as it is now.
Everyone who pays vehicle registration / car tax should have 10 free ride credits per month, via their drivers' license, to encourage optional trips.
I want a lower stop requested cord or a better way to request the stop. When I sit in the front seats, I can’t reach the cord without standing up.
More pragmatism: no televisions (MTA's bad idea); more/better bike racks; windows that open or a better high-tech form of ventilation that does not involve A/C (which sometimes makes a bus smell musty or gets wasted when people open the window anyway); and bus-only lanes.
The ideal future:adjustable size seats (for packages, kids, etc.); ways to know when the next bus is going to arrive (the MTA Rapid bus stop electronic notification is a low-tech example). Even better, ways to know also when the bus on another route will arrive. For example, if I am on Santa Monica Blvd, it would be great to know when the 1 is coming, but also when the 2 is coming so I can decide whether to walk to Wilshire for the 2 or wait for the 1.
Make the bus quite. I am ok with the stop announcements, etc, but the noise of the engine, air conditioning, and air brakes are too loud. I want to listen to my tunes and I can’t over all of the noise!
Bring back bench seats, please.
They're a lot more comfortable than the unitized hard plastic seats, or the mildly-padded versions. They also adjust to fit different size rears.
Prosecute the taggers. Post their picture, capture, trial and conviction data on posters in each bus.
Give us the ability to ask Google for route options, and have it compute both the fastest, cheapest, most scenic, most reliable, or by fare class, since we can't be buying $5 Metro Day passes and $3.50 Big Blue passes every day.
Let us know the operator's ID info without having to walk up to him and stare for a reference number.
Give us a text-message reporting mechanism for informal driver complaints.
Install air-scrubbers on the bus, so we don't have to smell our fellow passengers so much.
Allow competition. What are you afraid of?
The bus of the future needs to have more technology on it. I would love to see a screen that shows where the bus is on the map and what is around there. As it approaches each crossing bus (transfer point), it would show the amount of time until the transfer bus comes. Perhaps there could also be a device that would allow lookup of information. If somebody has an address, intersection, or business name they could enter into the device. It would tell them the arrival time at that location and which stop they need to use. The stop can also be pre-requested so when the bus gets close to the stop the driver can be notified to stop. Perhaps the system could also notify the passenger via a message to their phone to get ready to get off the bus too!
In addition to the onboard device, give people access to that information on their cell phone. The cell phone could pick up which bus they are on and give them access to the same information.
I was recently in San Francisco and was impressed with their electric buses. There are a lot of overhead cables associated with them but they are certainly cleaner as far as emissions. Perhaps these above street level buses could be suspended by the very cables that provide their power source.
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