Progress sketches

Hi everyone.  If you haven't had a chance to see our sketches on our flickr page, here are a few of our ideas that are in the works.  To view even more images, check-out the link on the left side of this page.  We've appreciated your feedback on everything else in this blog, so please tell us what you think!  

  

A means of expression...

Hello all.
Thanks for all the great feedback so far. I was wondering if I could get your opinions on another idea I had which I was thinking of when I was discussing the problem of graffiti on busses. I was looking for ideas on how to legitimize the expression of creative people in Santa Monica, whether they be taggers, artists, interior designers or whomever else.

I thought about doing that either dedicating areas of the bus, interior and exterior, to Graffiti expressions by creating removable panels that could be routinely taken off the bus and placed on rotating exibit in some dedicated public space. These panels would be cheap and easy to replace.

I was also thinking that riders might want to do the same thing digitally, as in having those same panels perhaps respond to the touch of a hand by changing colors, having images created by touching the panels stay on the bus for a few hours or a day. Perhaps most of the surfaces of the bus (seats, ceiling, floors, windows, etc.) could have the capacity to display images in motion, so that anyone could plug in a USB key with some motion or still artwork that they could put into a Bus program to display it for a few days.

How do you guys like this??

Let me know.

Revolving Doors on a Bus?

Hello to everyone!

I just wanted to get some feedback on an idea I've been working on...

So, no one likes when the bus is too hot or cold inside, and with doors constantly opening and windows open, it takes a lot of energy to keep a bus interior at a comfortable temperature.

Buildings use revolving doors to keep temperatures constant- they take up a bit of space, but also reduce energy use, and provide a way to regulate the entrance and exit of people. Revolving doors are always accompanied with conventional doors, in case of emergency exit, and to facilitate entrance and egress or disabled persons and large deliveries.

So the idea would be to have a revolving door for most passengers, with an occasionally used conventional door for disabled people and people with a lot of luggage. Not sure how people would like the experience of going through a revolving door on a bus- any one have an opinion regarding this idea?

a trip on the #10

Our journey on the Big Blue Bus started at Union Station in downtown LA.  We hopped onto the #10 bus and relaxed, knowing we could sit-back and soon end up in at the ocean in Santa Monica.  The bus had barely traveled on block before we were approached by a fellow rider who was interested if we were tourists.  Evidently this route is often used by people vacationing in LA.  

 

We quickly began to chat.  I had no idea how many great restaurants were along the 10 route in downtown!  Our new friend showed us where to get the best sushi, which places are open late and where to go for happy hour.  Other riders began talking to us and pretty soon I realized I was actually enjoying the bus ride!

The trip was fast and the destination is beautiful.  I had enjoyed the conversation and the sights from the window so much I forgot I was there to do research.  Clearly our challenge is how to make a great bus system even better.

Ridin' on the BBB

orn and raised in Washington, D.C. to parents who chose not to own a car, riding the bus was second only to my bicycle.

I have strong childhood memories of riding through hot summers and cold winters atop the lipstick red leatherette seats of the New Look Buses that the D.C Metro flaunted at the time. They were great looking, albeit shaky machines to be in, made even more charismatic by the people who rode them.

I specifically remember the distinct sounds of the riding the bus; something I don't get when trying to sift through commercials on my radio while stuck in traffic on the 10.

In the midst of rattly windows and the rubber band twang of the yellow stop request cable, the menagerie of riders laughed, snored, gossiped, did their hair, eavesdropped, and applied make-up and read the news paper in a manner magically in-tune with the bus's wafty dance over potholes and frequent stops. It was theater.

D.C was always full of tourists, and my favorite, albeit sadistic, game was to count the times the bus driver told confused first time riders "I ain't no bank, I'm a bus driver- so don't ask me for change. Exact change. E-X-A-C-T C-H-A-N-G-E!"
One night though, after getting caught in a summer down pour, it happened to me, and as I walked home, cold and wet, the joke had lost its humor.

Ever since I moved to LA three years ago, I have given up my buses and bicycle, and spend a great amount of my time sitting in traffic in my car. I love my car, especially when it runs, but with gas prices rising and my new relocation closer to Down Town LA, I was more than happy to hop on this assignment to help design the Big Blue Bus of the future.

Last week we all took the Big Blue Bus route from downtown LA to Santa Monica to LAX. I made sure I bought exact change for the occasion, and was preparing my stomach for a ride I though would be uncomfortably warm and bumpy.

To my pleasant surprise, I had a smooth and happy series of trips. Part of our job was to interview BBB riders, and people were more than happy to share their thoughts and opinions with us, repeatedly stating that BBB riders were the happiest of the land.

The A/C worked, the buses were spotless, and the bus drivers greeted people rather than scorned them.

We talked to tourists with big bags, junior high school students, loyal riders who have rode with BBB for decades, tried not to disturb those people who chose to nap their way through traffic rather than sit in it.

All in all, and inspiring and pleasant time. We came out of the experience with a slew of ideas, and can't wait to see what you all think about them.