Who Said Buses Can’t Be Cool?
Submitted by Erica Schlaikjer on May 20, 20094 Comments
Ever thought your public bus could feel like a “lounge or living room room on wheels,” with an electric motor, low-floor entryways, a glass roof, reconstituted-leather upholstery and recycled-wood floors?
From Fast Company:
High-Design Public Bus? Maybe in London
Tim McKeough
June 2009
Commuters using London’s public-transit system probably never dream of being picked up in an Aston Martin, but it may not be long before that happens. The storied automaker has teamed with architecture superfirm Foster + Partners to give the famed double-decker Routemaster bus a makeover.
Read more here.
I would think about this everyday over the summer as I commuted from suburban NJ to work in New York City. I would take the NJtransit train, and occasionally the bus (mainly because it is less crowded on weekends, I can’t stand Penn Station, and I abhor the fluorescent lights on the train).
My main gripe was thinking about how much time I wasted on the train everyday. It felt like I was extending my work day–just getting stressed out without actually being productive. My number one request would be to have wireless on trains and buses. I wish bus companies would plan for suburban to urban commuter routes via Bolt or Megabus. I guess it’s only a matter of time…
The next item on my wish list is the return of the 9-5 work day in the office. An employee’s work should be evaluated based on quality and meeting deadlines, not based on spending 10 hours not being productive in the office, 3 hours commuting, and 3 hours “working” from home. Anyway, I say this as I type hastily during my non-existent lunch break…
To be continued
[...] the world, countries are grappling with the similar predicament of making public transport “cool” across economic segments and dissuading the use of private vehicles. The welcoming nature of [...]
[...] has been an ongoing discussion on TheCityFix about the cool factor of buses – or lack thereof. Though we’ve come to no definite conclusions, the legion of bus [...]
I don’t know if anyone is saying buses can’t be cool… it’s just that right now they simply are not cool.