A new eco-friendly, intelligent bus was on display in San Francisco this month as part of the Connected Urban Development Conference – a conference focused on the future of cities.
The Connected Bus is a hybrid vehicle and 95% emission free, which will offset the emissions of 55,000 car journeys each year, but the designers have understood that the key to its success as a green vehicle is making bus travel more appealing for commuters and travelers and encouraging them to get out of their cars.
To achieve this the bus has several ‘connected’ features. A free Wi-Fi connection will mean bus users can get a little extra work done, or even download music on the move – a far better option than sitting behind the wheel waiting for the lights to turn green. The internet connection also means users can make use of interactive elements on touch screens, such as viewing the real time location of the bus on a map, seeing the estimated wait times for connecting services at bus stops all over the city, and even using a green calculator that will show how much carbon each bus journey is saving.
Regular users can also have their bus fares automatically deducted from a smart card – this system aims to reduce the time the bus idles at bus stops, and therefore speed up the overall journey time. The connected bus will also have a traffic signal priority system, which again will mean shorter journey times as the bus will get green lights at most junctions.
The bus, developed by technology company Cisco, will be on trial for a 12 month pilot program, and should that test period prove successful, San Francisco is likely to add several of the connected buses to its hybrid fleet, which currently stands at 86 vehicles.
