Chalmers tekniska högskola : Passengers turned the electric bus stop into a living room

​​A living room with lots of green plants, a place to meet, study or have a cup of coffee. That was the result when Chalmers researchers asked passengers on the electric bus route 55 to design an indoor stop where people want to stay.

At the bus stop at Lindholmen, the bus waits indoors. The quiet and emission-free electric drive of bus 55 allows the stop to be placed in the middle of a calm and clean environment.'The original plan for the indoor bus stop back in 2015 was to create a place where you want to stay on for a while, to study or meet with friends' , says Pontus Wallgren, researcher in industrial and material science at Chalmers. 'However, when we interviewed passengers it turned out that although the stop is popular, not many people stay there.'This is why a group of passengers were asked to contribute to the further development of the indoor stop, in collaboration with the researchers and the partners in the ElectriCity project .

'The participants all agreed that they wanted to make the stop more like a living room and less like a garage, and with lots of green plants', says Pontus Wallgren. Furniture and plants ordered, the passengers can soon start enjoying their new living room.

The facelift of the bus stop is part of a study that investigates how drivers and passengers experience the electric buses and the bus stops. According to Pontus Wallgren, both buses and stops received high marks. Among other things, the buses are considered well adapted for persons with reduced mobility, and easy to drive smoothly and comfortably.

The time required for charging at end stops is a challenge for public transport planners. Route 55 is relatively short, about 25 minutes, and the buses need to charge for three to four minutes. However, the timetable has a margin of ten minutes between the trips.

'The drivers see the break as an advantage. They say it reduces stress and back pain and makes them more alert while driving', concludes Pontus Wallgren.

The results of the study will be presented at a seminar at Chalmers on January 24, 2018. Sign up here »

FACTS ABOUT THE STUDY
The study is part of European Bus System of the Future 2, a project led by the International Association of Public Transport and partly financed by the EU Horizon 2020 program.
The study was conducted by Pontus Wallgren, Oskar Rexfelt, Victor Bergh Alvergren, MariAnne Karlsson and Erik Ohlson, Chalmers.
Contact: Pontus Wallgren, [phone], [e-mail]

FACTS ABOUT ELECTRICITY
ElectriCity has run in Gothenburg since 2015 and is a collaboration between industry, academia and society where the participants develop and test solutions for tomorrow's sustainable public transport. The electric and hybrid buses on route 55, on which different technology solutions are tested and developed, drive between Chalmers's two campuses.

Pictures:
Sketch from the workshop. Photo Pontus Wallgren.
Pontus Wallgren. Photo Jenny Netzler.
Participants in the workshop. Photo Pontus Wallgren.

Text: Emilia Lundgren

Published: Mon 22 Jan 2018.