Stakeholders Sought For Development Of Radical New Bus & Urban
Freight System Concept
Released
on: December 8, 2008, 9:21 am
Press
Release Author: Hugh Frost
Industry:
Transportation
& Logistics
Press
Release Summary:
•
‘On-Route’ is a radical new urban transportation system
concept which would see a Freight*BUS™ optimise the carrying
of passengers and freight, thereby tackling the problems of both
congestion and pollution.
• The Freight*BUS has been designed with a zero-emission
propulsion system able to accommodate either a battery fuel-cell
system or small bio gas generator to maintain fully charged batteries.
It also features other state-of-the art technologies such as distributed
wheel motors and completely new inventions, like ceiling-suspended
seating and a patent-protected pallet-less lifting and handling
device. The ability to turn in its own length & ‘crab
steer’ is great for tight fit bus stops & bus station
manoeuvres.
• This avant-garde concept requires a whole new way of thinking
about urban transportation systems; stakeholders are invited to
help take this model to the next level.
Press
Release Body: STAKEHOLDERS SOUGHT FOR DEVELOPMENT OF RADICAL NEW
BUS & URBAN FREIGHT SYSTEM CONCEPT
• ‘On-Route’ is a radical new urban transportation
system concept which would see a Freight*BUS™ optimise the
carrying of passengers and freight, thereby tackling the problems
of both congestion and pollution.
• The Freight*BUS has been designed with a zero-emission
propulsion system able to accommodate either a battery fuel-cell
system or small bio gas generator to maintain fully charged batteries.
It also features other state-of-the art technologies such as distributed
wheel motors and completely new inventions, like ceiling-suspended
seating and a patent-protected pallet-less lifting and handling
device. The ability to turn in its own length & ‘crab
steer’ is great for tight fit bus stops & bus station
manoeuvres.
• This avant-garde concept requires a whole new way of thinking
about urban transportation systems; stakeholders are invited to
help take this model to the next level.
A multi disciplined design specialist has come up with a radical
urban transport proposal, called On-Route, which
he believes tackles the two biggest problems caused by city-centre
transport today; congestion and pollution. Hugh Frost’s
Freight*BUS™ www.freight-bus.co.uk
is an innovative new design that combines a passenger-carrying
bus with that of freight haulage with the minimum of disruption
to either service. It can be reconfigured in seconds by the conductor
or driver to carry freight and passengers. Furthermore, passenger
space & freight space can be easily adjusted to match demand.
Frost’s
proposal was submitted to Transport for London (TfL)’s
‘A New Bus for London’ competition,’
which Mayor of London Boris Johnson launched
earlier this year. Although the Freight*BUS was
not the final winner of the competition, Hugh Frost, designer
and concept originator of the On-Route system www.onroutebus.co.uk
and the Freight*BUS still wishes to take his
idea to the next level and is now looking for stakeholders to
help him do this. These could be in the form of bus or commercial
vehicle manufacturers who are interested in developing the Freight*BUS
from conceptual state into a full-blown prototype; a municipality
which would consider trialling the On-Route system,
or stakeholder investors, such as venture capitalists that specialise
in environmental transportation solutions.
“Taking
London as an example, the most optimistic proposals put the average
occupancy of its buses at 25%. However, our calculations show
that for around four hours a day, their utilisation drops to as
low as 20%,” Frost says. “Despite
this, city authorities are tasked with increasing the numbers
of vehicles, routes and service frequency to supposedly reduce
congestion and improve services. My idea is to put our cities’
buses to good use by using them to provide an alternative city
freight system at times of low passenger capacity utilisation.
This could reduce the numbers of freight vehicles on city roads
by as much as 30%. By using the buses to carry freight in the
evening and overnight, the utilisation of these vehicles would
be maximised, offering maximum return on investment (ROI) and
substantially increased revenue from the vehicles. However, in
order to fulfil this dual role, the entire concept of buses, as
we know them today, needs to be revisualised.”
With
this in the mind, the Freight*Bus has been designed
to allow varying combinations of passenger & freight space
to match demand. In full passenger configuration, it provides
seating for up to 90 passengers - that’s 43 more than the
bendy-bus and standing room for a further 40 passengers. With
standing room only on the lower deck, it could accommodate 150
people with 52 seated. Meanwhile, in its full freight configuration
the Freight*BUS is designed to accommodate 35 freight pods (equivalent
to 35 europallets).
Loaded
with other State-of-the-Art Technology
The
Freight*BUS combines a number of completely new
ideas, patents for which have already been applied, combined with
leading-edge technology that is already proven in automotive applications
or is undergoing extensive on-road trials.
The
design of Freight*BUS will readily accommodate
battery or fuel cell technology. The 200mm deep space in the main
floor of the bus will house batteries or fuel cells and the accompanying
hydrogen storage tanks (if required). Indeed, it is envisaged
that when fuel cell technology is affordable, that the fleet could
be easily switched to this propulsion system, while keeping the
drive motors and control systems in place. Similarly, its re-configurable
interior design could even be broadly applied to existing vehicles
built with combustion engines. However, it is the designer’s
view that the latest and emerging advances in battery technology
will make the re-fit and the use of hydrogen and fuel cells unnecessary.
Freight*BUS would also feature the very latest
in other emission-saving technology , such as distributed wheel
motors which can be as much as 50% more efficient that central
motors.
With
the latest battery technology, an 80% recharge is possible in
around 1 minute. This could be done at bus stations or other major
stops, with a recharge point built into key bus stops. These 1
minute recharges do not seriously affect battery life and can
be performed within the duration of a standard stop. Alternatively,
in the short term, the electric drive & battery storage system
could be ‘hybridised’ with a small, efficient, clean
burning LPG fuelled, 2 litre generator to top up batteries on
the move. Adopting the all battery concept will enable off peak
green energy to be stored in the vast reservoir of battery energy
that would be created by large fleets of the Freight*Bus.
In
respect of carriage versatility, seating is suspended from the
ceiling and can be configured for almost any combination of passenger
& freight space between these limits. This is achieved by
designing the seating to be folded away. In fact, each 2 person
seat (on both decks) can be folded into the ceiling in seconds.
Seats are fixed to the ceiling through special anti-vibration
mounts to improve ride quality. In terms of the vehicle’s
freight-carrying capabilities, a pallet-less lifting & handling
device is key to easy loading/unloading. Indeed, a crucial part
of the interior design is a compact, low cost pod handling system,
which has patent protection.
Route
Consolidation
When
looking at the idea of consolidation in relation to bus routes
and passenger transport, Frost quickly realised that not only
were there opportunities to improve bus routing & linking
with other transport services and types using consolidation principals,
but that there is an even bigger opportunity to use the buses
for freight as well as passenger movement that would reduce the
numbers of goods vehicles on city roads (especially light goods
vans which are responsible for 15% of all UK carbon emissions
from all forms of transportation) by as much as 50%. He remarks:
“We looked at passenger & freight systems end to end
and concluded that there is sufficient overlap to be able to build
on and integrate existing infrastructure of both passenger &
freight systems. However, it will be necessary to develop consolidation
centres and cross-docks for freight movement, and hubs for passenger
and freight delivery and collection. Many of these elements already
exist and can be linked into existing infrastructure such as bus/rail
stations & depots; haulage/sorting depots etc. Hubs would
also be located at major bus stops, and concentrations of retail,
commercial & light industrial units.
Frost
points to studies which have already been carried out in London
showing that the implementation of alternative freight systems,
including the use of ‘Consolidation Centres’ in city
areas can give exceptional results. One such study found a 68%
reduction in construction vehicles entering the City of London
for the project, an average journey time reduction of 2 hours,
a circa 75% reduction of CO2 emissions, and a 10% reduction in
local distribution journey times. The On-Route Bus supports the
existing aims of the London Freight Plan as set out of in the
Mayor of London’s existing Transport Strategy.
For
more details of the On-Route and Freight*BUS concept, see www.onroutebus.co.uk
Hugh Frost
Web
Site: http://www.onroutebus.co.uk
Contact
Details: hugh@onroutebus.co.uk
2022
