the Routemaster, but Transport for London is working with drivers, stakeholders and manufacturers on further improved driving cab standards. RICHARD WALTER
Transport for London (TfL) has published its vision for the future design of the driver’s cab for buses in London, in what it says is the first step in plans to make them safer and more comfortable workplaces for drivers. TfL says its vision will help to inform the new design of drivers’
cabs to ensure they reflect the needs of everyone driving buses in London.
To identify areas for improvement, TfL undertook in-depth engagement with drivers, visiting garages across London and the UK, which helped to inform elements of the vision such as more adjustable headrests for women and ensuring seat design avoids drivers experiencing extreme temperatures.
The design of the new cab will have safety at its heart, TfL says, protecting drivers, as well as ensuring panels, displays and alerts reduce cognitive overload and driver fatigue. Bus driving requires a high degree of skill, competence and concentration, and the new design will allow additional driver assist systems, whilst also providing for better communication with customers, including wheelchair users.
In aiming for a more inclusive and ergonomic design, TfL says it intends to create a more diverse bus driving workforce with improvements in the work environment making bus driving a more attractive proposition, particularly to women. Better design also reduces health issues with a cab adjustable to different body shapes and sizes. The next stages of the project will progress this vision towards a new cab design, including further stakeholder engagement, working closely with bus drivers and their trade union representatives. TfL will also be working with manufacturers, operators and the Royal College of Art on future designs.
The vision will also form a central part of TfL’s forthcoming phase two of its Bus Safety Standard. To be published next year, it will set out new measures required for buses coming into service in London in the late 2020s and beyond.
TfL’s Senior Bus Safety Development Manager Kerri Cheek said: “Safety and well-being is our number one priority, and for our bus drivers the design of their cabs makes a big difference to this. We’ve partnered across the industry and spoken with colleagues to understand what improvements we can make when designing the next generation of bus cabs.”
Chair of Women in Bus & Coach Louise Cheeseman added: “We want to see our industry continue to become more diverse and representative of the communities we serve. This design vision, which has inclusivity and ergonomics at its heart, will ensure that new cab designs encourage more women to enter and stay in the industry.”
