Transport for London has opened its Bus Safety Innovation Challenge for 2023, a project looking to identify and trial innovative and novel ways of helping reduce bus occupant injuries. Having gone live on 31 July, it will remain open until all funding has been allocated or TfL is satisfied it has received an adequate number of responses. TfL’s Bus Safety Development and Open Innovation team, working with London bus operators, is looking to support the trial of innovative solutions that help address the problem of how to reduce the number of bus passenger injuries from slips, trips, and falls.
Successful Innovators will be working with a London bus operator to design and deliver a proof-of-concept trial, which will enable them to refine their solution and prove its efficacy in the real world. TfL will, via the operators, provide seed funding for these trials. “We are keen to see a range of solutions, this could include off the shelf solutions, new innovations that have not yet been deployed in the real world, or technologies that might require material changes to buses. TfL is looking for solutions that if demonstrate a positive impact during a trial can be scaled and implemented across London buses,” the organisation said.
This opportunity will remain open until either the available funding for the challenge has been exhausted, a suitable number of innovations have been identified and TfL is satisfied with the responses being taken through to trial, or the deadline of midday on 15 December is reached.