Public transport is currently a hotbed of technological innovation, and buses are no exception. With an ever growing population and our lives seemingly getting busier and busier, anything that makes getting where we need to go cleaner and more comfortable has to be something to embrace.
With that in mind, here are three tech developments that will see their way into your bus route in the future.
Electric buses
Much is made of the rise in popularity of electric cars, but electric drive technology is also making its way into more and more buses. Numerous cities around the world are trailing various means of keeping the bus fuelled, either with onboard generators or by continually feeding electricity into the bus from tracks in the road.
Currently, the overwhelming majority of electric buses are found in China, but the technology is proving itself while getting more efficient and affordable every day. So it won’t be long before they make up more and more a city’s bus fleet.
Autonomous drive
Most of the hype around autonomous vehicles tends to focus on cars and SUVs, but several recent accidents, some of which were unfortunately fatal, have given the world a very clear indication that its technology that is not quite there yet. Understandable, given the complex situations the average domestic vehicle must negotiate on a journey.
Buses, and trucks, are however more generally agreed upon to be the true application for autonomous drive in the future because they generally follow a more prescribed and predictable route. Combine autonomy with electric drive and you have a green glimpse into a glorious future.
Ticketing and payment
It may not be very exciting, but the truth of it is that the quicker and easier it is to pay for our bus fare, the happier we’re all going to be. Contactless payment systems aren’t cutting edge ideas any longer, but the technology itself continues to get safer and more accessible by the day.
Add this to further integration with ticketing apps and travel planning apps, and bus travel is going to get much more convenient as technology improves.
