Double deck station applied to the new London Routemaster. Passengers access the upper deck straight from the upper deck of the station, so the boarding operation is much faster and comfortable. As the rearview mirror of the bus doesn´t affect the top floor of the station, the station can be closer to the road at the upper deck, so access to the bus is direct without extra mechanisms. The height of the bus and the station also allows for an simple electrical conection between bus and station.
Side View of a new London Routemaster equipped with access doors at the top floor, to be compatible with the proposed Double Deck Stations. Passengers wouldn´t need to go through the stairs and the lower floor of the bus to board or leave it, so the operation would be much faster and confortable.
The Double Deck solution allows for duplicate the capacity of a Bus without a great increase in the costs of operation or investment, but it has the disadvantage of generating bottlenecks on the lower floor and the stairs, due to passengers of the upper deck who want to get on and off the bus while in stations.
The proposed solution would make the double deck bus system much more efficient, as it removes its main disadvantage while keeping all its benefits. The system is based in the design of double-deck stations equipped with access doors also at the upper deck, so passengers will be able to access directly to the upper deck of the buses without going through the lower floor and the stairs; therefore buses would have also to be designed with access doors in the upper deck.
The best solution would be to combine it with a Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system with enclosed bus stops where passengers pay their fares when entering the stations, although it is a flexible system so both buses and stations are also able to operate as standard buses and standard bus stops at off-peak hours or at low density areas.
I submitted a patent application of the idea earlier this year , I also submitted them to the Bombardier YouCity Contest and to the Altran Foundation Spain Awards, it was shortlisted for the final in both contests, but it was not selected as a winner, so now I'm looking for other companies or designers interested in developing the idea.
(https://youcity.bombardier.com/idea.php?id=316)
(http://es.altran-foundation.org/el-premio-de-la-fundacion-en-espana/ganador-2012/finalistas.html)
Bus Rapid Transit system in Brazil, where bus stations operate as operates as it were trains, with passengers paying when entering the station, not the train. It makes the operation of boarding the bus much faster and efficient. It would be applied in the idea of Double Deck Stations, as the extra doors on the top deck would allow to duplicate the capacity both of the bus and the stations and very low extra cost.
Control Doors in a Metro System in Taiwan. A similar system would operate in the Double Deck stations to guarantee security to the passengers when boarding the bus.
Picture of a Tram in Hong Kong with its electrical connection. A similar system would be employed in the proposed Double Deck Buses, because the electrical connection requires extra posts because of the height, bus with Double Deck Stations the conection would be very easy. We can again appreciate in this image the difficulty and time loses as all passengers have to access the tram from the lower front door, and them move upstairs if they want to travel at the upper deck.
Advertisement in a Double Deck Bus, as they are excelent advertisement platforms. The proposed Double Deck Stations would also be excellent platforms for publicity, allowing for extra income to the bus operation companies.
A proposed interior design for a Double Deck Bus Station. The stations would not only be to access the bus, but would be small commercial hubs providing passengers extra services, protection and security while they are waiting the bus.
Double Deck system in a Airbus A380 plane at Paris CDG Airport, as the the gangways can be regulated in height to access planes of different sizes, and the Airbus already has doors at the top deck because of security concerns, the solution of Double Deck Access y automatic.
A "normal operation" of a Double Deck Bus in London, with people queuing to access the front door. it is a very time consuming and unconfortable situation for the passengers, and for the bus operators in a economic disaster as the bus stays more of the time stopped at the station, and a bus stopped doesn´t produce any value.
A ghost view of the new London Routemaster, with a second access door at the back of the bus. It requires a conductor at the back when the second access is operating, and the passenges of the upper deck still have to use the internal stairs and move by the long aisles, while the bus is full of people and in movement. It is still a very uncomfortable and time consuming operation.
Interior view of a upper deck of the new London Routemaster bus, passenger have to access from the lower floor door, go through the lower and upper floor aisles, and going up through the narrow and step stairs in order to take a seat. When leaving the bus, they have to follow the opposite path. Even with no people is uncomfortable. In a bus in movement full of people during the rush morning hour is a nightmare.
These pictures are from the back stairs of the new London Routemaster, they are as narrow and steep as the ones at the front, and the operation is as uncomfortable. During rush hour (with the assistant of a conductor) there are two access doors and three exit doors. In the proposed Double Deck Station system there would be Six boarding and Six exit doors, and the passengers wouldn´t have to use the stairs.
Anyway, the proposed bus would still keep this back stair because security provisions, and in order to be able to operate as an standard bus in normal stations.
People waiting the bus under the snow. Travelling in Bus is not only the time you are ON the bus, but also the time you are waiting for it and leaving it. Bus transport is a low quality travel not because of the buses, but because the way we use it.
