COVID-19 safe Robobus planned

Private cabins on a new electric and autonomous form of public transport may avoid infection issues from the likes of COVID-19.

A patented Swedish invention, the CabiBus is nearly ready to go, expected to offer safe, comfortable, economical and efficient door-to-door travel within nearly 100km of a city.

Several global companies are planning to launch the CabiBus within a couple of years with a first design already completed, CabiBus Sustainable Mobility AB says.

When the CabiBus patent was sought in 2014 on a new type of vehicle for shared rides, protection against infection from fellow travellers was not a main argument.

Instead, it was the realisation that driverless electric-powered minibuses could become a successful alternative to private motoring only if it was possible to make shared rides more attractive to car drivers by offering private cabins, the company says.

Investigations by Boston Consulting Group and others has also shown concern for women sharing a minibus without a driver with unknown men and parents’ hesitation to send their children to school and activities in such vehicles.

Private cabins were considered the solution.

Now that authorities globally warn against using public transportation to limit the spread of COVID-19, separate cabins appear a solution for safe ride sharing, CabiBus Sustainable Mobility AB says.

The combination of clean fresh air directly to each cabin as well as virus-killing ultraviolet light from when a passenger leaves the cabin until the vehicle stops to pick up a new passenger in the cabin means infection is completely prevented, it adds.

Research has shown that vehicles such as CabiBus can replace more than 10 private cars, with Sweden expected to reach a fossil fuel independent vehicle fleet by 2030.

The company says passenger cars account for more than 60% of all traffic’s environmental impact, but replacing all with electric cars will take a very long time and require large quantities of materials for vehicles and batteries.

Driverless electric minibuses also have low operating costs.

A rear cabin provides for wheelchair users and can be booked for carrying a stroller or large luggage.

The CabiBus’s six cabins may be replaced with parcel boxes to carry e-commerce packages when passenger traffic is light, and a recycling collection is also possible, the company says.

“Work is now underway on financing and hiring staff for a start-up,” founder Kenneth Palmestål says.

He says the technology will be licensed out to car manufacturers. Visit www.cabibus.com for more information.