Catching the bus can be a jarring experience – the engine shudders, the driver accelerates and brakes, jolting passengers in their seats – but researchers say there are solutions for a smoother ride.
Dr Anna Lidfors Lindqvist, an engineer at the University of Technology Sydney, said bus passengers were exposed to “whole body vibrations”, from the engine and uneven road surfaces, as well as jolting as drivers navigated heavy traffic to drop off and pick up passengers.
“If you’ve caught the bus, especially in the city area, you can sometimes experience a bumpy ride,” she said.
Lidfors Lindqvist was a co-author of new research measuring the vibrations passengers were exposed to on 30 Sydney bus routes, publishing the results in Nature’s Scientific Reports.
“Jerk” was a key cause of passenger discomfort, she said, experienced when the bus brakes and accelerates – a problem in Sydney during peak hour.
The study listed several things that could make catching the bus a more comfortable experience.
Better suspension and seat design could help dampen the bouncing that occurred during start-stop movements which would particularly benefit older people who run a higher risk of injury from jolts.
Installing the seats specially designed for bus drivers, or used in coaches, Lidfors Lindqvist added, for all passengers would yield better comfort and safety than the bench-style typically found in buses.
Monitoring driver behaviour could also lessen the jolts, she found, and may have benefits for fuel consumption.
Transport planning academic, Dr Iain Lawrie, said buses were often considered public transport’s “poor cousin” – a noisy, uncomfortable and inconvenient mode of travel compared to trains and trams.
But buses played an important role in the transport system, he said. “We can’t afford to bring light rail or trains within walking distance of everyone’s house.”
Lawrie, who has co-authored two papers on ways to improve Melbourne’s bus network, said the solutions proposed by the UTS researchers could improve things “at the margins”.
A fast, frequent and direct bus network with dedicated lanes and electric vehicles would improve service while also helping to address user comfort, noise and vibration issues.
“The big issue with buses is that they’re so slow and infrequent and circuitous that they’re rarely a desirable mode of transport,” he said.
Elyse Cunningham, who campaigns for better buses with the Sustainable Cities collective at Friends of the Earth, agreed, noting “the further out you go, like the outer suburban areas, the worse the public transport gets”.
In Melbourne, winding routes which travelled down smaller roads often contributed to a jerky and bumpy ride, she said. Straightening out the routes would provide a more direct, frequent and comfortable service.
In the UTS study, forward-back, side-to-side and up-down acceleration was recorded using a specialised device, called an inertial measurement unit, installed on Sydney buses.
Acceleration (bounce mode) during starts, stops, and jerks from road bumps and pits, could cause motion sickness, discomfort and even pain for passengers, particularly those with pre-existing health conditions.
Daniel Bowen, a spokesperson for the Public Transport Users Association, said he was happy to catch the bus, but felt queasy if he tried to read.
“It’s something about the vibration of the diesel engine and the other sorts of vibrations and movements.”
The mode of transport definitely needs a rethink in Australia, he said, focusing on quality of the ride and frequency.
“So, when people use the bus, they come away with an experience that encourages them to use it again.”
