Sustainability is a growing concern across many industries, including public transport, as more and more people become conscious of their environmental impact.
The United Nation (UN), with the “Sustainable Development Goals” (SDG), is advertising for a more virtuous model for our cities through the SDG n°11:
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
Two concerns addressed by the SDG will need to be supported by public transport companies. These issues are materialized by two targets within the SDG:
- By 2030, provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all, improving road safety, notably by expanding public transport, with special attention to the needs of those in vulnerable situations, women, children, persons with disabilities and older persons
- By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management
This represents a great opportunity for companies to support beneficial changes in the world. Moreover, according to Forbes, 87% of consumers have a more positive image of a company that supports social or environmental issues, and it is now widely recognized that using buses, trains or metro for travelling is less impactful than using individual cars, especially when it comes to CO2 emissions and air quality in cities.
In this article, we’re going to take a look at some Gunnebo solutions - reliable, durable, safe and smart, that highlight the importance of sustainable mobility.
Sustainability Means Reliability
The use of public transportation by a traveler, especially for his daily commuting needs, is linked to the reliability of the system and the service. The more reliable the system is, the more trust the traveler will have in it, compelling him to continue using it and not look for another means of transport.
Gunnebo gates can guarantee a particularly high Mean Cycles Between Failures (MCBF) of around 10 million cycles - meaning a reliable service, less overall maintenance intervention and trusted ROI (Return On Investment) for the company. Most importantly, by making our system reliable, over a long period of time, we help build the trust of the travelers who rely on the system.
Increase durability through Remote Connectivity Apps
To support and enhance the lifespan of our products, we are designing a smarter way to create and handle data. In the near future, station managers and metro operators will benefit from more oversight of different devices through the use of remote connectivity apps services.
These apps will be able to connect to automatic fare collection gates and help to improve sustainability through data monitoring.
One of the key features proposed will be the health information of the gate that will help maintenance managers to schedule preventive maintenance, and avoid costs of immediate corrective maintenance.
Also, our apps can provide passenger throughput, technical difficulties, event logs, and more with the final aim to improve the function of gates, resulting in improved sustainability and longer lifespans for the equipment.
Ergonomics: be Safe and Smart
At last, our ambition is to be safe and smart when it comes to designing our gates. Traveler safety is our first priority, and we consistently work to improve and comply with local regulations.
Passenger and Fare Gates with good ergonomic design help to ensure better flow management, avoiding any bottleneck, and improve the user experience. The faster and easier it is to use the gate, the better the user experience will be.
Lastly, gate ergonomics can also mean a smart reduction of power consumption, as gates can remain open between two or more authorized cycles. Less open/close cycles means less power consumption and less impact.
Final Thoughts
Sustainable mobility will be a key success factor for the future of public transport. If you’d like to find out more about this, take a look at our whitepaper: Solutions for a Smart Safe and Sustainable Future.