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Bump-Canceling Bunk Beds Promise Smooth Bus Rides
- Mediterraneo10 8y agoI took a sleeper bus on a 24-hour journey in China years ago, slept very comfortably, and wondered why this had not caught on in other parts of the world. Someone suggested that it was a regulatory thing: in road transportation, passengers are obliged to keep their seat belts on (or at least passengers must be in conventional seats with seat belts there for the use). I am surprised to hear that a company in the USA thinks this is a good business direction.
- nordsieck 8y ago> in road transportation, passengers are obliged to keep their seat belts on (or at least passengers must be in conventional seats with seat belts there for the use) I don't think this is universally true: most city busses I've taken don't have city belts. Additionally, many of the seats are perpendicular to the direction of travel.
- donohoe 8y agoYeah, many like taxis, emergency vehicles, buses and trucks weighing 18,000 pounds or more are exempt from seat belt and child restraint laws in the USA
- whiddershins 8y agoCan you clarify? I believe taxis must have seatbelts just not car seats. Edit: But yes, tour buses with sleeps are used all the time in the US.
- ant6n 8y agoLying down in buses is illegal in Germany.
- tim333 8y agoI went coast to coast on a lie down bus in the US about 30 years ago, similar to the first one pictured here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Tortoise https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Tortoise Not over comfortable but was quite a fun way to travel.
- TulliusCicero 8y agoCombine this with self-driving tech and you could have a roving network of traveling cabins across the country. Neat!
- bertil 8y agoI’m a little puzzled by the over-engineering. Wouldn’t fixing the road be much cheaper and benefit more people? Don’t get me wrong: lowering the cost of active suspension is a wonderful idea, and will have a ton of benefit, but…
- chatmasta 8y agoEr, wouldn’t fixing the road be the overengineering? One solution requires a single company to build a single bus to solve a specific problem. The other requires every municipality in the country to “fix the road” (unclear what that even means?) to solve for a specific problem affecting one specific use case.
- bertil 8y agoI was anticipating that fixing potholes would benefit all the vehicles on that road and that you would save a lot on vehicle’s suspension.
- chr1 8y agoRoads are huge and are deteriorating all the time. Keeping the road in a state suitable for people to sleep in a normal bus would not be cheap, and maybe even impossible.
- bertil 8y agoI grew up in Europe where highways are perfectly smooth overall. There are bumps in the city, but you are not really meant to drive fast on those. This is to a point that I have met some native French speakers who wouldn’t know the word for “potholes” in French.
- dzhiurgis 8y agoLet me guess: 1. It’s still a loud, shaky and smelly diesel bus. 2. Cabin length only fits people under 6 feet and average shoulder width. 3. Even with curtains on, you can still hear and smell your neighbours snore, vidya, movie, etc.
- badrabbit 8y agoThat's not so bad. Lack of cushion destroys my rear after 8hours on a bus,no leg space destroys my knees,no armrest means I have to rub against a stranger for many hours. #2 I agree with but #3 and #1 are a given. For example, With air travel,even 1st class won't isolate you from shaky flights or noisy neighbors(btw,noise canceling headphones are magical!)
- driverdan 8y ago> It’s still a loud, shaky and smelly diesel bus. Modern diesel engines are not smelly or sooty. Most coach buses are quiet and reasonably smooth. > Even with curtains on, you can still hear and smell your neighbours snore, vidya, movie, etc. This is a $200 bus ride. Your neighbors aren't going to smell.
- monocasa 8y agoI've had people smell next to me in business class. Money can't buy class.
- tonylucas 8y agoAnecdata I used Cabin late last year, and am 6ft 2. It was compact but I had enough space (would have liked more ceiling height but length was ok) Didn't have any problems with the bus noise, or other people, and the bus was about 3/4 full. Biggest issue for me was the bumps in the road, so the latest ideas sound like a good step forward. Being able to go from Santa Monica in the late evening to San Francisco first thing the next morning worked out really well for me, I'd use them again.
- driverdan 8y ago> If riders can't get a good snooze in, they're way less willing to pay $178 to $228 per round-trip. (A savvy flier who buys their ticket at the right time can usually snag a trip between SFO and LAX for about $115). Can someone explain why you'd pay more for an 8h bus ride than a 1h flight?
- manigandham 8y agoIt's in the article > "Cabin’s idea is that people would rather spend eight hours asleep while traveling than four hours getting to and from an airport and in a cramped seat in the air." Most people do not have upgrades or priority access and have to spend a lot of time dealing with checkin, security, luggage and general uncomfort which makes small trips much longer than just flight time. Also many travelers arrive the day before an event to get a hotel and sleep, so perhaps this extra time and cost can be avoided with the bus.
- stephengillie 8y agoA 1h flight takes a lot longer than 1h. To do some math: 8am flight: 4a: Wake up, complete packing. 5a: Travel to airport 6a: Check-in 7a: Security (take off shoes) 8a: Takeoff, if not delayed 9a: Landing 10a: Checkout complete? 10pm bus: 9p: Travel to bus 10p: Bus departs 2a: Bus layover for driver lunch (assuming 1 driver) 3a: Bus departs layover 7a: Bus arrives 7:15a: Checkout complete. This assumes 1 hour to travel to either bus depot or airport, and that the bus is traveling overnight on empty highways for almost all of the trip. I've never flown so please update any inaccuracies with that time table. > Also many travelers arrive the day before an event to get a hotel and sleep, so perhaps this time and cost can be avoided with the bus. There's a large value in starting your day in the same city where you're working or otherwise spending a lot of time. From not having to spend the time and effort on traveling, to the relaxation of not having to "scene-change" and adjust to the behaviors of people in two different cities. And this package lets the right traveler have both for cheaper. >>> If riders can't get a good snooze in, they're way less willing to pay $178 to $228 per round-trip. (A savvy flier who buys their ticket at the right time can usually snag a trip between SFO and LAX for about $115). This basically combines the bus into both transportation and lodging. For an example, let's use a $250 hotel room. This assumes you'll fly in the day before a 2-day event and fly out the day after, or bus in on the first day and bus out the following night: 1h flight & 3 nights: Flight: $115 Room: $250 x 3 = $750 Total: $865 8h bus & 1 night: Bus: $230 Room: $250 Total: $480 Even if the bus costs twice the plane, it could still save money over the hotel.
- madengr 8y agoGreyhound buses are nasty enough, and they expect someone to sleep in a Greyhound bus bed? Think of the lice and bedbugs. Let me go ask my wife if she would take a Greyhound sleeper bus. See if I get smacked.
- Mediterraneo10 8y ago> Greyhound buses are nasty enough, and they expect someone to sleep in a Greyhound bus bed? This isn’t Greyhound. > Think of the lice and bedbugs. Bedbugs tend to spread through people using their own bedding (which is why hostels often forbid people from putting their own sleeping bags on the bed). Presumably on such transportation as this bus you would be issued sheets and blankets, people wouldn’t use their own. Train companies with sleeping carriages have decades of experience in this and it turns out that bedbugs are not that big a problem.
- hetspookjee 8y agoI had a very comfortable bus ride from Krakow to Warsaw for 7 euros a few years back. Each seat was able to lean back really far and still you weren't bother your rear neighbor. Each seat also had their own iPad-like-device with games, movies, music and internet. Now Poland does not have many highways that are of good quality. But the ones we drove were good enough to sleep on. Also the toll for cars is really low (I believe 3 euros). I'm willing to pay an extra to be able to lay down flat down but I really do wonder what surplus is added due to the stabilizing tech. I believe it's only applicable in a country such as the USA, where the roads are poor and the wages are relatively high. Still a large enough market to make it work though.
- wenc 8y ago> only applicable in a country such as the USA, where the roads are poor Not sure about this. I've traveled all over the USA, and the highways are uniformly excellent. Local city streets however are a mixed bag, especially in the north, where harsh winters create conditions for potholes to form.
- smackfu 8y agoWe did a journey in Mexico where the first class buses go on the good highway and have extreme air conditioning and lie back seats. The second class buses go on the bad roads and use schoolbuses with no AC. But the second class buses made the trip in half the time of the first class, because they could go over the mountain instead of around it. Fascinating choices.
- konschubert 8y agoI really want sleeper buses in Europe like there are sleeper trains.
- bluedino 8y agoI have a bad back, the last thing I want to do is lay down while traveling for hours at a time.
- abrowne 8y agoThis is how I want to fly! Take off and landing safety would be hard, though.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- userbinator 8y agoRight now, the system can only move the bed up and down, so passengers will still feel hard braking and tight turns. On the other hand, I suspect this will make motion sickness even worse --- feeling sensations of movement (or more precisely, changes in acceleration), especially if it's not in all directions, but without seeing it is what causes people to get disoriented.
- cardiffspaceman 8y agoAt sea, I have ridden through some storms that made it a little hard to walk around, but sleep was not a problem. Ship motion at sea is a bit different from bus motion on a road, but not as far as whether it is predictable. Sometimes we're rolling along and then there is a sharp jolt, as if an odd wave came by. * From Emerald Princess at sea
- acd 8y agoWould be nice with these type of bunks beds in airline economy class for long distance flights. You would be able to sleep and get good rest compared to reclining seats.
- c-smile 8y agoOr just use a train. Like if you want to travel from Moscow to Vladivostok (6 days) you'd better use this: http://thegoodlife.ru/image/962-mv.html http://thegoodlife.ru/image/962-mv.html + separate dining car. Traveled on these, quite interesting experience. Definitely it is a good time to think where you are going.
- intopieces 8y agoUnfortunately, trains are difficult to build in the US, which is a car-focussed culture.
- rndgermandude 8y agoNot really that difficult, you got a ton of empty space between cities where you can put rails. Then do the stations outside of the crowded city centers, just like airports. For "short" routes, I'd prefer trains. E.g. I prefer Cologne/Berlin by train in Germany, would even if the station was - just like an airport - outside of the city. The train ride is a lot more relaxed, not really longer if you calculate the total travel time, more space, no security theater (and related queuing), luggage check, etc.
- closeparen 8y agoArbitraging a fickle TSA policy (less intense enforcement on rail vs. air travel) is not a good reason to build permanent infrastructure. Rail and air operators will be similarly incentivized to carry as many passengers per trip as they can, so I would expect seat sizing/comfort to converge.
- ant6n 8y agoThe cost to provide a large amount of space is much cheaper for rail.
- closeparen 8y ago
- ghouse 8y agoI have experienced Cabin's bump cancelling technology on a prototype on 101. We drove ~4 miles without it turned on, and then the same 4 mile stretch with it activated. Even having seen the data beforehand, I was impressed.
- inostia 8y agoOvernight busses are great for traveling if you're in another country. You can pay for the transportation to get to your new destination, and save a night on lodging cost at the same time by getting to sleep. I took an overnight bus from Venice to Paris and it was a great way to travel: no transfers, didn't need to pay for a hotel that night, and got to see some parts of the countryside I otherwise wouldn't have.
- pouetpouet 8y agoThere are also overnight trains from venice to paris operated by Thello.com. For other destinations check out Nightjet and Euronight.
- scarejunba 8y agoBizarre reactions here. Cabin has $3m of funding. People are suggesting trains and fixing the entire road system across the entire trip? Not even meaningful alternatives. Here's mine, in the same vein: Just make personal helicopter transport that's quiet and safe and fully automatic. Seriously comical. I really like Cabin's approach to the problem.
- bertil 8y agoI think you will find that those absurd people live outside of the United States, generally in a country where road conditions are far better — but still without quiet helicopters.
- kiliantics 8y agoI just took an 8 hour overnight Megabus last week and had a horrible time sleeping, ruined my entire next day. I was really struck by the thought that it's so strange we haven't found a solution to this yet - how hard can it be to just put beds on buses? It's such a simple step towards more sustainable long-distance travel. What a pleasure to see that this is possibly a near-future reality :)
- konschubert 8y agoPretty bold bet that with this upgrade in comfort they will be able to create a market for sleeper busses in the US. Would be a much less risky endeavour if the market already existed and they just had to gain technology leadership. Still, it's a cool idea, I wish them luck!
- JulianMorrison 8y agoThis feels like that apocryphal NASA story except it ends "and the Russians fitted hammocks". (Two attachment points you could probably protect with something structurally like bike shocks, self stabilizing laterally, costs tuppence ha'penny.)