Hong Kong is one of the few countries in the world that have trams as one of the state’s main mass transportation system. Though we can’t say the same since the outbreak of the pandemic. In fact, public transportation, in general, has be shunned in the Asia’s most densely populated countries.
Personally, I think the pandemic is going to change the design of public transportation. I was thinking along the line of individual capsule or pod for each occupant, with automatic disinfecting capability after an occupant has left.
But that’s just me. Hong Kong-based, Italian design studio, Ponti Design Studio, has other ideas. The studio has dreamed up a super sleek tram with post COVID-19 in mind, called the Island. Island is a driverless electric tram that retains the current double-decker design, but aside from that, it is anything but current.
It is decisively futuristic. It clearly has a lot more curves to it, including curved windows and a dome top, and the interior is designed with social distancing in mind. And it is this “social distancing” seating arrangement that the vehicle takes on the name, ‘Island’. Unlike traditional tram, it does not have seats facing the front.
Instead, it has large circular benches with all passengers sitting facing outwards. Innovative seating arrangement, but also one that is obviously not designed with packed crowd in mind. Then again, packed crowd is not encourage anyways, isn’t it?
Being driverless, it also frees up more interior space that affords the island-style, circular seating arrangement. Ponti Design Studio did not stop there. It also design the tram stops which look just as futuristic as the ride itself.
All images courtesy of Ponti Design Studio.
