Municipal bus company Warrington’s Own Buses has installed air cleaning devices across its entire operational bus fleet, as it looks to protect its drivers from the risk of airborne transmission of the coronavirus.
The operator has installed 86 AirLabs AirBubbl air filtration devices in the driver cabins of its buses, as part of the company’s ‘five steps to safer working’ approach to public and driver safety.
Stephen Stringer, head of engineering at Warrington’s Own Buses, said: “The priority for us is to protect the health and safety of our employees, who provide an essential service, and of course for our customers, the people of Warrington.
“By installing the AirBubbl devices we’re ensuring that we can reduce the risk of exposure for our staff, who have done a fantastic job in serving Warrington during this crisis.”
The AirBubbl is designed to filter more than 95% of airborne viruses and contaminated particulate matter and floods the vehicle with over 30,000 litres of clean air every hour.
AirLabs, the London-based start-up behind the AirBubbl device, is now focusing on preparing to launch its air cleaning solution for the passenger cabins of public transportation, including buses, coaches and trains.
The company this week received a US$100,000 (£78,500) grant from Barclays and Unreasonable Impact to bring its AiroSafe technology to market.
The new product is designed to remove airborne coronavirus from the passenger cabins of public transport, by creating a personal air space for every seat.
AirLabs said it aims to install the first passenger protection units with partners by October this year, having worked with organisations in the rail and bus sector over recent months to develop the technology.
The start-up is currently installing AirBubbl devices in 100 patient transport vehicles operated by The Hats Group, to reduce the risk of exposure for its medical workers supporting London hospitals.
