Bus of the Year
Run since 1989, this year’s competition—held in Brussels—saw competing vehicles assessed by a jury representing 20 countries. With a focus on green transport, four of the five finalists were electric whilst one was fuelled by natural gas. Factors assessed included acceleration, stopping distance, vibrations and noise level as well as subjective impressions from both a driver and passenger perspective.
Solaris Urbino 12
Amongst other innovative features, the inclusion of antimicrobial copper handrails set the Solaris Urbino apart from the competition. Handrails are among the most frequently-touched surfaces on a bus, which prompted the decision to make them from an inherently hygienic material: copper. Manufactured by Polish company STER, the rails are engineered to be lightweight, and the solid copper alloy chosen is attractive and colour stable with the added benefit of being antimicrobial.
Dr. Andreas Strecker, CEO of Solaris Bus & Coach, observes: ‘This prestigious award comes as a result of great teamwork by all involved, including our employees, suppliers and partner companies with whom we have developed our vehicles.’
Copper (Cu)
Copper rapidly destroys germs that can be picked up, unseen, from frequently-touched surfaces in the environment, potentially causing an illness. These include bacteria, such as E. coli, and viruses, such as influenza and the ‘winter vomiting bug’, norovirus. Fewer germs on surfaces mean less risk of infections spreading between people touching them.
Copper shares its antimicrobial efficacy with over 500 copper alloys—including brass and bronze—creating a large family of metals collectively called antimicrobial copper. Products such as STER’s bear a Cu+ mark, showing they are made from approved, solid copper alloys with antimicrobial efficacy backed by scientific research. These hygienic properties last their full lifetime, as there is no coating or surface treatment to scratch off or wear away.
Touch surfaces made from solid antimicrobial copper are used by hospitals, schools, mass transit hubs, sports facilities and offices around the world to boost other hygiene measures, such as hand washing, cleaning and disinfection, to help reduce the spread of infections. They continue working in between routine cleans, requiring no additional staff training or special maintenance.
– Copper’s antimicrobial properties are more and more widely appreciated around the world. We can find touch surfaces made of Cu+ copper not only in hospitals but also at railway stations and airports – says Michał Ramczykowski, the CEO of European Copper Institute. –It is only natural to implement these in public transportand the award for the Solaris bus gives us hope for implementation of this solution on a wider scale.
For more information on visit: antimicrobial copper
Source: PR time
Photo © Solaris