inBus

InBus proposition is to provide sustainable bus station alternatives to promote public transport and reduce the urban heat island effect.

The "Urban heat islands effect" has become a primary issue over the multiple metropolitan districts. Its main causes encompass overpopulation, as well as the structures and infrastructure in which cities are designed: black pavement absorbs a lot of heat, and tall buildings don't take airflow into account, causing the air to stagnate and warm instead of mixing. As a consequence, an increase in the average environmental temperature is generated. At the same time, the combustion produced by the vehicles and the lack of green areas that could have mitigated this effect are aggregated to this accumulation of heat. This has some consequences such as the rise of energy expenditures, air pollution levels, and illnesses and deaths brought on by the heat.

People who use public transport suffer from high temperatures in urban areas due to the Urban Heat Island Effect, for that reason the inBus project addresses the high-temperature issues by providing a comfortable and efficient bus station for everyone seeking safe and sustainable communities. For the design of our prototype, we follow 6 main characteristics presented in the catalog: Strategies for cooling Singapore of 2017. During the waiting process, the user will be able to enjoy a native and fresh environment constituted by a wall of native plants. This component will be maintained by the constant water movement required for an automatic irrigation system. As for an efficient user experience, a LED screen will indicate the upcoming route at all times; as the bus approaches, the LED ceiling will light up progressively from yellow to green. Although this set of components may contribute heavily to the promotion of public transport, due to the increase in the average heat temperature a controlled environment system must be needed to obtain an ideal state of comfort. The installation of conventional air conditioners can be seen as a possible solution nevertheless, it contributes heavily to the greenhouse effect, through the increased energy use that air conditioner requires. Therefore, inBus aims to provide an alternative that does not makes the function of any cooling substance or compressors, making it as well cost efficient and with very low energy usage. The system operates as a consequence of executing Bernoulli's principle in fluid dynamics, in which just a system of pipes is divided in two sectors with distinct areas and an injector fan. The mechanism works through the variation of the airspeed that enters through our injection fans which by changing the exhaust area the temperature decreases proportionally.

We can call our market multi-sided since it can be classified into two massive markets of which only one is considered the client, made up of companies that seek to sponsor sustainable projects, but they are directly related to the user, which is confirmed by citizens of a warm region. People who use public transport, mainly middle and lower-class people do not have their own car. The relationship with the user occurs directly at the stop, where the design is adapted for their comfort, their opinion on it is key to the brand's image. The indirect relationship with users is through the community on social networks, a community that supports social events as well as the transparency of the company itself. The deplorable conditions in which the current bus stops are found have caused thousands of people to stop using this urban transport service. However, there are those who have no alternative but to live with this problem every day, being forced to spend large amounts of time at stops that are often uncomfortable, unsafe, or even useless. Most of the stops do not guarantee accessibility for all users, do not offer good visibility, do not make good use of space, and do not have lights, roofs, pleasant air conditioning, or comfortable seats.

Within the team, we have demonstrated our advanced capacities in competencies such as self-management, creativity, collaboration, and communication. Mastering these fields has allowed us to gain the reputation of being high-achievement students. We have been awarded for academic excellence as well as participated in high social impact projects such as the MAKTI project: an inclusive app for neurodivergent integration in classrooms. At the same time, the creation of inBus comes from a competition in which we had the opportunity of presenting our project at a national forum in Monterrey that gave us a special mention in the area of the community. For that reason, in relevance to the inBus project, our team is well-positioned because we have a comprehensive understanding of the problem and have taken a data-driven approach to develop a solution. After identifying throughout our experience the issues of public transport and the repercussions they have on a larger scale, we were capable of recognizing what is currently lacking and what features are most needed. Having this knowledge and understanding, we could develop a sustainable bus station prototype that addresses these issues and provides a solution that is both functional and pleasing to the users. Furthermore, the virtual simulation was produced after analyzing different ways to use technology in our favor to produce the best version of the prototype. 

After identifying the problem we made some theoretical and applied research on how to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable; focusing on public urban space infrastructure. Therefore, we applied qualitative research through questionnaires in marginalized communities as well as the stations with greater demand. Finally, the research we have made is a comparative analysis of the variety of types of bus stations and their inversion.

Air conditioners have become more than a privilege, they are now considered a necessity. As for the effects of the “Urban heat island effect”, the perception of heat in public spaces such as public transport might be notorious, even more for those regions with a hot climate. The installation of conventional air conditioners can be seen as a possible solution nevertheless, even though they generate a comfortable and controlled environmental temperature it contributes heavily to the greenhouse effect, this through the increased energy use that air conditioner requires. Also if they do not have proper maintenance they might suffer from leaked substances, that impact the ozone layer. Therefore, inBus aims to provide an alternative that does not require any cooling substance or compressors, making it as well cost efficient and with very low energy usage. A similar proposal can be seen on the Singapore “smart” bus stop designed by ST Engineering, where they accomplish this cooling process through an evaporative system. On the contrary, our system operates with lower levels of energy and low financial cost, this is a consequence of executing Bernoulli's principle in fluid dynamics, in which just a system of pipes divided into two sectors with distinct areas and an injector fan air can be cooled.

The main impact goals for the next year are generating scalable physical prototypes of each system, both structural and circuit. Therefore, acquire the necessary funding to build our first complete functional prototype. In this way, the budget has to be assisted by a corporation in charge of building it. For both goals funding we aim on depending on donations as well as social funding. We also expect to collaborate with the government of the state and ask for support through programs where companies take the initiative to take care of the stop as part of their taxes.

 As for the effects of the “Urban heat island effect”, the perception of heat in public spaces such as public transport might be notorious, even more for those regions with a hot climate. The installation of conventional air conditioners can be seen as a possible solution nevertheless, even though they generate a comfortable and controlled environmental temperature it contributes heavily to the greenhouse effect, through the increased energy use that air conditioner requires. Also if they do not have proper maintenance they might suffer from leaked substances, that impact the ozone layer. Therefore, inBus aims to provide an alternative that does not require any cooling substance or compressors, making it as well cost efficient and with very low energy usage. A similar proposal can be seen on the Singapore “smart” bus stop designed by ST Engineering, where they accomplish this cooling process through an evaporative system. On the contrary, our system operates with lower levels of energy and low financial cost, this is a consequence of executing Bernoulli's principle in fluid dynamics, in which just a system of pipes divided into two sectors with distinct areas and an injector fan air can be cooled.

4 people

Our main barrier, as senior high school students, is financial; since our project demands a great amount of inversion.

The incubation center of Tecnlogico de Monterrey Campus Sonora Norte. We work by sessions every month, were we receive feedback and workshops.

Provide decent bus stops for all sectors, so that later, through a gradual process, we can improve its qualitative factors, giving the user a better experience. In this way, promote the use of public transport and reduce the urban heat island effect. We can call our multifaceted market since it can be classified into two massive markets of which only one is considered the client, made up of companies that seek to sponsor sustainable projects, but they are directly related to the user, which is confirmed by citizens of a warm region. In general, our value proposition is to increase the performance and operation of bus stops, making it a more convenient option through various factors that improve comfort without neglecting the environment. Thus, our main proposal is a cooling system, that does not require the need of refrigerants or compressors. This alternative works by increasing the speed of the air through injection fans so that they are later expelled in a smaller area. This sudden change will generate a temperature depression. The bus station requires a list of supplies and infrastructure for its implementation. First of all, the structure will use concrete bases for cementation and steel pipes for the cooling system, meanwhile, the ceiling will be of polycarbonate which allows the transmittance of 90% of the light giving an illuminated environment, plus it provides protection for the UV radiations and it has a high impact strength. On top of the polycarbonate, it will be implemented a lightly thermo-lacquered agave-based micro-perforated fiber cement sheet, in this way we utilize the tons of fibrous material left over from the tequila-making process. Equally, we will use poly gave which is an alternative to conventional plastic. Additionally, solar panels must be applied in order to supply energy to all circuit infrastructure, which includes LED lights and fans. Finally, we must not forget the miscellaneous supplies that include native plants, air filters, podotatcil guides, and route signs. Taking all this into consideration, a final budget can be presented and categorized into 5 sections: preliminary, foundation, structure, hydraulic installation, and electrical installation. Generating a financial estimate of 478,270 Mexican pesos per bus station, including already the human and intellectual resources.

inBus is a B-type business, that aims on meeting the highest standard of valid social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. Focusing further on the value proposition and its impact than on the revenue. After that stated, in order to gain that beforementioned balance between profit and purpose a new economic model must be delimitated. In this way, the company will be capable of being auto-sufficient. In this case, an auto-sufficient source of revenue will be an affordable internet service charged by the hour. In other instances, the other forms of revenue that will be dependent on the customer sector rather than the user will be sponsorships and business investments.