Japan’s Bridgestone Corporation (Bridgestone), Official Tire Partner of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, has used its extensive commercial tyre and rubber expertise to provide barrier-less bus access in the newly-constructed athlete village for the event.
The new solution, designed in collaboration with Yokohama National University and the Japanese Transportation Planning Association, allows buses to pull closer to a specially-engineered curb that more smoothly interacts with the shape of the bus’s tyre, to decrease tyre sidewall wear and vibration. The custom fit results in a significantly smaller gap between the curb and bus entrance, and so provides easier and safer on/off access for passengers – especially wheelchair users, people with strollers, and senior citizens.
First introduced in Okayama, Japan in June 2019, the docking system is currently being adopted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government for future metro locations that will benefit people across Japan. The first installation in Tokyo will be completed in February 2020 in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Village – the installation will include nearly 395m of curb for various tyre/vehicle sizes.
As Bridgestone was founded on a mission of serving society, Masaaki Tsuya, Bridgestone’s Chief Executive Officer and Representative Executive Officer, said: “We have some of the world’s top experts in tyre and rubber science committed to solving the evolving needs and challenges of a world in constant motion. Through projects like this, we’re focused on leveraging our vast knowledge to help create advanced solutions that remove barriers and increase accessibility for all people, in public bus transportation and beyond.”
Bridgestone will introduce its new, advanced technology concepts designed for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 through additional announcements over the upcoming months.