Overview

Following COVID there has been a big drive within the bus industry to return ridership to pre COVID levels. Switch wanted to develop a CMF approach that appealed to the end customer and encouraged the use of buses again. They wanted to challenge the norm for the industry and look at using a suite of materials and colours not commonly seen on buses. Envisages CMF and paint divisions began working with Switch Mobility in November 2021, feeding into the design process, and ensuring colour and materials choices reflected the client’s vision for low-carbon transportation.

Approach

Envisage began by conducting detailed consumer trend research to build themes and concepts for the vehicle’s exterior and interior finishes. Switch chose the seascape theme from 15 different options.

Envisage’s design input ensured that the colours, materials and finishes for the project aligned with the client’s sustainable ethos to help make public transport an appealing alternative for the European customer.

The aqua and teal seascape aesthetic delivered flies in the face of traditional bland bus design and ties in with a key sustainability theme of protecting our precious oceans. Envisage’s creatives took this a step further by selecting a SEQUEL yarn for the bus seat fabric made from 100% recycled polyester.

Conclusion

As well as ensuring designs and materials were aligned with sustainability, our Colour, Materials, and Finish design team had to create something exciting that would really engage with the consumer. From pastel flooring to metallic lilac handrails, they were not afraid to do something different and create an inviting atmosphere by responding to the latest consumer trends.

The e1 was exhibited at The European Mobility Expo which took place in Paris on 7–9 June 2022, which brought together 250 sustainable mobility exhibitors and 11,000 participants. With zero-carbon buses the stars of the show, it provided the ideal stage to launch the SWITCH e1.