Questions that need answers

On the back of a carton of smoothie (of all places) is a question that hits a transport nerve.

Amongst mock curiosity about ‘mouse flavoured cat food’ and ‘why dinosaurs had such tiny hands’ (hardly topics to lose sleep over), is a question that really is troublesome: ‘What is the socially acceptable distance when sitting next to someone on public transport?’

The problem is troublesome because people have different ideas about what is acceptable and what is not. Putting a number on subjective social nuances is tricky.

In designing a new form of public transport, we (Esoterix) have to think carefully about the problem of ‘other passengers’. Sooner or later, we’ll have to put a number on the ‘acceptable distance’. Economic, logistical, and environmental considerations all play a part, but we believe passenger comfort is key to a successful service.

So, we’re looking carefully at the vehicles we’ll use and the space allocated for each passenger. And, if you’ve got thoughts on what you think is acceptable (or not acceptable), we’d be interested to hear them. Perhaps, mull it over whilst drinking a glass of smoothie?