In the driving seat
Musculoskeletal problems are one of the biggest causes of absences among bus drivers in the UK. Michael Whitehouse, design and development engineer at steering systems manufacturer Pailton Engineering, explains the development of their ergonomic driver pod, which debuted at Busworld 2025:
We set out to demonstrate to bus manufacturers that simple ergonomic improvements to the seat-column interface would make the driver cabin more comfortable for any driver, no matter their height or body type. We thought a showpiece at one of the industry’s biggest trade shows, Busworld 2025, would be the way to go, and the idea began as a life-size bus driving simulator that would show what day-to-day life for the drivers was like.
At the time, I was involved in developing our new fully electric tilting head steering column. It enables both tilt and telescopic adjustment and features our unique tilting head mechanism, which makes it the only product of its kind offering this level of adjustability.
We had the idea of combining the new column and the simulator and we thought we could make something that shows the industry what their drivers feel. We created a bus driver workstation that people could sit in, complete with integrated electronics to synchronise seat and column movement.
Once the pod was built, the real test was whether drivers of all shapes and sizes could get comfortable. At the office, we only had our extremes – one team member at 6’7” and another at 5’2” – so we started there. If they could both find a good position, we knew the concept worked.
Successful testing gave us confidence to display the pod at Busworld 2025, where it proved its worth. Every visitor was able to find a comfortable sitting position within a couple of minutes. For those who saved their settings, the electronic memory function recalled their preferred position within eight seconds when they returned.
This ergonomics project has been years in the making. It’s very satisfying to see the finished product in action at last, though the journey for this column is only just beginning.
Pailton Engineering will keep working to improve life for bus drivers. Hopefully, our driver pod showed manufacturers and operators that simple changes can lead to better ergonomics and that it’s possible to decrease total cost of ownership by reducing musculoskeletal-related sick leave.
