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Spika’s client needed work platforms to provide safer, more efficient access to the roofs of their electric buses for maintenance activities. The platforms had to accommodate a variety of bus sizes and fit within a limited space.
Spika’s client is a public transportation provider for a large city in Florida. The city has committed to a 100% net clean, renewable energy future, leading the transit agency to transition to an all-electric bus fleet by 2035.
The client came to Spika to procure work platforms to improve the safety and efficiency of their maintenance operations. One of the biggest challenges they had was accessing the batteries on the top of the roof.
“We had a near miss on an electric bus where the battery was up top, and we were putting that piece back on the roof. We were all hooked into harnesses, but we had to almost hang off the side of the bus to put it back together, and that’s when we said, ‘there’s got to be something different to go about putting this stuff back on,’” said the client.
Accessing the battery from inside the bus was equally challenging. To do so, they had to bring a ladder onto the bus, tie off with a harness, and crawl through the roof hatch. Another technician then had to pass up tools and parts through the hatch. The process was somewhat hazardous, incredibly inconvenient, and costly.
Spika combined its knowledge of safe access from the aerospace industry with the insight gained from partnering with Proterra on their electric bus manufacturing line to design a platform system that provided ergonomic access and fall protection that completely eliminated the requirement for ladders and fall arrest lanyards.
The Spika system was designed in modules to allow reconfigurability to fit within the space constraints of the old maintenance facility for both present and future layouts. OSHA-compliant guardrails extending overtop the bus were also reconfigurable to support full fall protection of multiple styles of buses, including 35’ and 45’ long models, from the same maintenance stand. For added multipurpose value, the system included a split kit that allowed the decks to be broken into two separate access systems for servicing two coaches at the same time.
“Because of how small our facility is, I can split your system in half…, slide [them to both sides of the shop], and now I can work on two at the same time. It was really what sold us on the entire system, quite honestly.”
To accommodate different sizes of bus, the system included manual height adjustability of 24”. “That adjustability you have is the key to the whole system for us. We have many different bus sizes, and we can use your system to go up and down. The platform that we purchased is the right height for everything we have on the yard now.”
Access to the work platform was conveniently provided via a staircase, making it easy to bring up tools and supplies.
