Anti-microbial grab-poles for public transport

Light-weight composite grab-poles with an embedded anti-microbial property will lead to a step-change in hygiene in public transportation and a reduction in transmission of COVID-19.

The poles were developed by a team including researchers from the Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) at University of Warwick. They will be retrofittable and will be installed into new vehicles, as well as in replacement of current steel poles in existing vehicles such as buses and the underground.

The project aims to make a range of poles at costs competitive to the current steel ones and thanks to their light-weight material they will be around a third of the weight. The poles will also help with meeting decarbonisation goals by aiding fuel efficiency and manufacturing via lower carbon methods.

Dr Darren Hughes, from WMG, University of Warwick says, ‘As we work in developing future public transport solutions such as the Coventry Very-Light Rail system, the Covid-19 pandemic opened our eyes to the importance of also making transport as clean an environment as possible for passengers.

‘It is clear that a key point of contact for passengers is the grab-poles and other similar structures. Therefore, incorporating anti-microbial grab poles into vehicles could encourage more people to opt for public transport which is generally an environmentally efficient mode of transport.’