Hot ride: Japanese public transport has been given a new lease of life as a mobile sauna. Photo / Sabus, PR News Japan
Steamy windows and bathing suits on public transport is the stuff of nightmares.
Unless, of course, your city bus happens to also be a sauna.
A company in the Hyogo Prefecture of Japan has transformed unloved city transport into a charming wood-lined sauna.
The old Shinki Bus which served the city of Himeji has been transformed into a 'transport of delight' dubbed the Sabus.
A compound of both Sauna and Autobus, the service promises to be a hot ride this winter.
The old bus links used to be a point of pride for the Japanese city. Its cutesy cartoon mascot is a regular finalist in the country's Bus Character Championship - which is a surprisingly big deal in Japan.
However since the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic Himeji City's public transport links have fallen on hard times. Reductions in commuting and tourism over the past 20 months have seen many buses left out of service.
To encourage people back onto their buses, Shinki has made lateral move into mobile public saunas.
The steam room on wheels is the brainchild of the company Ribahsu. A subsidiary of the Shinki city network, according to the Japan Times the word 'リバス' sounds like both 'rebirth' and 're-bus'.
The Shinki logo of a bird has been transformed into a phoenix, bringing heat to the imaginative design.
Beyond the wordplay there's plenty of quirky charm to the bus itself. Wooden seating and panels have been incorporated into the design alongside original features.
The old stop buttons are designed to release steam when pressed.
The sauna which is completely road mobile will be making a series of stops at festivals and events in February.
The Sauna bus might be the hot topic for Ribahsu however there are plenty of other designs in the pipeline. The company aims to transform old bus models into portable showers and restrooms or emergency facilities that can be deployed at a moment's notice.
It's a project that the Hyogo emergency services can get onboard with.
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