ARBOC Specialty Vehicles, LLC (“ARBOC”), a subsidiary of NFI Group Inc. (“NFI”), one of the world’s leading independent global bus manufacturers, recently announced that it will be the first to include antimicrobial sidewall paneling from Polser USA for the interiors of its buses. With downtime for sanitation as a significant concern for transit bus organizations, this safety upgrade brings a new highly effective, no-maintenance feature to customers. Cleaning and sanitizing will continue to be an ongoing chore for transit buses and fleets well into the future, and Polser’s antimicrobial interior solution is intended to bring significant advantages.
Polser’s AMB fiber-reinforced panels feature a permanent coating, like a microscopic bed of nails, that Polser claims actively and instantaneously kills 99.9% of microorganisms on contact. Polser states that the coating works by disrupting the cell membrane, eliminating any possibility of mutation or adaptation and is non-toxic and does not need any chemical solutions to function.
ARBOC’s specialty is low-floor accessible buses tailored to improve the transit experience of all passengers. The step-free design of the ARBOC lineup of cutaway and medium duty buses speaks to the company’s passion to provide the safest bus on the market. “In these uncertain times, sanitation is a particularly major concern for most of the population that our bus customers serve. We are pleased to provide an effective feature intended to efficiently increase safety and sanitation,” said Doug Minix, general manager of ARBOC.
The antimicrobial walls also have a positive effect on the hygiene of other items inside the bus. Polser claims that AMB works by using a positive molecular charge to both attract in and pull pathogens down the nano-swords structures. How does it work to help non-treated surfaces? Greg Glanders, president of Polser USA, explains, “Because AMB is so effective at killing pathogens on contact, there are fewer active pathogens nearby in both the air and on the floor. Pathogens move between surfaces and also through the air, where they can settle on another surface.” Polser’s AMB walls remove this sizable surface from the equation, disrupting the cycle of pathogen growth. “In short, pathogens move around and multiply. Our walls actually pull in and destroy both surface and nearby airborne pathogens, killing them before they can multiply and contaminate other surfaces.” added Glanders.
ARBOC is North America’s low-floor, body-on-chassis (“cutaway”) bus leader serving transit, paratransit, and shuttle applications. With more than 4,000 buses produced, ARBOC leads the low-floor cutaway bus market providing unsurpassed passenger accessibility and comfort. ARBOC also offers the Equess, a medium-duty bus used for transit and shuttle applications. Further information is available at www.arbocsv.com.