Keep travellers moving smoothly through your facility. In a public transport setting, lifts and escalators take a beating. And they have to be able to withstand it. When they’re out of service, people get frustrated, fast. In this piece we look at how to make sure your public transport lifts are up to the job.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if lifts and escalator equipment could run all day, every day without any maintenance or repairs? It would, but that’s not the real world. Sooner or later your public transport lifts will need to be upgraded.
This article has all the information you need to plan for your lift modernisation, including:
Have you ever arrived at an airport or train station and discovered the lift is out of service? You probably just took the stairs instead. But imagine you’re dragging two massive suitcases or pushing a stroller and trying to manage unruly children at the same time. Now things are not so simple.
In a public transport setting, lifts and escalators help people get to their destination without delay or distress. Just one small hiccup can cause overcrowding and missed connections, creating frustrations that your employees now need to manage. But with near constant use, breakdowns are hard to avoid.
Thankfully there are answers to this problem. To keep everything working properly and passengers moving smoothly through your facility, the first step is to understand the condition of your equipment.
The lifespan of most lift equipment is 25-30 years. But due to the heavy use, and, in some cases, exposure to the elements, the lifespan of public transport lifts is often reduced to less than 20 years.
This, combined with ageing infrastructure, means that many lifts and escalators are due for modernisation. In the US, for example, airports are on average around 40 years old.
So how do you know if your equipment is due for an overhaul? Well, if you answer yes to any of the following questions, you should be considering a modernisation.
If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, then you should seriously consider planning a modernisation of your equipment.
If you do need to modernise, the next step is to plan the work. Complete replacement might be the best solution for older equipment. But, for newer lifts, it’s possible you won’t need to replace all the components at the same time. A good place to start is with the components get the most use, such as:
Doors are always in use and they’re more prone to damage. Luggage carts, suitcases, bikes, etc. regularly hit the door sill as they’re brought into the lift, leaving scratches and marks. Glass doors should also be considered to ensure the safety of the passengers riding in the lift.
It’s important to make sure the walls and floors of your cars are extremely durable. Stainless steel is the standard, tough choice. But some damage is unavoidable because when people use public transport lifts, they’re often moving large, or heavy items.
You need to make sure that the fixtures meet all relevant accessibility codes so that everyone can use the lifts easily. Vandal resistant fixtures are also available to reduce damage from abuse and heavy use.
Next, let’s look at how you can use data to improve your operations and make it easier for the user to navigate through your facility.
Life is messy. Things happen. Equipment is out for service, inspection, or modernisation. It would be unwise to assume that your equipment will run smoothly 100% of the time. But, when a lift or escalator isn’t running, it’s important to know as soon as possible and share this information with travellers that rely on this equipment.
With a controller modernisation, it is possible to track the performance of your equipment. Schindler Ahead services, like the Schindler Ahead ActionBoard, allows you to monitor the status of your equipment in real-time, from anywhere.
You can also share the status of the lift with travellers directly. With Schindler CoLab, your developers can add lifts status information to your existing apps so travellers are fully aware of any disruption to the equipment and can plan their route accordingly.
Digitising your lift or escalator with a new controller also offers improved performance, better ride quality and more efficient lift service.
Another way to communicate with passengers is in the lift itself. Schindler Digital Media Services can add screens to your equipment to share important information, such as delays, and track or gate changes.
Schindler DoorShow, on the other hand, projects content directly onto the outside of lift doors. So, you can communicate with people who are simply passing by the lifts, turning this unused space into an eye-catching infotainment centre.
The COVID pandemic highlighted the risk of sharing an enclosed space with strangers. In crowded transport hubs with people arriving from all over the world, the risk is even higher. Social distancing became the norm, but keeping your distance is hard in a lift.
To respond to the crisis and help keep lift equipment clean and safe, we introduced Schindler CleanMobility. The two most important features of this product are, firstly, UV lights that sterilise lift car surfaces and the air in the lift. And, secondly, sensor technology and QR-codes that allow passengers to call the lift without physically pushing a button.
People take lifts and escalators for granted, especially in a public transport setting. But when things go wrong, it can create a massive headache for your passengers. It’s your job to keep equipment running smoothly and reduce the risk of downtime. By following these tips and speaking to us about any potential modernisation, you can make sure travellers get to their destination with minimal fuss.
Don’t leave your lifts or escalators in the past. Modernise with Schindler.