BYD Offers Design Options to Make Buses Safer From Coronavirus

BYD Motors Inc. unveiled on Wednesday new options for its electric buses that will help transit agencies and coach operators keep buses clean and promote social distancing to reduce the spread of coronavirus. The options, which include driver barriers, plexiglass dividers and anti-microbial coatings, will be available on buses built at the BYD factory in Lancaster. BYD North America Vice President Patrick Duan said that everything the company does will be focused on the safety of passengers. “BYD can provide affordable solutions to bus operators looking to do all they can to protect their customers and provide peace of mind,” Duan said in a statement. Protection options from BYD include DryVgard, a barrier allowing for better airflow to the bus driver; Vapor: yShield Door, a two-part door with a fixed upper glass portion that is a sneeze guard; Bentech, a plexiglass barrier; and handrails, stanchions and fittings with an anti-microbial powder-coated finish and surface treatment which makes them inhospitable for germs. BYD Motors Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD Motors Ltd. It opened its Lancaster plant in 2013 and has sold buses to transit agencies in California and 13 other states.