Madrid showcases its innovative and futuristic new bus design

In June 2023, the Spanish capital Madrid showcased a prototype of its new urban bus design. The visionary bus design was presented in Barcelona on 4-7 June 2023 by EMT, the city's urban public transport operator, at the UITP Global Public Transport Summit, which is a well renowned conference and exhibition that brings together public transport stakeholders.

The prototype is the result of a tender launched by EMT In September 2022. The tender sought the development of a “visionary” bus that would make public transport more attractive to commuters. EMT defined a set of criteria for the innovative bus, such as its alignment with EMT’s image, its exterior design and integration into the urban environment. Once all of the submitted proposals had been assessed, EMT announced the winner, namely the “Horizonte” (meaning “Horizon” in English) bus. The new design will be the public transport bus in Madrid for the next ten years. It was designed by the creative agency Héctor Serrano Studio and won a prize of €100,000.

The visionary bus has a user-centred design with large access doors that are designed to offer a high fluidity for passengers and easy access. Such an innovative design is expected to encourage commuters to use public transport more often and look upon the bus as an attractive transport option. In addition, Horizonte’s interior design will be made of sustainable materials and realised in warm ochre tones; the windows of the vehicle will help to contribute to the feeling of spaciousness and light.

The Horizonte prototype is planned to be operational in 2024. The prototype will be displayed in a number of symbolic places in the city and presented to residents to collect their feedback and suggestions regarding the new bus. The feedback will be integrated into the final design of the Horizonte bus.