Aktsiaselts Tallinna Linnatransport (TLT)

In October, three special school buses will start driving schoolchildren in Tallinn. The new buses are distinguished in the cityscape by the exterior design specially selected in the design competition, which is inspired by safe travel together.

Tallinna Linnatransport (TLT), in cooperation with the City of Tallinn, will introduce new Scania Irizar i4 vehicles to the route from October in order to improve the quality of school bus service. The new school buses will also have a distinctive look, the creative solution of which became clear through a public competition. In total, the competition received 24 creative solutions, which were evaluated by a 7-member jury as anonymous works, taking into account their suitability for schoolchildren and the cityscape.  The jury included representatives of the Estonian Student Councils, the City of Tallinn, and TLT.

The chairman of the jury, the deputy mayor of Tallinn Andrei Novikov, emphasized that

the route will be served by two 55-seat and one 63-seat buses with all amenities that meet all safety requirements and provide mobility also for wheelchair users.

“It is important that school buses look cool and meet the wishes of students,” said Novikov. He added that school buses are intended for primary, basic school, and upper secondary school students in Tallinn. “During normal school hours, in the capital, the school bus runs daily on three routes: Viimsi Center – Baltic Station, Tammneeme – Baltic Station, and Tiskre-Baltic Station, which provides a convenient and fast connection to the city center, where many students go to school or to their hobby group. In addition, schools can also order buses to take students to camps or go on excursions. The use of the school bus is free of charge for students, for which the student must show his/her student card to the driver when entering the bus. In addition, the school bus is safe because no passengers other than students are allowed in,” Novikov explained. 

Anette Viin, Chairman of the Board of Estonian School Student Councils’ Union, who was a member of the jury, explained that school buses with distinctive designs allow both small and large schoolchildren to recognize their bus more easily and also make the travel to school and home more exciting.

“Each work sent to us had its own character. Most of the evaluated works were nice, and some also in bright tones, being distinctive from ordinary line buses. I highly appreciated the works that would suit the urban space, the creative solution of which was well-thought-out and at the same time minimalist and timeless,” Viin said. She added that she also assessed that the exterior of the school bus would be suitable for both primary school children and upper secondary school students.

Otto Popel, a member of the Management Board of TLT, said that the competition received works from Estonian schoolchildren, creative agencies as well as international transport enthusiasts. The works were evaluated without knowing who the author of the work was. “The most points were collected by the Estonian creative agency Optimist Creative, whose solution used mood messages and fun one-color illustrations. The author of the second-place work is Michel Bucheli, whose creative solution featured silhouettes of high-rise buildings in Tallinn. The third place in the design competition was won by Nora Pelšs, whose proposed solution was a school bus in pastel tones,” Popel pointed out.

The new school buses will arrive in Tallinn by the end of September, after which their appearance will be refined according to the solution of the creative competition. New Scania school buses will be launched in the second half of October.