Alliance with the Transportation Riders United advocacy group will provide practical insight into transit riders' experience

TROY, Mich., Sept. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Altair Engineering, Inc., a leading global provider of technology and services that empower client innovation and decision-making, today announced that the BUSolutions Project has established an independent advisory board to provide insight into transit riders' experience. Initially, this independent board will be made up of members of Transportation Riders United (TRU), a non-profit organization dedicated to improving transportation access and mobility in the greater Detroit area. The BUSolutions Project is a collaborative effort between government and industry to demonstrate the feasibility of producing easily maintainable, efficient city transit buses.

The BUSolutions program has continually involved technical experts from manufacturing and transit authorities to ensure that the program goals align with industry needs, and recently established an advisory board. Now, alliances with independent, non-technical rider advocacy groups such as TRU will provide an avenue for BUSolutions team members to learn more about the rider experience and issues that face riders on a daily basis. In this way, the BUSolutions program can make ergonomic improvements to the bus prototype models currently in development to enhance the rider experience.

"Transportation Riders United has provided the Altair BUSolutions program with valuable input on a number of important issues," said David Mason, executive vice president of Altair ProductDesign. "The independent advisory board gives us a better overall understanding of broader community needs, as well as perspective on actual ridership issues and public interface ergonomics. Thanks, in part, to their input, the BUSolutions team is incorporating design principles that will enhance the rider experience with improvements in passenger comfort, safety, ingress and egress as well as the auditory and visual direction we provide riders."

For more information about Transportation Riders United, visit their website at http://www.detroittransit.org/.

For more information about the BUSolutions project, please visit the website at http://www.automationalley.com/BUSolutions/.

About Altair ProductDesign

Altair ProductDesign is a multi-disciplinary product development company with the technology and expertise to help businesses turn innovative concepts into market-leading realities. Founded more than 20 years ago, ProductDesign has grown from modest beginnings to include more than 500 engineers, scientists, designers and creative thinkers. This seamlessly integrated global team collaborates with clients from Altair's 30 offices in 14 countries. ProductDesign firmly advocates a user-centered, team-based design approach, and utilizes proprietary simulation and optimization technologies to help clients achieve their goals. The ProductDesign mission is focused on developing unique products that personify brands, exceed client expectations and create memorable user experiences.

About Altair Engineering

Altair Engineering, Inc. strengthens client innovation and decision-making through technology that optimizes the analysis, management and visualization of business and engineering information. Privately held with more than 1,200 employees, Altair has offices throughout North America, South America, Europe and Asia/Pacific. With a 20-year-plus track record for product design, advanced engineering software and grid computing technologies, Altair consistently delivers a competitive advantage to customers in a broad range of industries. To learn more, please visit www.altair.com.

For a high-resolution image of the BUSolutions prototype bus, please contact Diane Forbes at Email Contact or visit the Altair Press Room at www.altair.com.

Web site: http://www.altair.com/
http://www.detroittransit.org/
http://www.automationalley.com/BUSolutions/