For people living in Melbourne, the sight of a police booze-bus at a random blood alcohol and drug testing site is both common and comforting (except of course if you've been drinking).

CobaltNiche worked with Brimarco, a truck body building company, to win the tender for the design and supply of a fleet of new booze buses for the Victorian Police. The requirements for the new bus were clear; primarily, for assessing motorist’s blood alcohol levels the bus needed to be able to transport personnel and equipment to the testing site. Secondarily, the bus needed to act as a sign of police presence and perform as the Victorian Police ‘weapon’ against drink driving.

The design approach was much like designing a traditional office workstation system, with modular interior design paneling. The interior and exterior were developed concurrently, each affecting the other. The front cabin section needed to taper towards the nose of the bus to match the chassis. This proved to be a major design challenge; handling this transition from the sides to the front of the bus. The raking windscreen provided the solution, and the distinctive groove line cleverly balances the bulk of the rear of the bus.

The rear entry also made for a cleaner design for the front of bus and facilitates the use of the more rakish windscreen. This front area created a strong visual signature for the booze bus, unlike most busses. Rear entry also meant that the cabin remained as a discrete styled ‘pod’ at the front of the bus.

All in all the bus needed to be a safe environment for the police and public, and not only did our designers style the exterior and interior of the bus; they also resolved and detailed how it would be manufactured.

CobaltNiche successfully worked with industry to develop the ‘high technology’ emergency vehicle currently traveling the streets of Victoria.