The great thing about public transport is that it’s cheap and eco-friendly. The not-so-great thing about it is the word ‘public’. Unless you’re with company, transportation is all about keeping to oneself, whether it’s listening to music, browsing the internet, playing a game, working, or catching some crucial shut-eye. LAYER Design’s Joyn brings privacy to public transportation, more popularly known today as ‘ride-sharing’. Pulling inspiration from airplane-style seating (an area LAYER has worked extensively in before with Airbus), Joyn reimagines seating in an autonomous ridesharing vehicle by creating an intersection between a private and public riding experience.

By providing a private experience in a public ridesharing vehicle, Joyn alleviates “eco-guilt”, better described as the feeling of guilt as you book a single-passenger ride so as to get some privacy. With its unique S-shaped seating system, Joyn gives each rider a private cabin that they can either enjoy their solitude in, or socialize with a fellow-passenger by simply swinging a privacy-wing aside to have a face-to-face conversation with the person beside you… an alternation that LAYER terms as choosing between ‘bubble seating’ and ‘buddy seating’.

Each individual cabin within the Joyn is inspired by an airplane seat. The seats don’t recline, but rather, exude a sense of comfort and calm, thanks to the use of soft forms, calming pastel colors, and plush textile upholstery. The side of the cabin (facing outwards) is an interactive OLED smart-glass that provides rider-specific information about their commute. There’s even a two-part foldout table in front that’s great for keeping your belongings. The table folds out in two parts, one being a primary rest for laptop, or for food, while the other is a mat that you can either rest your phone on to charge it (via a built-in USB port), or prop it up to rest your tablet on at an angle so you can enjoy movies, get work done, or even have meetings and conference calls while commuting.

Designer: LAYER Design