All aboard the Simba sleep bus!

Public transport by night, we all have a horror story right? Taking the 'Fright bus' or the 'Vomit comet' (aka the last train) often feels like you've stepped into another realm – a colourful carousel of sights, sounds, smells and behaviours never witnessed during daylight hours.

Simba (opens in new tab)are set to change all that with an innovative shuttle bus complete with futuristic sleeper pods and a wake-up service.

'Deciding to grab 40 winks on public transport can be an inconvenience on your time and wallet, and no one likes the feeling of being woken by another passenger as your stop rushes by, or shaken awake as the train reaches the end of the line miles from home,' says James Cox, CEO at Simba, 'We think exhausted commuters deserve better, and we hope the Simba Snoozeliners can serve as a much-needed service to the bed-craving masses of the UK’s biggest cities.'

Passengers on the dreamy late-night shuttles will be able to sleep off their excesses in 14 discreet futuristic pods, engineered for optimum sleep with Simba's pioneering pillow, duvets and mattresses. The buses also feature USB chargers and WiFi and onboard stewards to wake you when you reach your destination.

Related: Best mattress: The guide to a perfect night’s sleep

The bus has been in development for four months so far. The dream is that the sleep buses will eventually operate on eight routes across four UK cities in Autumn 2018, with prices starting from just £8.50.

Simba came up with the idea after they carried out a study earlier this year which uncovered a nation of sleepy commuters catching some extra shut-eye on their journey to work. A resounding 94 per cent of British workers have fallen asleep on their commute in the past, and 45 per cent have dozed off on the way to or from a night out.

While they’re in the land of nod the average Brit will travel an extra 40 miles past their scheduled stop each year – a costly 40 winks!

Three in five people are nervous about using public transport late at night in case they run into antisocial, drunken behaviour, and two in five fears they may become the victim of a crime.

The cutting-edge sleep pods are being trialled with sound isolating treatments and acoustic black out blinds, together with a recessed amber light-therapy system as orange wavelengths are the most conducive to sleep.

Each pod will feature a console offering a choice of soothing scent infusions recognised by aromatherapists for their sleep-inducing or hangover-busting properties as well as individual recessed sanitised shoe drawers and coat storage. Unlimited free mineral water as well as coffee and specially-selected smoothies will also be available on board. This is alongside individual revitaliser kits containing Vitamin C and liver-cleansing Milk Thistle.

Simba is also in talks with a food delivery service to provide an advanced on-board system that will track your route, so you and your takeaway arrive home at the same time – what more could you possibly ask for?

James optimistically goes on to say 'We know that there will be lots of red tape to wade through, but are looking forward to firming up meetings with local authorities in the New Year.