Transit vehicle lighting fixture

Claim 1

In a public transit vehicle having side windows, an aisle extending along the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and a passenger seating area on either side of the aisle, a lighting fixture arrangement for preferentially illuminating the seating area and minimizing the illumination of the aisle and side windows, comprising: a lighting fixture above each passenger seating area, each fixture having an elongated light housing extending generally parallel to the aisle, the housing comprising an upper surface, an adjacent side surface, and a translucent cover having a side wall spaced from the said side surface and a bottom wall spaced from the upper surface to define a cavity, a plurality of spaced incandescent lamps within the housing, and optical means positioned in the housing adjacent each lamp to receive light from the adjacent lamp for preferentially directing light from the lamps through the bottom wall of the translucent cover to the seating area, whereby the seating area is illuminated at a higher level than the aisle and the side windows.