Articulated buses (either motorbuses or trolleybuses), also known as tandem buses, bendy buses, banana buses, slinky buses or accordion buses, are buses of a type with an increased passenger capacity. Found almost exclusively in public transportation use, these buses are approximately 18 m (60 ft) long, while regular buses are 11 to 14 m (35-45 ft) long. To make them nimble enough to safely navigate streets at their increased length, they are fitted with an extra axle (set of wheels) and a joint usually located slightly behind the midpoint of the bus, behind the second axle. An axle is a central shaft for a rotating Wheel or Gear. In some cases the axle may be fixed in position with a bearing or Bushing Some models of articulated buses have a steering arrangement on the rearmost axle which turns slightly in opposition to the front steering axle, which allows the vehicle to negotiate turns in a somewhat crab-like fashion, an arrangement similar to that used on long hook-and-ladder fire trucks operating in city environments. Steering is the term applied to the collection of components linkages etc A fire apparatus, fire engine, fire truck, or fire appliance is a vehicle designed to assist in fighting Fires by transporting Firefighters [1]
Some buses have two joints, and these are called bi-articulated buses. A Bi-articulated bus is an extension of an Articulated bus in that it has three cabin sections instead of two Their capacity is around 200 and their length about 25 m (82 ft). These are rare and usually run in separate and often auto-guided lanes (quasi-trams or bus rapid transit). Guided buses are Buses steered for part or all of their route by external means usually on a dedicated track. A tram, tramcar, trolley, trolley car, or streetcar is a railborne vehicle, of lighter weight and construction than a Train Bus rapid transit ( BRT) is a broad term given to a variety of transportation systems that through improvements to infrastructure vehicles and scheduling attempt to use
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History
Early examples of the articulated bus appeared in Europe in the 1920s. In the mid-1960s, AC Transit in California pioneered the use of a modern articulated bus, operating the experimental General Motors bus "XMC 77" on one of its transbay lines. AC Transit (in full Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District) is a regional Bus agency serving parts of Alameda County and Contra Costa County General Motors Corporation ( GM) ( is a multinational automobile manufacturer founded in 1908 and headquartered in the United States. Articulated buses have also been used in Vienna, Austria, since 1963, where Gräf & Stift automakers pioneered their use. Gräf & Stift was an Austrian Automaker founded in 1902 by the brothers Franz Heinrich and Karl Gräf and the investor Wilhelm Stift [1] The first modern bendy buses were built by Leyland and used in the city of Sheffield, United Kingdom in the 1980s, but were withdrawn from service as they proved expensive to maintain. Leyland Bus was a British bus manufacturer It emerged from the Rover Group (formerly British Leyland) as a Management buyout of the bus business Sheffield ( is a city and Metropolitan borough in South Yorkshire, England The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located
Advantages and disadvantages
- See also: London articulated bus controversy
The main benefits of an articulated bus over the double-decker bus are rapid simultaneous boarding and disembarkation through more and large doors, much larger passenger capacity (120+ versus 80-90), increased stability from a lower centre of gravity, higher maximum speed, and accessibility to people with disabilities and the elderly. A double-decker bus is a Bus that has two levels While double-decker long-distance coaches are in widespread use around the world double-decker city buses are Articulated buses can be used in some cities with a tram network, while double-deckers sometimes cannot fit under the overhead electric cable; however, there are other cities, such as Berlin, Croydon in London, and Singapore, where double-deckers and trams coexist in some areas, and Hong Kong, where the trams are also double deckers. Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit Electrical energy to Trams Trolleybuses or Trains at a distance from the Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. Croydon is a large town and major commercial centre in South London, and the principal settlement of the London Borough of Croydon. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Singapore
One disadvantage that appears in an articulated bus is the effective power available to it. It is common for articulated buses to use the same engine as non-articulated buses; this leads to a slower speed and acceleration, due to an increase of weight. When used in cities with many slopes (e. g. Vancouver, B.C. or San Francisco, California) the vehicle is prone to overheating, leading to stalling in the milder case and a fully fledged fire in the worst case. Vancouver (vænˈkuːvɚ is a coastal The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city
Use
Articulated buses have been used in most European countries for many years. Until 1980, they were considered illegal on roads in the UK. Experiments by South Yorkshire PTE with buses by MAN and Leyland-DAB during 1979 led to a change in the law, but the experiment was abandoned in 1981 because Double-decker buses were generally considered less expensive to purchase and operate. The South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive is the Passenger Transport Executive for South Yorkshire in England. MAN AG is a German engineering Company based in Munich. MAN is one of Europe's leading manufacturers of engineering equipment The cost and weight of the strengthened deck framing and staircase in a Double-decker was lower than the cost and weight of the additional axle(s) and coupling mechanism of an articulated bus. Modern technology has reduced the weight issues, and the benefits of a continuous low floor allowing easier access and additional entrance doors for smoother loading have seen a reconsideration of the use of articulated buses.
Articulated buses became popular in mainland Europe as a means of increasing capacity. In many cities lower railway bridge clearances have precluded the use of double deck vehicles and they have never gained great popularity there. Overhead wires for trams, trolleybuses etc. are not really relevant as the minimum normal clearance above road level is standard across the EU and is well clear of a double deck vehicle (otherwise many goods vehicles would have severe problems).
In London, articulated buses and their double-decker counterparts, have replaced AEC Routemasters on most routes. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. AEC was a United Kingdom based vehicle manufacturer which built Buses and Trucks from 1912 until 1979 RM Routemaster profilejpg|thumb|right|Routemaster in profile]] The AEC Routemaster is a model of Double-decker bus that was introduced by Associated Equipment Company Elsewhere in the UK they are generally operated on specific routes to bolster patronage rather than on entire networks. The recent popularity of articulated buses in the UK is because any double deck vehicle must be full seated upstairs. This limits the capacity to around 80 - 90 depending on the seating layout downstairs. An articulated single deck vehicle can be mainly of 'standee' configuration with a much lower percentage of people seated than a double deck vehicle. This however gives it a much higher capacity (120 - 140) for an 18 metre vehicle. With the same one driver, this should notionally reduce the cost per passenger kilometre, although their multi door design does present very real challenges in ensuring that all revenue is actually collected due to passengers in London entering through all three doors. The vehicles are also more expensive to buy and maintain and use more fuel than conventional double deck buses so it may be some time before the true economics of their operation can be assessed.
In Israel, the use of articulated buses—commonly called long buses—is widespread, particularly in Gush Dan and Jerusalem, the two great urban centers of the country. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. Gush Dan (גּוּשׁ דָּן is a Metropolitan area including areas from both the Tel Aviv and the Central Districts of Israel. Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the The long buses are considered reliable and useful and they served in Israel since the mid-seventies. During the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, such buses were often targeted by Palestinian terrorists and suicide bombers during rush hours, since a crowded long bus can contain more than 100 passengers. Terrorism is the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion This article is about suicide attacks for political and/or military reasons Due to the al-Aqsa Intifada wave of mass bombings, security measures were enforced and today many long buses in Israel are accompanied by a security guard. A security guard or security officer is usually a privately and formally employed person who is paid to protect Property, assets or people
An articulated bus is a long vehicle and usually requires a specially trained driver, as maneuvering (particularly reversing) can be difficult. Articulated electric trolleybuses can be difficult to control with engines having momentary peak power in excess of 500 kW (800 hp). The watt (symbol W) is the SI derived unit of power, equal to one Joule of energy per Second. The trailer section of a "puller" bus can be subject to unusual centripetal forces, which can be a discomfort for many people although this is not an issue in "pushers. The centripetal force is the external force required to make a body follow a curved path " Nonetheless the articulated bus is a total success in Budapest, Hungary, where the BKV city transit company has been running more than one thousand of them every single day since the early 1970s. Budapest ( also /ˈbʊ-/) is the capital city of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary it serves as the country's principal Political, Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic BKV (Budapesti Közlekedési Zrt Mass Transport co ltd of Budapest – the abbreviation BKV stands for its earlier name Budapesti Közlekedési Vállalat Mass Transport The Hungarian company Volán also runs hundreds of articulated buses on intercity lines.
Articulated buses are common fare in the US urban centres such as Boston, Minneapolis-St.Paul, Chicago, Columbus, Los Angeles, New York City, Orange County, California, Philadelphia, the Quad Cities, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, DC. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. Columbus is the Capital and the largest city of the US state of Ohio. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West The City of New York Orange County is a county in Southern California, United States. Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə The Quad Cities is geographic region of the Mid-Mississippi Valley of the United States that includes multiple communities in the states of Iowa and Illinois The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D In Canada they are used in Vancouver, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, suburban Montreal, and Mississauga. Vancouver (vænˈkuːvɚ is a coastal Ottawa (ˈɒtəwə or sometimes /ˈɒtəwɑː/ is the Capital of Canada and the country's fourth largest municipality. Calgary (ˈkælgəriː is the largest city in the Province of Alberta, Canada Edmonton (ˈɛdmɨntɨn is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta. See also Halifax Nova Scotia See also Halifax Regional Municipality municipal election 2008 Halifax Regional Municipality is the capital Montreal, or Montréal in French ( pronounced in French, in English) is the largest city in the Canadian province of Quebec Mississauga (ˌmɪsɪˈsɑgə) incorporated in 1974 is a City located in the Regional Municipality of Peel In Asia, many major Chinese cities had fleets of articulated buses prior to the late 1990s. Many of these fleets have since been replaced by single section units, with the exception of a few cities, namely Beijing. In South America in Bogotá. Bogotá —officially named Bogotá DC (DC for " Distrito Capital " which means "Capital District" formerly called Santa Fe de Bogotá
In Adelaide, Australia, articulated buses are used on the O-Bahn guided busway. Adelaide is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of South Australia, and is the fifth largest city in Australia with a For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The O-Bahn Busway (also known as the Northeast Busway in the South Australian capital city of Adelaide is the world's longest and fastest Guided busway The first Articulated buses to use it were the Mercedes Benz O305G buses, however three MAN SG280H buses are also fitted for O-Bahn use. Trouble has been encountered in recent years trying to find suitable low-floor articulated buses as replacements for the 1984-built Mercedes buses. Unfortunately the design of the O-Bahn track prohibits most modern type of articulated bus.
Types of buses
Articulated buses can be of pusher or puller configuration. [1] In pusher buses only the rear C-axle is powered by a rear-mounted engine and the longitudinal stability of the vehicle is maintained by active hydraulics mounted under the turntable. The internal combustion engine is an engine in which the Combustion of Fuel and an Oxidizer (typically air occurs in a confined space called a For the mechanical technology see Hydraulic machinery and Hydraulic cylinder Hydraulics is a topic of science and Engineering This modern system makes it possible to build entire length low-floor buses without any steps, which simplifies access for passengers with limited mobility. In puller articulated buses, the engine is mounted under the floor between the front and middle A- and B-axles, and only the B-axle is powered. An engine is a mechanical device that produces some form of output from a given input This is an outdated design, which prohibits floor levels lower than approximately 750 mm (30 in) and causes passengers discomfort due to high noise and vibration levels. Inches redirects here To see the Les Savy Fav album see Inches. Noise pollution (or environmental noise) is displeasing human- or machine-created sound that disrupts the activity or balance of human or animal life Oscillation is the repetitive variation typically in Time, of some measure about a central value (often a point of Equilibrium) or between two or more different states On the other hand, the puller bus is cheaper to make and can be used in very narrow or severely pot-holed streets. Also, modern, low-floor pusher articulated buses usually suffer from suspension problems, because their wheels lack ample travel to absorb street unevenness, leading to passenger discomfort and relatively rapid disintegration of the superstructure. Suspension is the term given to the system of springs, Shock absorbers and linkages that connects a Vehicle to its Wheels Suspension During late 2003, early 2004, a series of onboard fires on newly delivered Mercedes-Benz Citaros led to Londoners humorously nicknaming the vehicles chariots of fire. The Mercedes-Benz Citaro (or O530) is the current Mercedes-Benz / EvoBus mainstream Bus intended for Public transport, introduced in Mercedes-Benz quickly addressed the problem, although the vehicles were out of service for a period. [2]
Although the majority of bendy buses are diesel powered, a number of operators (primarily outside of North America and by LACMTA) are adopting compressed natural gas power to reduce pollution. New Mexico ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States of America. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (also known as Metro MTA or LACMTA) is the state chartered regional transportation planning and Public transportation North American Bus Industries, commonly known as NABI, is a major transit bus manufacturing company based in Anniston Alabama. Metro Rapid is a Bus rapid transit system in Los Angeles County California, mainly operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (also known as Metro MTA or LACMTA) is the state chartered regional transportation planning and Public transportation Compressed Natural Gas (CNG is a Fossil fuel substitute for Gasoline (petrol Diesel, or Propane Fuel. Many other transit authorities in the United States and Canada are adopting articulated buses that are diesel-electric hybrids such as the New Flyer DE60LF. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page A number of vehicles use a diesel-electric Powertrain for providing locomotion. A hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that uses two or more distinct power sources to propel the vehicle
A typical puller model is the Ikarus 280, the articulated version of the Ikarus 260, from Hungary, with more than 200,000 buses manufactured between 1973 and 2000, mostly for Soviet bloc customers. Ikarus is a bus manufacturer based in Budapest, Hungary. It was established in 1895 as Uhri Imre Kovács- és Kocsigyártó Üzeme (roughly Imre Uhri's During the Cold War, the term Communist Bloc (or Soviet Bloc) was used to refer to the Soviet Union and countries it either controlled or that were Well-known makers of pusher-type articulated buses include Mercedes-Benz, New Flyer Industries, and Scania. Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of luxury Automobiles Buses coaches and Trucks It is currently a division of the Scania ( in Swedish and Danish) is a geographical region on the southernmost tip of the Scandinavian peninsula, a traditional province ( In the past, Volvo and MAN produced puller bendies but both manufacturers have since abandoned these designs for more modern pusher designs. This article is about Volvo Group - AB Volvo Volvo Cars is the passenger vehicle maker owned by Ford Motor Company, using the Volvo Trademark MAN AG is a German engineering Company based in Munich. MAN is one of Europe's leading manufacturers of engineering equipment The Renault PR 180 and PR 180. This is about the company for other uses see Renault (disambiguation. 2 (articulated versions of the PR 100 and PR 100. 2) were a special variation of the pusher design where both the B-axle and C-axle were driven, with a driveshaft passing through the turntable between the two driving axles. There are very few companies that specialize in manufacturing the articulated section for the buses. One company that does is ATG Autotechnik GmbH in Siek near Hamburg. Hamburg (English, German: ˈhambʊɐk local pronunciation Low German / Low Saxon: Hamborg) is the second-largest city in Germany
Bi-articulated buses
Articulated buses have been extended further since the late 1980s, with the addition of a second trailer section, extending the bus to near tram length and capacity as a Bi-articulated bus. A Bi-articulated bus is an extension of an Articulated bus in that it has three cabin sections instead of two A Bi-articulated bus is an extension of an Articulated bus in that it has three cabin sections instead of two The Chinese manufacturer Zhejiang Youngman (Jinhua Neoplan) has developed the 25-meter JNP6280G bi-articulated bus, deemed the "world's largest", which will be used in Beijing. Neoplan Bus GmbH is a German Bus and coach manufacturer The company is now a subsidiary of NEOMAN Bus GmbH which itself is a part of Bi-articulated buses are still rare, having been trialled and rejected in some places. Due to their length, they find use on very high capacity routes, or as part of a bus rapid transit scheme. Bus rapid transit ( BRT) is a broad term given to a variety of transportation systems that through improvements to infrastructure vehicles and scheduling attempt to use
Double-decker articulated buses
A few attempts have been made to create a double-decker articulated bus. Neoplan Jumbocruiser was an articulated double-deck coach built by Neoplan between 1975 and 1992 Neoplan built a handful of Jumbocruisers between 1975 and 1992. Neoplan Bus GmbH is a German Bus and coach manufacturer The company is now a subsidiary of NEOMAN Bus GmbH which itself is a part of Neoplan Jumbocruiser was an articulated double-deck coach built by Neoplan between 1975 and 1992 In these models, it is only possible to move between the two parts via the upper deck, so they have separate doors and two sets of stairs.
See also
References
- ^ a b Articulated Transit Bus Steering Considerations. bus trailer A Trailer bus or articulated trailer bus is a Bus formed out of a bus bodied Semi-trailer pulled by a conventional Tractor unit Articulated buses have been rarely used in the United Kingdom compared to other countries until the turn of the millennium North American Bus Industries. Retrieved on 2007-01-07. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1325 - Alfonso IV becomes King of Portugal. 1558 - France takes Calais, the last continental
- ^ Bendy-buses withdrawn after fires. BBC News (24 March, 2004). Retrieved on 2007-01-07. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1325 - Alfonso IV becomes King of Portugal. 1558 - France takes Calais, the last continental
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