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The passenger door of a low-floor tram.
The passenger door of a low-floor tram.
The passenger door of a high-floor tram.
The passenger door of a high-floor tram.

In public transportation, low-floor is a term describing vehicles such as buses, trolleybuses, and trams whose passenger compartment has a floor which is considerably lower than that of traditional models. A tram, tramcar, trolley, trolley car, or streetcar is a railborne vehicle, of lighter weight and construction than a Train A recent development in the transport industry, vehicles of this type have a stepless entry and usually have an area without seating (or seating that folds up) next to at least one of the doors where wheelchairs and perambulators can be parked. A wheelchair is a wheeled Mobility device in which the user sits In addition to improving accessibility, low floors also allow fully-mobile passengers to board more quickly, and in some cases can produce improvements in overall speeds.

The low floor may extend over the complete length of the vehicle, or some parts may be higher with ramps or steps inside the passenger compartment to allow for under-floor components. If the vehicle is entirely low-floor, there is no place for bogies or even axles connecting corresponding left and right wheels (they would be at a higher level than the floor). A bogie (ˈboʊgi (BŌ-gē is a Wheeled wagon or trolley In mechanics terms a bogie is a Chassis or framework carrying wheels attached to a vehicle 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 This is solved with single-wheel drives, motors integrated into the wheels, and (in case of trams) short carbody sections, as the axleless design constrains bogie movement, which in turn affects the minimum radius of the curve that can be negotiated. A bogie (ˈboʊgi (BŌ-gē is a Wheeled wagon or trolley In mechanics terms a bogie is a Chassis or framework carrying wheels attached to a vehicle Enthusiasts frequently see these designs as a step "backwards. "

Contents

Low floor tram configurations

Trams traditionally had high floors. From that model the tram with a low floor centre section has arisen. Examples of this are from Amsterdam 11g/12g-trams and the Kusttrams in Belgium. Amsterdam (pronounced) is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland in the west The Belgian Coast Tram ( Kusttram) is a Public transport service connecting the cities and towns along the entire Belgian ( West Flanders) coast The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those The most common construction on 100% low floor vehicles is one where is shorter carbody sections for the wheels and longer suspended sections. Examples of this are the Citadis and Combino. The Citadis is a Low-floor Tram built by Alstom in La Rochelle, France, and Barcelona, Spain. The Combino is a Low floor Tram produced by Siemens Transportation Systems (formerly DUEWAG) A similar, but somewhat older technique is one that has been developed by MAN and was in 1990, the first 100% low floor tram. MAN AG is a German engineering Company based in Munich. MAN is one of Europe's leading manufacturers of engineering equipment A tram, tramcar, trolley, trolley car, or streetcar is a railborne vehicle, of lighter weight and construction than a Train These trams are found in ten German cities (such as Bremen and Munich) and in the Swedish city Norrköping. Bremen (ˈbʁeːmən is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany (official name Stadtgemeinde Bremen / City Municipality of Bremen Munich (München; Minga is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. Norrköping is a city in the province of Östergötland in eastern Sweden and the seat of Norrköping Municipality, Östergötland In many other German cities there are trams with low floor between the outer bogies and single axle bogies under the centre section. A bogie (ˈboʊgi (BŌ-gē is a Wheeled wagon or trolley In mechanics terms a bogie is a Chassis or framework carrying wheels attached to a vehicle "Light rail" type frequently vehicles have a similar configuration but with the centre bogie which is designed to accommodate a low floor situated under a short centre section. For specific light rail systems many of which use the words "light rail" as part of their name see List of light-rail transit systems. A more radical approach has been adopted for the City Class LRV (Citytram), where the main low floor section is only 300mm above the rail. In Austria the Porsche designed ULF trams, Ultra Low Floor Trams, can kneel at the curbside, reducing the height from the road to only 180 mm. The Ultra Low Floor tram (ULF is a low-floor Tram currently operating only in Vienna, Austria and Oradea, Romania They only run in Vienna. The low floor runs right through the articulation of both the 29m long and 38m Super Citytram version. In both the corridor across the articulation is wide enough for seated passengers and a wheelchair to pass through. The City Class has been design to turn on 15m radius curves and climb 10% gradients.

Low floor bus configurations

passengers boarding a MAXX Regional Transport Northern Express service operated by Ritchies Coachlines on the Northern Busway, Auckland, New Zealand
passengers boarding a MAXX Regional Transport Northern Express service operated by Ritchies Coachlines on the Northern Busway, Auckland, New Zealand

In bus and trolleybus design, many manufacturers achieve a low floor height by making rear-engined rear-wheel-drive buses with independent front wheels so that no axle is needed to pass under the cabin. Public transport in Auckland, the largest city of New Zealand, is served by three modes - Bus, train and Ferry. Ritchies Transport Holdings Ltd was established in 1972 and describes itself on its website as "the largest privately owned bus and coach transport operator in New Zealand" with Brisbane also has a Northern Busway presently under construction New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island 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 Van Hool has a series of "side-engine rear-drive" buses that puts the engine off to one-side of the cabin longitudinally to maximize cabin usable space. Doppelgelenkbus 01 KMJjpg|right|thumb|250px|A Van Hool bi-articulated 'Bendy Bus']] Van Hool NV is a Belgian Coachbuilder and manufacturer of

In buses and trolleybuses, low floors can be complemented by a hydraulic or pneumatic 'kneeling device', which can be used when the bus is not in motion, tilting it to one side and thus lowering it even further towards the surface level of the road, often low enough to match the height of a normal curb. For the mechanical technology see Hydraulic machinery and Hydraulic cylinder Hydraulics is a topic of science and Engineering Pneumatics, Pressurized gas to affect mechanical motion Pneumatic power is used in Industry, where it is common to have factory units plumbed for Compressed A curb or kerb (see spelling differences) is the edge where a raised pavement/sidewalk/footpath, Road median, or Road shoulder Though such technology has been available and in use on high-floor buses since the 1970s, it is only of significant utility on low floor vehicles where it enables less-mobile passengers to board and leave the vehicle without help from others. Many vehicles are also equipped with wheel-chair lifts or ramps.

Alternatives

Although Low-floor trams and buses are currently being further developed and are already in use in various parts of the world, generally in urban areas, some systems, such as Manchester's Metrolink, chose to use high-floor trams with level boarding platforms (possibly because parts of the network use old railway stations) to achieve the same results as low-floor trams; this simplifies the design of the vehicles, but makes stations larger and more expensive, and is not well-suited for street-side stops. Manchester Metro redirects here - for the Manchester Metroshuttle free bus routes see Metroshuttle or First Manchester Manchester Metrolink

Curitiba in Brazil uses high-floor buses stopping at "tube station" bus stops. Curitiba (pron kuɾi'tibɐ or kuɾi'tʃibɐ is the capital City of the Brazilian state of Paraná. Many other Brazilian cities have since adopted this system. Some transit agencies refuse to order low-floor buses altogether, such as New Jersey Transit and (until recently) MUNI owing to terrain conditions in the service area or MTA Long Island Bus or DART out of preferences of high-floor vehicles. The New Jersey Transit Corporation (usually shortened to New Jersey Transit, NJ Transit or NJT) is a statewide Public transportation system serving The San Francisco Municipal Railway, commonly known as Muni, is the Public transit system for the city and county of San Francisco California Long Island Bus is the brand used by MTA Regional Bus Operations for its bus service servicing primarily Nassau County. The Dallas Area Rapid Transit authority (or DART) is a transit agency based in Dallas, Texas ( USA) that operates Buses Light Although New York City Transit runs some 40 foot low-floors, it refuses to order D60LF buses from New Flyer, opting for D60HF's (high floors), and is currently in a dispute with New Flyer regarding this. The New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA is a Public authority in the U

Typical floor heights

See also: Railway platform height

To put things into perspective, here are some typical floor height for public transport vehicles, old and new:

List of low-floor vehicles

Low-floor buses

Low floor bus in São Paulo.
Low floor bus in São Paulo. São Paulo ( is the largest city in Brazil, with its metropolitan area ranking among the largest urban areas in the world
A Gillig Low Floor bus, popularly known as the "Advantage"
A Gillig Low Floor bus, popularly known as the "Advantage"
A New Flyer D40LF bus in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada.
A New Flyer D40LF bus in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. KR6560@58Xjpg|thumb|right|300px|KMB's MAN 24310 with Volgren bodywork Minsk Automobile Plant ( MAZ, Производственное республиканское унитарное предприятие «Минский автомобильный Mercedes-Benz Buses has been making Buses since 1895 in Mannheim in Germany. The Mercedes-Benz O405 was a highly successful single-decker Bus chassis built by Mercedes-Benz from the The Mercedes-Benz OC 500 LE is a modular heavy-duty twin-axle Bus Chassis produced by Mercedes-Benz / EvoBus in Sámano, The Mercedes-Benz Citaro (or O530) is the current Mercedes-Benz / EvoBus mainstream Bus intended for Public transport, introduced in The Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (三菱ふそうトラック・バス株式会社 is a German -owned Japan -based manufacturer of Trucks The Mitsubishi Fuso Aero Star ( Kana:三菱ふそう・エアロスター is a heavy-duty bus built by Mitsubishi Fuso. The Mitsubishi Fuso Aero Midi ( Kana:三菱ふそう・エアロミディ is a medium-duty bus built by Mitsubishi Fuso. 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 The Neoplan N4009 is a low-floor midibus built by Neoplan between 1988-1999 initially at Stuttgart in Germany and later also in Poland. The Neoplan N4016 is a low-floor single-deck city bus built by Neoplan until 1999 initially at Stuttgart in Germany and later also in Poland Neoplan Transliner in Europe is an interurban bus and rental bus model built for the European market in 1990s Neoplan Centroliner is a series of Low floor bus which was unveiled in 1997 and mainly built for the European market Neoplan USA was a major transit Bus manufacturing company based in Denver Colorado, which was entirely separate from the German corporation Neoplan, licensing The Neoplan Transliner was a series of related Mass transit Bus models introduced by Neoplan USA in 1981 Richmond (ˈrɪtʃmənd}} is an incorporated city on the Pacific coast of the Canadian province of British Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page
The Orion VII is a low floor model, built for use with diesel, and alternative fuels, hybrid, and CNG (shown).
The Orion VII is a low floor model, built for use with diesel, and alternative fuels, hybrid, and CNG (shown). Nissan Diesel Motor Co Ltd (日産ディーゼル工業株式会社 or UD (The company's trademark is a Japanese company whose principal business is The Nissan Diesel UA (kana日産ディーゼル・UA is a heavy-duty bus built by Nissan Diesel. The Nissan Diesel Space Runner JP (kana日産ディーゼル・スペースランナーJP is a medium-duty bus built by Nissan Diesel. The Nissan Diesel Space Runner RA (kana日産ディーゼル・スペースランナーRA is a heavy-duty bus built by Nissan Diesel. The Nissan Diesel Space Runner RM (kana日産ディーゼル・スペースランナーRM is a midium-duty bus built by Nissan Diesel. North American Bus Industries, commonly known as NABI, is a major transit bus manufacturing company based in Anniston Alabama. Nova Bus is a Bus manufacturing company based in Saint-Eustache Quebec, Canada.
An Orion VII bus operating in San Francisco
An Orion VII bus operating in San Francisco
An Orion VII 32-footer bus operating on its first day of service in San Francisco.
An Orion VII 32-footer bus operating on its first day of service in San Francisco.

Low-floor trolleybuses

Low-floor trams

Low-floor trains

Orion Bus Industries, previously Ontario Orion Bus Industries, previously Ontario Orion Bus Industries, previously Ontario Orion Bus Industries, previously Ontario Optare plc is a bus manufacturer and Importer based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The Optare Excel was a Low-floor full-size Single-decker bus manufactured by Optare. The Optare Solo is a low floor Midibus manufactured by Optare in Leeds, UK since 1997 The Optare Alero is a Low-floor integral minibus built by Optare since 2001 The Optare Tempo is a full-size single-deck Bus manufactured by Optare and was launched in late 2004 The Optare Versa is a Midibus built by Optare in its Leeds factory The Renault Agora (later known as Irisbus Agora) was a Low-floor bus designed and built by Renault from 1996 to 2002 date upon which it has been built Scania AB is a European Manufacturer of heavy Trucks ( British English: lorries) Buses and Diesel engines The Scania K94 is a rear-engined bus built by Scania of Sweden. The Scania L94 is a longitudinal inclined-engined bus built by Scania AB, which was a direct replacement of Scania L113. The Scania OmniCity is an integrally-constructed transverse-engined Low floor citybus available on the European market The Scania OmniDekka is a Double-decker bus built for sale in the UK. The Scania OmniLink is an integrally-constructed rear longitudinal-engined citybus available on the European market Scania K-series is a series of Bus with longitudinally, straight-up mounted Euro IV engine at the rear Scania N-series is a series of Bus with straight-up transversely mounted Euro IV engine at the rear Setra may also mean Setra Systems a manufacturer of pressure transducers and scales based in Boxborough Massachusetts Solaris Bus & Coach SA is a Bus, coach and Trolleybus manufacturer based in Bolechowo and Środa Wielkopolska near Poznań, Poland Solbus is the fastest growing Polish Bus producer founded 2001 in Solec Kujawski. Thomas Built Buses Inc is a Bus manufacturer based in High Point North Carolina, United States and a subsidiary of Daimler AG. Thomas Dennis LLC was created in 1999 as a joint venture between Thomas Built Buses Inc Doppelgelenkbus 01 KMJjpg|right|thumb|250px|A Van Hool bi-articulated 'Bendy Bus']] Van Hool NV is a Belgian Coachbuilder and manufacturer of Volgren is an Australian bodywork company previously owned by Volvo and the Grenda Corporation but is now entirely owned by the latter Volvo Buses is a Subsidiary and a business area of Volvo which became an independent division in 1968 Volvo B6 is a Midibus manufactured by Volvo between c 1991 and 1998 Volvo B7L is a low floor citybus with a rear engine mounted on the left of the rear overhang it is built as a replacement of the Volvo B10L. Volvo B7RLE is a Low-floor single deck city bus launched initially in Australia in 2001 and then in the United Kingdom in 2003 as an addition Volvo B7TL is a Low-floor Double-decker bus which was launched in 1999 and replaced the 2-axle version of Volvo Olympian (its 3-axle version The Volvo B9TL is a Low-floor Double-decker bus built by Volvo Buses since 2002 The Volvo B10L is a rear-engined Low-floor single-deck city bus chassis built by Volvo between c Volvo Super Olympian, also known as B10TL, is the Low floor replacement of the 3-axle version of Volvo Olympian Double-decker bus The Volvo B10BLE is a low-entry city Bus chassis which was popular in Scandinavia, the United Kingdom and Australia. The Volvo B12BLE is a low-entry city and suburban Bus chassis launched in 2001 with an engine mounted on the rear Designline is a Bus and coach manufacturer based in Ashburton New Zealand. 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 Irisbus is a European bus manufacturer which was formed through the merger of bus and coach divisions of Fiat, Iveco and Renault in January The Lviv Bus Factory, (Львівський автомобільний завод L’vivs’ky Avtomobil’ny Zavod, literally "Lviv Automobile Factory" mostly 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 Solaris Bus & Coach SA is a Bus, coach and Trolleybus manufacturer based in Bolechowo and Środa Wielkopolska near Poznań, Poland For the car manufacturer see Škoda Auto Škoda Works ( Czech: Škodovy závody; today Škoda Holding a Jelcz SA is a Polish producer of Buses and Trucks located in Jelcz-Laskowice. Minsk Automobile Plant ( MAZ, Производственное республиканское унитарное предприятие «Минский автомобильный The Avanto is a low-floor Tram manufactured by Siemens AG. It is used or on order by several systems in the United States and for Tram-train The Citadis is a Low-floor Tram built by Alstom in La Rochelle, France, and Barcelona, Spain. The Trampower City Class Light Rail Vehicle as a prototype is currently being tested on the Blackpool Tramway. The Cobra Tram is Zurich 's newest Tram type and first Low floor tram The Combino is a Low floor Tram produced by Siemens Transportation Systems (formerly DUEWAG) The Combino Supra (the latter word in the name is pronounced like the word op'ra but with the 'oo' in 'book' in place of the initial vowel and Crotram is a Croatian consortium of two companies which produces the first Croatian low-floor tram (the TMK 2200) The Flexity Classic is a model of light-rail Tram manufactured by Bombardier. The Flexity Outlook family are articulated light-rail Trams manufactured by Bombardier Transportation. The Flexity Swift Tram is a light-rail vehicle manufactured by Bombardier Transportation. The Incentro is a model of Tram manufactured by Bombardier Transportation. Sirio ( Italian for Sirius) is a Low-floor Tram built by Ansaldobreda, an Italian manufacturer of Trains The Ultra Low Floor tram (ULF is a low-floor Tram currently operating only in Vienna, Austria and Oradea, Romania The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority ( MBTA) is "a body politic and corporate and a political subdivision" of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Variotram ( German Variobahn) is a German-designed model of low-floor Tram. The Talent is a Multiple unit Passenger train manufactured by Bombardier Talbot that was developed by Waggonfabrik Talbot in Aachen shortly Talgo is a Spanish manufacturer of railway vehicles It is best known for a design of articulated railway passenger cars in which the wheels are mounted The Superliner is a double decker passenger car used by Amtrak on long haul trains that do not use the Northeast Corridor.
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