PARATRANSIT VEHICLE TEST AND EVALUATION. VOLUME I: RIDE COMFORT AND QUALITY TESTS

The vehicles presently available for paratransit service do not cover the full spectrum of required characteristics necessary for public transportation. Therefore, specifications were developed by the U.S. Government for a vehicle specifically for use in paratransit service. Prototype vehicles were manufactured for the Government by two different manufacturers, and independent series of tests and evaluations of these vehicles were conducted. The program was structured to provide performance data that will be used to upgrade future redesigns. The program consisted of five separate test series: (1) Ride Comfort and Quality; (2) Acceleration and Interior Measurement; (3) Handling; (4) Fuel Economy; and (5) Noise. The results of the program are documented in a five-volume technical report, and each volume corresponds to one of the individual test series. This volume (Volume I) presents the test procedures and results of the ride comfort and quality test series. The objectives of this test series were to measure the ride characteristics of the test vehicles and to determine if and how well they satisfied standards for ride quality. The tests measured the ride characteristics of the two prototype vehicles and a baseline passenger car as they were driven at controlled speeds over a specially constructed ride course. The vibratory motions impacted to the driver and passengers were evaluated against the criteria in International Standard ISO 2631 for driver fatigue and passenger comfort.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Also available in set of 5 reports PB-295474 SET.
• Corporate Authors:

  Dynamic Science

  1850 West Pinnacle Peak Road
  Phoenix, AZ  United States  85027

  Urban Mass Transportation Administration

  Office of Tech Development & Deployment, 400 7th Street, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  Transportation Systems Center

  55 Broadway, Kendall Square
  Cambridge, MA  United States  02142
• Authors:
  • Wesson, L
  • Culley, C
  • Anderson, R L
• Publication Date: 1978-6

Media Info

• Pagination: 216 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Comfort; Paratransit services; Performance evaluations; Ride quality; Specifications; Test procedures; Test vehicles; Vehicle design
• Subject Areas: Design; Public Transportation; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00370333
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: UMTA-MA-06-0052-78-1Final Rpt., DOT-TSC-UMTA-77-49-1
• Contract Numbers: DOT-TSC-1241, UMTA-MA-06-0052
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Feb 28 1983 12:00AM