STATE OF THE HARDWARE

The UMTA-sponsored small bus requirements study classified small buses in three generic types: front engine, front drive; front engine, read drive; and rear drive, rear engine. The basic space requirement of that small bus is approximately 23 seats. Based on the room available in the bus, there might be space for 18 standees, but there was no requirement in the study for any particular number of standees. Other specifications call for 80 to 96 km/h (50 to 60 mph) operation, a 9.1-m (30-ft) turning radius, an 8.5-m (28-ft) length, approximately a 2.4-m (8-ft) width, a 45.7-cm (18-in.) floor height, and at least 2 m (6-1/2 ft) of head room. Based on the floor height, it was calculated that the first step height from a 20.3-cm (8-in.) riser would be 25.4 cm (10 in.), but this was not specified in the study. How do the buses available now compare with what the small bus requirements study recommended? No one small bus has all the characteristics the study recommended. This situation presents a challenge to the industry. We are on the threshold of a small bus market, particularly if that market can be defined so that manufacturing for the transit market does not exclude manufacturing for the commercial market--i.e., airport shuttles and limousines. The transit market alone may be too small, and the manufacturing industry cannot achieve economies of scale producing only small transit vehicles. A small bus of a totally new integral design will be expensive, and under present market conditions it will be hard to ask the manufacturing industry alone to bear the research and development cost. (Author)

• Digital Copy:
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• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper appeared in TRB Unpublished Report No. 6, Workshop on Small Buses.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Elms, C P
• Publication Date: 1978-9

Media Info

• Features: Figures; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 5-7
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Board Unpublished Report
  • Issue Number: 6
  • Publisher: Transportation Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Markets; Needs assessment; Small buses; Specifications; Trend (Statistics); Turning radius; Vehicle size
• Uncontrolled Terms: User needs
• Subject Areas: Highways; Vehicles and Equipment; I91: Vehicle Design and Safety;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00376365
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: Final Rpt.
• Contract Numbers: DOT-UT-70060
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Jul 30 1983 12:00AM