ARTICULATED BUSES

This handbook provides guidance for evaluating, purchasing and deploying articulated buses, relating the experience which U.S. transit agencies have had with this equipment and suggesting methods for analyzing the economic implications of various articulated bus service strategies. Since the first artics was purchased for U.S. service in 1976, over 1500 have been acquired by about 30 operating agencies. The two primary reasons for using them are to carry the same number of passengers at lower cost and to increase route capacity. Chapter I introduces the Handbook, describing uses to which artics are put and the equipment options. Chapter II offers guidance on how a transit agency can determine if artics are proper for its services. Chapter III gives practical tips on identifying routes which are good artic opportunities. Chapter IV introduces Artic bus maintenance considerations and the preparations which must be made to keep the equipment in good operating order. Chapter V covers other startup issues. Chapter VI discusses how artic operation is different from standard transit buses. Chapter VII covers performance of artics. Chapter VIII shows, through worksheets, unit cost tables for economics of deploying artics on particular routes.

• Corporate Authors:

  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

  Office of Service and Management Demonstration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Publication Date: 1984-11

Media Info

• Features: Figures; Photos; Tables;
• Pagination: 147 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Articulated buses; Bus routes; Bus transit; Implementation; Maintainability; Maintenance management; Maintenance practices; Operations; Planning; Productivity; Quality of service; Reliability; Scheduling
• Old TRIS Terms: Bus services; Operations planning
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Research; Vehicles and Equipment; I10: Economics and Administration;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00395239
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: DOT-TSC-1752
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: May 31 1985 12:00AM