[[Image:VOTC9218.jpg|275px|right|thumb|''A Volvo articulated bus in contract service for Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, operated by Virginia Overland Transportation, an urban-suburban bus line, in 2003'']] Articulated buses, also known as bendy buses, accordion buses or jointed buses, have an increased passenger capacity. Found almost exclusively in public transportation use, these buses are longer than a standard bus. Lengths of these buses usually are around 60 feet, while a regular bus is 35 to 45 feet. To make them nimble enough they are fitted with an extra pair of wheels and a flexible joint (usually located slightly behind the midpoint of the bus, behind the second pair of wheels). 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 environs. [[Image:Bendy_Bus_Aug04.jpg|thumb|px250|A Mercedes-Benz (Citaro G type) articulated bus in use by London Buses]] Some buses have two flexible joints, and these are called bi-articulated. These are exotic and usually run in separate and often auto-guided lanes (quasi-trams or bus rapid transit). Some rare combinations between double decker and jointed buses also exist, but neither are in common use. [[image:Octranspo.JPG|thumb|left|An OC Transpo articulated bus in Ottawa, Canada.]] The main benefits of a bendy bus over a double decker (e.g., the London Routemaster bus) are increased stability (lower centre of gravity), lower roadwheel pressure, higher maximum speed, and compatibility with handicapped or elderly people. Bendy buses can be used in some cities with a tram network, while double-deckers would not fit under the overhead lines; however, there are other cities, such as Berlin, where double-deckers and trams coexist in some areas. Bendy buses are more suitable for mass transit purposes, because they have more doors (usually 3 dual-lane and 1 single-lane door or 4 duals) for rapid exchange of passengers. On the negative side, articulated buses have been criticised as being dangerous to bicycle and motorbike, as the driver cannot fully control the path of the vehicle as it goes round corners. A bendy bus is a long vehicle and usually requires a specially trained driver, as maneuvering can be difficult (particularly reversing). Articulated electric trolleybuses can be difficult to control with engines having momentary peak power in excess of 500 kW (800 horsepower)! The trailer section of a bendy can be subject to unusual centripetal forces, which can be a discomfort for many people. Nonetheless the bendy 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. The Hungarian "Volan" companies also run hundreds of articulated buses on intercity lines. Surprisingly, some people still regard any bendy as exotic, especially in the USA and Asia. Bendy buses can be of pusher or puller configuration. In pusher buses only the rear (C) axle is powered by a rear-mounted internal combustion engine and the longitudinal stability of the vehicle is maintained by active hydraulics mounted under the turntable. This is a modern system, which makes it possible to build entire length low-floor buses, which do not have any steps and you can get in from the pavement. In puller bendy buses the diesel engine is mounted under the floor, between the front and middle (A and B) axles and only the B axle is powered. This is an outdated design, which prohibits floor levels lower than app. 750 mm (30inch) and hurts passengers with high noise and vibration levels. In contrast, the puller bendy bus is cheaper to make and can be used in very narrow or severely pot-holed streets. A typical puller bendy is the articulated version of the Ikarus 280 from Hungary, with more than 200.000 buses manufactured between 1973-2000, mostly for Soviet bloc customers. Well-known makers of pusher-type articulated buses include Mercedes Benz, Renault Agora, Volvo in Poland, etc. Modern, low-floor pusher articulated buses usually suffer from suspension (vehicle) problems, because their wheels cannot have enough travel to absorb street unevenness, leading to passenger discomfort and relatively rapid disintegration of the superstructure (unless the road network is overhauled and constantly maintained to near-racetrack standards). Engine nacelle fire in pusher bendys is also a common peril, probably because the hot-running, Turbo charger-assisted, rear-mounted engine is fitted into a very cramped space with non-optimal cooling layout. Fortunately, city buses are fitted with diesel fueled engines, which means fires seldom cause personal injury, yet serious damage to the vehicle is quite common. ==Articulated buses in use== [[Image:Trolleybus_Arnhem.jpg|right|framed|A bendy trolleybus in Arnhem]] * Arnhem: operates bendy trolleybuses. * Bangalore: bendy buses are operated by BMTC(Corporation). * Boston: Siemens-built dual-power rubber-tire diesel/electric hybrid articulated buses were recently rolled out on the MBTA's South Boston Piers Transitway subway line. * Chicago: very old fleet of articulated buses were to be phased out in 2002, but the Chicago Transit Authority changed its mind and purchased a new fleet. * Dublin * Edmonton, Alberta - running exclusively on the lengthy Route 9, a route which spans the north-south length of the city. * Geneva: operates bendy trolleybuses to and from the Geneva Cointrin International Airport. * Groningen (city): operated by Arriva and NoordNed. * Hamburg: uses single articulated buses, currently testing double articulated buses (as of 2004). * Minneapolis/St. Paul: operated by Metro Transit (Minnesota), run on highways between cities and suburbs. The University of Minnesota transit system also has articulated buses. * Miskolc: runs 133 bendy buses on 33 of the 45 bus lines of the city. * Munich * New York: MTA New York City Bus operates many in The Bronx and Manhattan, and expected in Queens and Brooklyn. * Los Angeles: Used on LACMTA's Orange Line Bus Rapid Transit. * London: Bendy buses are used on routes 507, 521, 436, 453, 18, 149, 207, 25 and 73. They were introduced and then withdrawn after several caught fire, then reintroduced after safety checks were completed. * Ottawa: operated by OC Transpo and built by New Flyer. * San Francisco: San Francisco Municipal Railway currently has 60 articulated buses in use. * Singapore: Bendy buses are operated mainly by SMRT Corporation. * Utrecht (city) - bi-articulated buses. * Vancouver, British Columbia: Operated by Translink on some high-capacity 'B-Line' routes. * Washington DC: WMATA operates a large fleet of artic's on its urban and suburban routes. == External links == * [http://www.londonbuspage.com/040321.htm Burning Bendy Buses] * [http://www.guardian.co.uk/letters/story/0,,1294413,00.html A letter to The Guardian] * [http://www.sfmuni.com/cms/mms/aboutmun/trolley.htm San Francisco Muni buses] *[http://www.busesintl.com/May_2003.htm Busway programs in the Netherlands, bi-articulated bus] Bus transport Busses
== Trailers and hitches == I've replaced the following description of an articulated bus thus: :Articulated buses consist of a standard length bus fitted with a hitch and a trailer (Vehicle). The trailer part is connected to the front part with a rubber accordion section. with the text from the Bus article. Actually I reverted the same text as above out of the Bus article some while ago, but missed its inclusion here; below is my comment at that time. With the exception of the accordian bit, the above sounds more like a description of a bus+trailer combination, as widely used in Germany in the 1950s and, I believe, still used in some eastern european countries. It may be that some apparantly articulated buses are configured this way, but it certainly isn't the normal form. The most common form of modern articulated bus (eg. the MercedesBenz Citaros used in London) actually has the engine in the rear section, which can hardly therefore be described as a trailer. And obviously such a configuration requires something other than a tow-hitch. -- User:Chris j wood 20:33, 25 Oct 2004 (UTC)
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Words begining with Articulated_bus:
Articulated_bus
Articulated_bus
Articulated bus
[[Image:VOTC9218.jpg|275px|right|thumb|''A Volvo articulated bus in contract service for Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, operated by Virginia Overland Transportation, an urban-suburban bus line, in 2003'']] Articulated buses, also known as bendy buses, accordion buses or jointed buses, have an increased passenger capacity. Found almost exclusively in public transportation use, these buses are longer than a standard bus. Lengths of these buses usually are around 60 feet, while a regular bus is 35 to 45 feet. To make them nimble enough they are fitted with an extra pair of wheels and a flexible joint (usually located slightly behind the midpoint of the bus, behind the second pair of wheels). 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 environs. [[Image:Bendy_Bus_Aug04.jpg|thumb|px250|A Mercedes-Benz (Citaro G type) articulated bus in use by London Buses]] Some buses have two flexible joints, and these are called bi-articulated. These are exotic and usually run in separate and often auto-guided lanes (quasi-trams or bus rapid transit). Some rare combinations between double decker and jointed buses also exist, but neither are in common use. [[image:Octranspo.JPG|thumb|left|An OC Transpo articulated bus in Ottawa, Canada.]] The main benefits of a bendy bus over a double decker (e.g., the London Routemaster bus) are increased stability (lower centre of gravity), lower roadwheel pressure, higher maximum speed, and compatibility with handicapped or elderly people. Bendy buses can be used in some cities with a tram network, while double-deckers would not fit under the overhead lines; however, there are other cities, such as Berlin, where double-deckers and trams coexist in some areas. Bendy buses are more suitable for mass transit purposes, because they have more doors (usually 3 dual-lane and 1 single-lane door or 4 duals) for rapid exchange of passengers. On the negative side, articulated buses have been criticised as being dangerous to bicycle and motorbike, as the driver cannot fully control the path of the vehicle as it goes round corners. A bendy bus is a long vehicle and usually requires a specially trained driver, as maneuvering can be difficult (particularly reversing). Articulated electric trolleybuses can be difficult to control with engines having momentary peak power in excess of 500 kW (800 horsepower)! The trailer section of a bendy can be subject to unusual centripetal forces, which can be a discomfort for many people. Nonetheless the bendy 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. The Hungarian "Volan" companies also run hundreds of articulated buses on intercity lines. Surprisingly, some people still regard any bendy as exotic, especially in the USA and Asia. Bendy buses can be of pusher or puller configuration. In pusher buses only the rear (C) axle is powered by a rear-mounted internal combustion engine and the longitudinal stability of the vehicle is maintained by active hydraulics mounted under the turntable. This is a modern system, which makes it possible to build entire length low-floor buses, which do not have any steps and you can get in from the pavement. In puller bendy buses the diesel engine is mounted under the floor, between the front and middle (A and B) axles and only the B axle is powered. This is an outdated design, which prohibits floor levels lower than app. 750 mm (30inch) and hurts passengers with high noise and vibration levels. In contrast, the puller bendy bus is cheaper to make and can be used in very narrow or severely pot-holed streets. A typical puller bendy is the articulated version of the Ikarus 280 from Hungary, with more than 200.000 buses manufactured between 1973-2000, mostly for Soviet bloc customers. Well-known makers of pusher-type articulated buses include Mercedes Benz, Renault Agora, Volvo in Poland, etc. Modern, low-floor pusher articulated buses usually suffer from suspension (vehicle) problems, because their wheels cannot have enough travel to absorb street unevenness, leading to passenger discomfort and relatively rapid disintegration of the superstructure (unless the road network is overhauled and constantly maintained to near-racetrack standards). Engine nacelle fire in pusher bendys is also a common peril, probably because the hot-running, Turbo charger-assisted, rear-mounted engine is fitted into a very cramped space with non-optimal cooling layout. Fortunately, city buses are fitted with diesel fueled engines, which means fires seldom cause personal injury, yet serious damage to the vehicle is quite common. ==Articulated buses in use== [[Image:Trolleybus_Arnhem.jpg|right|framed|A bendy trolleybus in Arnhem]] * Arnhem: operates bendy trolleybuses. * Bangalore: bendy buses are operated by BMTC(Corporation). * Boston: Siemens-built dual-power rubber-tire diesel/electric hybrid articulated buses were recently rolled out on the MBTA's South Boston Piers Transitway subway line. * Chicago: very old fleet of articulated buses were to be phased out in 2002, but the Chicago Transit Authority changed its mind and purchased a new fleet. * Dublin * Edmonton, Alberta - running exclusively on the lengthy Route 9, a route which spans the north-south length of the city. * Geneva: operates bendy trolleybuses to and from the Geneva Cointrin International Airport. * Groningen (city): operated by Arriva and NoordNed. * Hamburg: uses single articulated buses, currently testing double articulated buses (as of 2004). * Minneapolis/St. Paul: operated by Metro Transit (Minnesota), run on highways between cities and suburbs. The University of Minnesota transit system also has articulated buses. * Miskolc: runs 133 bendy buses on 33 of the 45 bus lines of the city. * Munich * New York: MTA New York City Bus operates many in The Bronx and Manhattan, and expected in Queens and Brooklyn. * Los Angeles: Used on LACMTA's Orange Line Bus Rapid Transit. * London: Bendy buses are used on routes 507, 521, 436, 453, 18, 149, 207, 25 and 73. They were introduced and then withdrawn after several caught fire, then reintroduced after safety checks were completed. * Ottawa: operated by OC Transpo and built by New Flyer. * San Francisco: San Francisco Municipal Railway currently has 60 articulated buses in use. * Singapore: Bendy buses are operated mainly by SMRT Corporation. * Utrecht (city) - bi-articulated buses. * Vancouver, British Columbia: Operated by Translink on some high-capacity 'B-Line' routes. * Washington DC: WMATA operates a large fleet of artic's on its urban and suburban routes. == External links == * [http://www.londonbuspage.com/040321.htm Burning Bendy Buses] * [http://www.guardian.co.uk/letters/story/0,,1294413,00.html A letter to The Guardian] * [http://www.sfmuni.com/cms/mms/aboutmun/trolley.htm San Francisco Muni buses] *[http://www.busesintl.com/May_2003.htm Busway programs in the Netherlands, bi-articulated bus] Bus transport Busses
Articulated bus
== Trailers and hitches == I've replaced the following description of an articulated bus thus: :Articulated buses consist of a standard length bus fitted with a hitch and a trailer (Vehicle). The trailer part is connected to the front part with a rubber accordion section. with the text from the Bus article. Actually I reverted the same text as above out of the Bus article some while ago, but missed its inclusion here; below is my comment at that time. With the exception of the accordian bit, the above sounds more like a description of a bus+trailer combination, as widely used in Germany in the 1950s and, I believe, still used in some eastern european countries. It may be that some apparantly articulated buses are configured this way, but it certainly isn't the normal form. The most common form of modern articulated bus (eg. the MercedesBenz Citaros used in London) actually has the engine in the rear section, which can hardly therefore be described as a trailer. And obviously such a configuration requires something other than a tow-hitch. -- User:Chris j wood 20:33, 25 Oct 2004 (UTC)
See other meanings of words starting from letter:
A
AB | AC | AD | AE | AF | AG | AH | AI | AJ | AK | AL | AM | AN | AO | AP | AR | AS | AT | AU | AW | AX | AY | AZ |Words begining with Articulated_bus:
Articulated_bus
Articulated_bus
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