94-541: The Neoplan Centroliner is a series of low-floor transit buses which was first unveiled in 1997, and mainly built by Neoplan Bus GmbH for the European market. At the time when it was first released, it adopted contemporary technologies like Controller Area Network . The product range of Centroliner included: midibus , full-size / articulated single-decker , and three-axle double-decker , in different body lengths. The rigids had 1 door, 2 door or 3 doors whereas
188-418: A low-entry bus or seldom a flat-floor bus in some locations. Low floor refers to a bus deck that is accessible from the sidewalk with only a single step with a small height difference, caused solely by the difference between the bus deck and sidewalk. This is distinct from high-floor , a bus deck design that requires climbing one or more steps (now known as step entrance) to access the interior floor that
282-640: A 12.0m Castrosua City Versus bodied MAN NL313F CNG concept bus with three doors at the 11th Seoul Motor Show . It was marketed as the MAN Lion's City CNG, despite featuring Castrosua bodywork, which has a different design with the integral MAN Lion's City's body. Gimpo Trans Co. received the first delivery of NL313F CNG and began service on Gimpo City bus route 1002 in November 2017. At Brisbane Airport , Carbridge operates one imported and rebodied Gemilang Coachworks MAN NL323F from Singapore which
376-1174: A 12.8m long ND323F A95. New China Lane Travel , To Yo Travel and Goldspark Hong Kong Tours have also ordered ND323F A95s in open top form. Discovery Bay Transit Services (DBTSL) from Discovery Bay placed an order of four ND323F A95s in 2016 and delivered in June 2017. They were registered in late June and mid-July 2017. In 2019, DBTSL ordered two ND323F A95s equipped with MAN D 2066 LUH-51 engine and delivered in January and February 2020. Two new buses were registered and operated in July 2020. HZMB bus operator has ordered 20 ND363Fs with 4.2m height variant and delivered in 2018. In 2019, HZMB bus operator has ordered 40 ND323Fs with 4.2m height variant and MAN D 2066 LUH-51 engine. These buses are delivered since April 2019. In 2017, State Transit purchased 41 Gemilang Coachworks bodied MAN A95s for its Sydney B-Line service. In 2019, Forest Coach Lines purchased 6 Gemilang Coachworks bodied MAN A95s. In 2019, RTA (Dubai) ordered 70 Gemilang bodied MAN A95s. This
470-463: A Luminator Technology Group Electronic Display Signage (EDS) and Passenger Information Display Systems (PIDS), Driver Assistance Technology, and the two wheelchair bays. These buses made their debut on 28 May 2018. together with MAN ND323F A95 Euro 6 units. In the same year, 2017, a Euro V MAN NL323F was taken out of revenue service and was then shipped from Singapore to Turku in Finland as part of
564-612: A MAN NG363F A24 prototype unit, SMB388S, for testing and evaluation from the local MAN's dealer, ST Kinetics . The chassis was built in Germany and later assembly in Gemilang Coachworks of Malaysia. On 18 April 2013, the bus was deployed on Service 190 making its debut as the first articulated bus brought in by SMRT Buses and the firstlow floor layout and wheelchair accessible articulated bus (WAB) in Singapore. This bus
658-540: A NEOMAN Centroliner N4426/3 (APM1) with MAN ND313F chassis and straight staircase . The width of the bus has increased from 2.50 metres (98.4 in) to 2.55 metres (100.4 in), and is equipped with MAN D2866 LUH-24 straight six engine, four-speed Voith DIWA864.3E transmission, and ventilated disc brakes on all wheels. The bus was painted in gold with dark brown skirt, which is the standard livery for other straight-staircase low-floor buses such as TransBus Enviro500 and Wright -bodied Volvo Super Olympian . It
752-670: A facelift. The first models to be introduced were the 12-metre low-floor intercity bus NÜ xx3 (A20) in 1996, the 12-metre city bus NL xx3 (A21) in 1997 and the articulated NG xx3 (A23) in 1998. As with former MAN bus models the power-rating made up part of the model name, giving the NÜ-series buses with power-ratings of 260 and 310 hp model names NÜ 263 and NÜ 313 respectively. The main production sites are in Starachowice and Sady in Poland, but
846-553: A four-speed Voith DIWA864.3E or five-speed ZF Ecomat 5HP602C transmissions. They were coated with special metallic 'flip' paint, which shows different colours (mainly green and purple), depending on the angle of light reflection. They entered service in August 2001. One of them (AP131) was repainted in the standard KMB champagne gold livery in 2010. In 2002, KMB acquired a further 30 Centroliner N4426/3s (AP133-AP162) with MAN Euro 3 engines. Two of them (fleet number AP144, AP159) are
940-785: A high floor bus where the floor is flat in order to align with the high platforms in certain Bus Rapid Transit systems. Thereby, referring to it as a non-step high floor bus. The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) mandates the use of low-floor or low-entry buses on city bus routes in the Philippines since 2016. Low-floor buses are used on city bus networks in Metro Manila , Metro Cebu and Davao City , and on some provincial routes, and most Point-to-Point Bus services, although older coaches are still largely used for such services. Buses used on
1034-557: A low floor height by making rear-engined rear-wheel drive buses with independent front suspension , so that no axle is needed to pass under the floor of the front part of passenger compartment, or a lowered front axle. Some full low-floor buses also have a lowered rear axle, while the rear axle is not an issue on a low-entry bus. Many low-floor buses, including the Irisbus Citelis (also in Skoda 24Tr trolleybus version), have
SECTION 10
#17327917932421128-459: A low floor, can provide a nearly level entry. An implementation of the low floor design exists in Australia where custom coaches make a "hybrid" variant of its CB60 bodywork. These buses combine a smaller low floor area with a small underfloor bin for some luggage. Whilst these buses do not provide a full amount of luggage space, they can be used to house more luggage than what can be held inside
1222-464: A low-floor bus "no-step bus (ノーステップバス)". At Enshu Railway Company in Hamamatsu Area, a low-floor bus is called "omnibus (オムニバス)", " cho-teisho bus (超低床バス; very low-floor bus)" and " cho-teisho omnibus (超低床オムニバス; very low-floor omnibus)". Japanese government calls a low-floor bus " cho-teisho non-step bus (超低床ノンステップバス; very low-floor non-step bus)". The term non-step bus may also refer to
1316-497: A low-floor design. A small number of higher capacity articulated low-floor buses are used to service the city's southern busways. In Sydney , routes may be operated by both high-floor buses and low-entry ones. Selected routes can be set aside specifically for low-entry buses which are considered to be wheelchair-accessible routes. A recent all-low-entry bus network is the Metrobus system. MAN ND313F The MAN Lion's City
1410-480: A modified bodywork design based on the MAN Lion's City Hybrid, built to a low-entry configuration under license by Gemilang Coachworks . The bus was later painted into the lush green livery and began a 6-month trial service with SMRT Buses from 19 June 2017, starting from bus service 190. The Bus was later taken out of service in December 2017 after its trial and parked at ST Engineering Land System's compound. The bus
1504-624: A more comfortable ride on rough roads. Some manufacturers use the initials LF or L in their model designations for fully low-floor models (or in the case of German manufacturers, NF or N , based on the German word Niederflur , which means low floor), and in North America buses that are partially low-floor are often also designated LF. In some countries, LE , short for Low Entry , is used by some manufacturers in their model designations for low-entry buses. Most bus manufacturers achieve
1598-524: A new double deck chassis based on the NL3x3F A22 series low floor single-decker chassis was launched as the MAN ND323F and MAN ND363F , with a new chassis code A95 . Currently, the bodywork of all A95 buses are built by Gemilang Coachworks and are based on the licensed MAN Lion's City DD design, and is also marketed in various markets as the MAN Lion's City DD for the 12.0 m long variant and
1692-861: A number of these buses have been suspended from service. Some believe that it is caused by the difficulty in maintenance by NWFB, or due to the fleet quota limit set by the Transport Department of Hong Kong . However, the actual reason is not clearly known. All of them have been put back into the fleet. The last Neoplan Centroliner in NWFB (Fleet numbers 6024, 6027, 6030) was retired in February 2019, indicating that there are no more Neoplan Centroliners in franchised service. Sun Bus acquired two Neoplan Centroliners (formerly AP144, 146) from Kowloon Motor Bus, so that they could provide high capacity non-franchised private hire vehicles. They first appeared as
1786-497: A part of the bus, most commonly between the front door and the middle door (more popular in North America). In North America, both types are commonly called low-floor, as the majority of the vehicle has a low floor, without steps at the doors. The main reason for choosing a low-entry configuration is to allow better placement for the powertrain and other technical equipment in the raised floor section, in addition to allowing
1880-523: A preference for high floor buses. Although New York City Transit runs some 40-foot low-floors, it originally refused to order low-floor buses, namely D60LFs from New Flyer , after the D60HF, a high floor model, was discontinued mid-delivery. However, they have demonstrated both the D60LF and NovaBus LFSA, the latter of which they have decided to order. Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation Bangalore
1974-463: A proof of concept for retrofitting diesel buses to electric buses. The project was done with Finnish Electric Bus manufacturer, Linkker and assisted by ST Engineering . The bus had undergone extensive conversion and installation of traction system, battery system, power distribution system, vehicle control system, charging connectivity system and driver's workplace upgrade. It has since been retrofitted with overhead opportunity charging via pantograph with
SECTION 20
#17327917932422068-485: A result, many of such buses require electronically controlled air suspension to compensate the lopsided configuration. Low-floor buses usually include an area without seating (or seating that folds up) next to at least one of the doors, where wheelchairs , walkers , strollers/prams, and where allowed even bicycles, can be parked. This is sometimes not the only purpose of this area, though, as many operators employ larger standee areas for high occupancy at peak times. Despite
2162-400: A secondary CCS2 plug-in charger and Linkker LinkDrive electric driveline. The bus was then redeployed back on revenue service after approximately 4 years in 2021. However, the bus was plagued by several issues and was taken out of revenue service and was back on ST Engineering's premises for repairs. After 8 months, the bus returned to revenue service once again in August 2023. In 2020, during
2256-502: A shuttle for tourists from the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal in a KMB gold livery with no logo. In December 2019, former AP146 toppled to its side on the roof of KMB's Lai Chi Kok depot. The bus was repaired and was put back into service two months later. The bus later retired in mid-2020. One Kowloon Motor Bus-owned Centroliner (fleet number AP69) was forced off a viaduct by a lorry on Tuen Mun Road on 10 July 2003 and
2350-530: A tender was awarded by LTA to ST Kinetics for the procurement of 111 MAN ND323Fs, which were delivered with subtle differences as compared to the earlier batches. These buses entered service in March 2020, with the final bus delivered in October 2021. Similarities to the previous batches, these buses are currently assigned to SBS Transit and SMRT Buses for fleet additions and replacement of retiring buses. Following
2444-492: Is a range of low-floor and low-entry public buses built by German truck and bus manufacturer MAN Truck & Bus (previously MAN Nutzfahrzeuge) since 1996 primarily for the European market, but is also available in chassis-only variants worldwide. The name Lion's City has been used since 2006, when MAN 's public bus models which had been marketed separately were gathered into one range, when also most models received
2538-669: Is a very low or non-existent availability of high-floor electric buses. The majority of standard and truncated vehicles were and are the Caio Millennium and Millennium BRT "toco" models, on Mercedes-Benz O500U, Scania K270 and K310, Volvo B7RLE and B290RLE and Volkswagen 17.240 and 17.260 chassis. For articulated vehicles, Caio Mondego HA and Millennium BRT vehicles with Mercedes-Benz O500UA and O500UDA chassis were and are used. The Biarticulates were made with Caio TopBus PB and Millennium BRT TopBus bodies on Volvo B360S and B9Salf chassis. In Brisbane , all Translink buses are of
2632-486: Is equivalent to the previous order and equipped with MAN D 2066 LUH-51 engine. They are being delivered to Hong Kong since February 2019. In May 2015, an ND363F was delivered to Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB) of Hong Kong and was first used during August 2015. In October 2015, KMB placed an order for 20 ND323Fs with Gemilang Lion's City DD body. In 2017, KMB ordered one ND323F with Gemilang self-build body and equipped with Navaho LCD display. New World First Bus also ordered
2726-415: Is more expensive for the operator, and only attractive for regular busy scheduled routes. For infrequent routes or routes with hail and ride sections, or demand responsive transport , raised curbs would only be feasible in terminuses . Some transit agencies refused to order low-floor buses altogether, such as New Jersey Transit and MUNI owing to terrain conditions in the service area. DART still has
2820-466: Is one of the first cities in India that introduced Low Floor buses. The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation, BMTC operates many services using the premium Volvo 8400LE Low-floor buses. These buses are air-conditioned, and offer features such as automatic transmission, kneeling and wheel-chair ramp, typical of modern city buses. They are also fitted with LED display boards as well as ITS to announce
2914-529: Is placed at a higher height. Being low-floor improves the accessibility of the bus for the public, particularly the elderly and people with disabilities , including those using wheelchairs and walkers . Almost all are rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout . Low-floor buses are generally divided into two major types: fully low-floor buses with a low floor throughout the length of the bus (more popular in Europe ), and low-entry buses with step-free access to only
Neoplan Centroliner - Misplaced Pages Continue
3008-454: Is the first order of the A95 in left-hand drive configuration. The MAN NG363F , with the chassis code A24 , is a tri-axle 17.98 metre chassis. Which is a low-floor articulated city bus with similar diesel powertrain to MAN NL323F (A22) and MAN ND323F / ND363F (A95). Where the engine and transmission units are mounted longitudinally on the rear left of the vehicle. In 2013, SMRT Buses received
3102-598: The Bus Contracting Model (BCM) , some of the buses were transferred to Tower Transit Singapore , Go-Ahead Singapore and SBS Transit respectively, and some buses have been repainted into the standardized lush green livery. In October 2016, a MAN NL323F concept bus with 3 doors was exhibited at the Singapore International Transport Congress and Exhibition (SITCE). Marketed as the MAN Lion's City SD 3Dr, it features
3196-515: The COVID-19 pandemic, 20 units of NL323F were deregistered and retrofitted into dedicated COVID-19 patient transport vehicles known as COMET MAXI. This project is a collaboration between SMRT Corporation , HOPE Technik, Sheares Healthcare and Temasek Foundation . These buses were repainted into a Silver Livery and pasted with perforated vinyl stickers intended for privacy. These buses are retrofitted with airtight floor-to-ceiling partition separating
3290-725: The Den Oudsten B85/B86 [ nl ] . Other competitors followed suit, with the Orion VI (1995), Nova Bus LF Series (1996, also derived from the Den Oudsten B85), Gillig Low Floor (1997, derived from a shuttle bus design for the Hertz rental car agency), and Neoplan AN440L (1990/94/99). By 2008, most new bus orders in the United States were for low-floor buses. In the capital of this country,
3384-871: The EDSA Busway are usually equipped with 1-2 doors on the left side for boarding at the median stations, although not all units currently have them installed. Low-floor buses often use upholstered coach-style seating in a 2-3, or 2-2 configuration, although plastic seats may be found in some buses. Low-floor wheelchair-accessible buses were first introduced in Singapore in 2006 with 150 Volvo B9TL CDGE buses procured by SBS Transit . These buses were registered SBS7300P - SBS7499A. Volvo B9TL CDGE buses were fully retired in 2023. In 2007, SBS Transit procured 1101 units of low-entry Scania K230UB buses bodied by Gemilang Coachworks of Senai , Malaysia . Afterwards, all new city buses procured by SBS Transit, SMRT Buses and
3478-564: The Land Transport Authority are low-floor. Low-floor buses are first adopted in Germany in 1989, and to make them easier to use for wheelchairs and strollers, the minimum ground clearance of the entire vehicle is lowered and the floor is proportionately raised by 30 centimetres (12 in) above the road surface. The Dennis Dart SLF (Super Low Floor) marked the wholesale introduction of single-deck low floor buses in
3572-614: The Lion's City Hybrid , which uses supercapacitors and two 67 kW electric motors is available since 2010. Hybrid electric buses offer increased efficiency in urban traffic and use 30% less fuel than combustion-only buses. The latest generation of Neoplan Centroliner is based on the Lion's City (Neoplan was also part of the Neoman Bus group). Codes inside parentheses are internal codes that identify some technical characteristics of
3666-571: The United Kingdom . SMRT Buses trialled an MCV Evolution bodied MAN NL323F demonstrator in 2010. Following the success of the trial, SMRT Buses announced the purchase of 200 MAN NL323F Euro V with MAN Lion's City Hybrid Bodywork manufactured and assembled in Malaysia by Gemilang Coachworks . The first of these debuted in 2011. These were followed up by orders for 202 more of such buses in 2013, and then 332 more units in 2014. As part of
3760-623: The AC volvo bus and MW series are served by the Tata Marcopolo buses operated by WBSTC. AC Marcopolo buses serve the MH series route operated by WBHIDCO and the MB series route operated by BHBL. Calcutta State Transport Corporation (CSTC) also run AC Volvo Bus & Ashok Leylan JanBus. In Japan , a low-floor bus is called "non-step bus (ノンステップバス)". Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation used to calling
3854-809: The Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, since 1997 the legislation governs that all buses of lines of "national" jurisdiction (bus lines that circulate within the capital district and/or cross from here to the suburbs). The first low-floor bus produced in Argentina and marketed in this country was the El Detalle OA105, and the first low-floor bus imported by Argentina was the Marcopolo Torino GV Low-Entry brought from Brazil in 1998. Within Paraguay's public transit system, it
Neoplan Centroliner - Misplaced Pages Continue
3948-607: The Bus Captain from rear passenger compartment featuring an emergency door for cross-compartment passage fitted with a rubber gasket and viewing windows on the partition. The buses are also installed with Negative Pressure System with HEPA Filters , ensuring clean air is filtered out from the passengers compartment, as which 2 seats are removed from the bus. Other modifications include the isolation of both cabin's air-conditioning system, differential pressure gauge and additional roof mounted aircon duct and an air-conditioning blower at
4042-538: The Lion's City Hybrid bodywork mounted on conventional diesel chassis. The MAN NLxx3F is a series of low-floor single-decker city bus chassis between 10 metre and 12 metre lengths, offered by MAN since 1998, with chassis code A22 . They are based on the integral low-floor MAN NLxx3 Lion's City (A21). Available versions since launch include: NL223F, NL233F, NL243F, NL263F, NL273F, NL283F, NL313F, and NL323F. - Liquefied petroleum gas and CNG versions are also available, with NL313F Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) being
4136-478: The MAN Lion's City DD L for the 12.8 m long variant. A concept bodywork design was unveiled in 2015, in the form of a 3-door bus built for Singapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA). Currently, a refreshed design based on the concept is being adopted on the newer buses. In addition, the Australian market buses feature a different rear end design as compared to those sold in other markets. In November 2014, SMRT
4230-559: The United Kingdom in 1995, after many small-scale demonstrator usages. Low floor buses were rapidly introduced on high-profile routes, notably becoming a requirement for London Buses contracts. The Optare Solo introduced in 1997 marked another step change with inroads into smaller usages traditionally served by minibuses . The final phase came with low floor double-deckers the Dennis Trident 2 and Volvo B7TL entering
4324-898: The WBSTC. These buses connects places like the Kolkata Airport , Barasat (Capital Town of North Suburb), New Town , Salt Lake , Howrah , Santragachi (a station on the Howrah-Kharagpur railway line), Kudghat and Tollygunge . The road network in Kolkata is vast. Under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, air conditioned buses have been included as a part of travel comfort to commuters. Air-conditioned buses are operated by West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation (WBSTC) directly & through outsourcing. These buses are served by Tata Marcopolo Buses and Volvo Low Floor Buses. The V Series and VS series bus routes are served by
4418-455: The articulated have 2 doors, 3 doors or 4 doors. After the acquisition of Neoplan by MAN AG subsidy MAN Nutzfahrzeuge AG , a new version of Centroliner full-size/articulated single-decker was launched, it was also known as Neoplan Centroliner Evolution and was based on MAN Lion's City with different bodywork. After restructuring of MAN's bus division in 2009, Neoplan is concentrating exclusively on luxury coaches and due to that, Centroliner
4512-475: The bodywork in the previous batch. These buses were equipped with two wheelchair bays as compared to one in previous batches. An option was exercised in 2018 to procure an additional 150 MAN ND323Fs in this batch. These buses entered revenue service in May 2018 and are currently assigned to SBS Transit, SMRT Buses, Tower Transit and Go-Ahead Singapore for fleet additions and replacement of retiring buses. In July 2018,
4606-526: The bus itself. Another drawback is the arrangement means the section of the bus that is at curb height is very short—consisting of enough space to house the wheelchair area and then rising up, to accommodate the luggage bin. These buses also lack the ability to have a center door. Many bus rapid transit systems employ a level boarding by using high-floor buses stopping at "station" style bus stops. Specially raised sections of curb may also be used to achieve accessibility with lesser low floor models, although this
4700-542: The city center. Low-floor buses have become popular on the Structural and Regional Articulation lines, and have been a mandatory model to be purchased for these since 2015. Until then, exceptions for local lines with low-floor buses were rare, but this has been changing since 2019 and especially since 2023. In 2023, the city banned the purchase of new diesel buses. With the mandatory use of electric buses, new buses on local lines are also being made with low floors, as there
4794-502: The conventional buses. A revamp plan is underway to improve bus-shelters in the city and to integrate GPS systems in DTC buses and bus stops so as to provide reliable information about bus arrivals. The Delhi Government decided to expedite this process and procured 6,600 low floor buses for the DTC before commonwealth games in 2010. Kolkata has an extensive network of government run buses. Recently air-conditioned buses have been introduced by
SECTION 50
#17327917932424888-433: The curb the bus is parked and wheelchair design, this can allow wheelchair users to board unaided. Though such technology has been available and in use on high-floor buses since the 1970s, it is of significant utility on low-floor vehicles only 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 which, when combined with
4982-459: The end of 2005, 10 years ahead of the national requirement. London was one of the first major cities in the world to have a fully accessible bus fleet. Due to the deregulated nature of the public transport system in the UK, adoption of the higher cost low floor buses was usually in conjunction with some sort of grant or quality partnership with a local authority , as the profitability of many routes
5076-446: The enforced sale of non-compliant existing vehicles, allowing operators to retain a high floor vehicle until "the end of their economic life". In reality, as the prevalence of low floor buses spreads, combined with grants/incentives, it is likely that the prevalence of high floor vehicles in the national fleet will markedly reduce before all buses were de-registered by 27 October 2014. In the past, in times of reduced economic investment, it
5170-420: The engine in a vertical cabinet at the rear of the bus. Van Hool have a series of "side-engine mid-drive" buses that puts the engine off to one side of the cabin longitudinally between the first and the second axle, to maximize usable cabin space. The same concept was also utilized by Volvo on their B9S articulated chassis. For smaller buses, such as midibuses , the low-floor capability is achieved by placing
5264-612: The first 30 units being based on the concept and the rest with an updated design. These buses were assigned to SBS Transit, SMRT Buses, Tower Transit and Go-Ahead Singapore, with most units in SMRT Buses replacing retiring Mercedes-Benz O405G articulated buses. In November 2017, under a negotiated tender, the Land Transport Authority ordered 250 MAN buses, comprising 150 MAN NL323Fs and 100 MAN ND323Fs, equipped with MAN D 2066 LUH-51 engines and minor differences to
5358-525: The fitment of special lifts. The inception of small low-floor buses has allowed the development of several accessible demand-responsive transport schemes using standard 'off-the-shelf' buses. A disadvantage of the low floor is accommodating the bus's own wheels. With the low floor, the wheels protrude into the passenger cabin, and need to be contained in wheel pockets of waist height, and this occupies space which would otherwise be used for seating. To allow space for technical equipment, many low-floor buses have
5452-654: The front of the dashboard. These buses were sold off to private operators in 2021 due to excess buses in the public service fleet, with modifications removed on some units. The 12 metre MAN NL323 buses was manufactured by Gemilang Coachworks of Malaysia. These MAN NL323 buses entered service in 2010. operated by Discovery Bay in Hong Kong. The 10.3 metre MAN 14.250 HOCL-NL (A66) buses with MAN Lion's City Hybrid bodywork manufactured and assembly by Gemilang Coachworks in Malaysia. The MAN 14.250 HOCL-NL (A66) bus its made debut in since January 2018. In March 2017, MAN exhibited
5546-485: The front wheels ahead of the entrance. One of the last types of buses to gain low-floor accessibility as standard was the minibus , where a similar front-wheel arrangement allows around 12 seats and a wheelchair space to be accommodated in very small low-floor minibuses , such as the Optare Alero and Hino Poncho . Accessibility was previously achieved in paratransit type applications, which use small vehicles with
5640-747: The halts. The corporation also had tried Mercedes-Benz Low-Floor buses as well as Ashok Leyland ULE coaches, but chose to stick to the Volvo offering. In order to keep the bus ticket prices low, the BMTC operates the majority of their services using Non-Airconditioned Semi-Low Floor (SLF) buses that have a floor height of 650mm as against the 400mm floor height of the true Low-Floor buses. These buses are from Ashok Leyland and Tata Motors, with future procurements planned to be from Eicher (VECV). These cheaper alternative to low-floor buses do not have kneeling or wheel-chair accessible ramps, but they have air suspension and use
5734-455: The introduction of the model names in 2004, the system is still in use on all vehicles, but is more for internal use. In most cases it can be found on the plate inside the bus where one finds the VIN. For example, an ND323F low-floor double-decker bus has a power output of 320 hp. Low-floor chassis variants are offered for external bodywork by local bodywork manufacturers. Most are bodied in
SECTION 60
#17327917932425828-402: The lack of steps, studies have found the opposite effect in the UK. This is apparently due to the prevailing system of operation where passengers enter and exit through one single front door. It has been suggested that the previous 1980s/90s high floor step entrance buses which featured a centre rail, encouraged a bi-directional flow of entering and exiting passengers simultaneously. The removal of
5922-544: The local manufacturer's own styling, but some are licensed to replicate the Lion's City bodywork, usually in markets where MAN don't sell the integral variants. This includes the East Lancs Kinetec for the UK market, which only replicate the front part and Gemilang Coachworks 's version of the Lion's City, replicating the whole LHD bodywork for their (usually RHD) buses sold in Asia Pacific market, including
6016-547: The mass market, even though they were introduced after the Optare Spectra . London Buses was one of the earliest major users of low-floor buses, with the first low-floor single decker vehicles entering service in 1993 and the first low-floor double decker vehicles entering service in 1998. Following withdrawal of older, high-floor vehicles such as the AEC Routemaster , the bus fleet became fully accessible at
6110-580: The models have also been built in Germany, Turkey and Malaysia. Initially most of the midibus variants were manufactured by Göppel Bus in Augsburg , later Nobitz . Models are available with a 6-cylinder turbocharged straight engine which runs on diesel , compressed natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas . Versions with hydrogen fuel cell drive and with hydrogen internal combustion engines have been successfully tested, as well as diesel-electric hybrid drive. A production hybrid-electric version,
6204-541: The most powerful. EMT Madrid of Madrid , Spain received a total of 84 CNG -powered NL313F CNGs in 2008. They were bodied by Castrosua and Burillo. In 2011, five 10.4m NL283Fs and one Hispano Area-bodied NL283F began operating in Santiago de Compostela and Buñol respectively. Between 2011 and 2012, 13 man NL283F buses came into operation in Tcc Pamplona , of which four were bodied by Sunsundegui and
6298-751: The other 9 by Castrosua. In 2017, fifteen NL323F buses came into operation in EMT Malaga , all of them bodied by Castrosua Wrightbus initially developed a bodywork for the MAN NL273F, called the Wright Meridian . It was the first MAN chassis to be bodied by Wrightbus . A Meridian demonstrator was launched at the Coach & Bus Live 2007, which entered service with Whitelaws . Regal Busways, Newbury Buses and Diamond Bus North West each operate an handful of Wright Meridian -bodied NL273Fs across
6392-436: The pole to allow wheelchair/buggy access created the situation where the quintessentially polite British bus passenger would wait for all passengers to alight before boarding, leading to an increase in dwell times . Moscow was the first city to introduce low floor as the compulsory requirement for the suppliers of the city buses. By 2005 a few hundreds of low-floor buses started intra-metropolitan service. At first, PAZ-3237
6486-551: The proof-of-concept, the engine of the bus was removed with no further road trials planned. In 2021, the bus was parked at LTA's Headquarter at Hampshire Road for static display until 2023 when it was sent to scrap officially de-registered. In 2017 the Land Transport Authority of Singapore procured 250 MAN Buses of which 100 units being MAN NL323F A22 Facelift. It is also bodied by Gemilang Coachworks with MAN Lion's City Bodywork with both ZF and Voith Gearbox. These buses also are equipped with MAN D 2066 LUH-51 engine and features
6580-506: The rear end of the bus. The same applies to trolley buses that are mostly of low-floor design. Other cities that use low-floor buses on the regular routes are Kazan , Sochi , Tyumen , Pskov and more. Most of these vehicles are domestically manufactured by LiAZ , GAZ , KAMAZ and Volgabus . In the United States, the Americans with Disabilities Act is credited with motivating the development of low-floor buses, directly affecting
6674-408: The regions to the center, or connect two large terminals of two regions passing through the center Regional Articulation, which connect distant neighborhoods to the center without passing through large terminals, or connect two distant neighborhoods passing through important regions. Locations/distributors, which connect neighborhoods to large terminals or stations. None of these lines pass through
6768-420: The rulings, which were subsequently overturned. He was then found guilty of careless driving , and his sentence was shortened to six months. Low-floor bus A low-floor bus is a bus or trolleybus that has no steps between the ground and the floor of the bus at one or more entrances, and low floor for part or all of the passenger cabin. A bus with a partial low floor may also be referred to as
6862-566: The same or better seats as those found in the Volvo buses. They also feature manual transmission as against automatic transmission With the introduction of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and the development of dedicated corridors for the service, bus service is set to improve. The Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) has started introducing air-conditioned buses and brand new low-floor buses (with floor height of 400 mm (15.75 in) and even higher on one third area as against 230 mm (9.06 in) available internationally) on city streets to replace
6956-558: The same year, the first low floor bus specification was drafted by DPTAC. The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 provided for the completion of the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000, which specified that all new public service vehicles over 22 seats should be low floor from 31 December 2000, with smaller vehicles mandated from 1 January 2005. The 2000 regulations do not require retro-fitting of pre-existing vehicles or
7050-630: The same year. The bus remained unique in Kowloon Motor Bus fleet. It was retired in January 2019. 25 ND363F received Ayats coach bodywork, and were delivered to Ulsterbus of Northern Ireland in 2006. In 2006, a 10.85 metre two-axle version was launched as the MAN ND243F and MAN ND283F , with chassis code A48 . One ND283F received an East Lancs Kinetec + bodywork, which had a front similar to that of MAN Lion's City. Two more ND283F test chassis were built, but no ND243F. In 2013,
7144-434: The seats mounted on podiums, making a small step up from the floor, while others are able to mount the seats directly to the floor, avoiding the step. Seating layout for a low-floor bus therefore requires careful design. Low floor configuration is also known to have poor side to side dead load distribution within the chassis due to the asymmetrical off-centre placement of driveline components - mainly engine and transmission. As
7238-1080: The second the MAN 24.350 HOCLNR-NL ). A total of 193 Neoplan Centroliner double-deckers were introduced to Hong Kong by Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB) and New World First Bus (NWFB). KMB received the first Neoplan Centroliner in September 1998, after the test-drive of the 15 metres (49 ft) Neoplan Megashuttle in 1997. A total of 20 Centroliner N4026/3s (fleet number AP1-AP20), equipped with Cummins M11-305E21 10.8 litres (659.1 cu in ) straight six diesel engine and ZF Ecomat 5HP590 five-speed automatic transmission , entered service in August 1999. In 2000, KMB received 60 Centroliner N4426/3s, followed by 50 similar buses in 2000/2001. They (AP21-AP130) were allocated to long-distance routes serving North / Yuen Long / Tuen Mun Districts. In April 2001, KMB acquired two Centroliner N4426/3s (AP131-AP132) which were fitted with MAN D2866 LOH-27 straight six common rail Euro 3 turbodiesel engines, and either
7332-405: The space existing, operators may also insist that only one or two wheelchairs or pushchairs can be accommodated unfolded, due to space/safety concerns. 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 or lowering it at the front axle even further, often down to normal curb height. Depending on how close to
7426-613: The standardized design of the Transbus Program , which concluded with the introduction of so-called 'interim' Advanced Design Buses with a lower floor height but which required lifts to board passengers in wheelchairs. The first low-floor (low-entry) buses to be delivered were the New Flyer Low Floor D40LF, to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in 1991. The New Flyer LF was derived from
7520-946: The successful trial of the three door MAN ND323F, the Land Transport Authority procured 50 production batch 3-door ND323Fs along with 50 production batch 3-door Alexander Dennis Enviro500 MMC units. These buses entered service in January 2021 with Tower Transit Singapore , SBS Transit , SMRT Buses and Go Ahead Singapore. In August 2014, Kwoon Chung Motors Company (KCM) ordered 9 ND323Fs replacing 8 Dennis Tridents and 1 MAN 24.310 . Also, KCM's subsidiary company New Lantau Bus (NLB) purchased 10 ND323Fs. They were delivered to Hong Kong in June and August 2015 respectively. Moreover, in 2017, NLB purchased 16 ND363Fs with Gemilang Lion's city DD facelift body, they were delivered to Hong Kong since November 2017 and registered since February 2018. The order has been increased to add another 13 vehicles and registered since June 2018. In 2018, NLB purchased 5 ND363Fs with Gemilang's Lion's city DD facelift body which
7614-501: The tree guards. Finally, the 10 units of this batch were equipped with USB charging ports inside the interior. The first 15 buses were painted in SMRT's corporate livery, while the rest featured LTA's green livery. All of these buses were registered between April and August 2016 and are currently assigned to SMRT Buses, SBS Transit and Tower Transit. Also in late 2015, a 12.8 metre long custom built MAN ND323F A95 with 3 door and 2 staircases
7708-549: The variants, like length/wheelbase, number of axles, floor height, width, engine arrangement and so on. Some codes are unique to one variant, while others are shared between variants. Some variants have changed from one code to another over time. These codes are sometimes mistakenly used as a model designation. One can find the codes in VINs (i.e. WMA A21 ...) and in vehicle production serial numbers (i.e. A21 0012). The type designations were used to define all models prior to 2004. With
7802-424: The world's first two transit buses to be equipped with six-speed automatic transmission. The transmission is a modified ZF Ecomat 6HP602C . They were the test buses of Eco-driveline (with large differential gear ratio, engine with high low-end torque and six-speed automatic gearbox). Withdrawal of the first batch of Neoplan Centroliners started in 2016. The last were retired in 2018. In May 2003, KMB received
7896-840: Was a demonstrator unit as SMB138Y for SMRT Buses with the MCV Evolution bodywork. This unit was displayed at the 2015 BusVic Maintenance Conference in Moonee Valley, Victoria . Dan Bus Company and Egged operate a fleet of NL313Fs and NL323Fs in Jerusalem , Tel Aviv and Haifa . The MAN ND313F and MAN ND363F , with the chassis code A34 , is a tri-axle 12-metre chassis. A total number of 27 chassis were built between 2003 and 2006. In 2003, Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB) of Hong Kong received one MAN ND313F with Neoplan Centroliner N4426 bodywork, it received fleet number APM1 and registration number LE4612, entering service later in
7990-417: Was built for the Land Transport Authority, featuring an updated concept bodywork design. Originally deployed to Tower Transit in 2017, it was transferred to SBS Transit in early 2018, operating on Bus 7. In September 2016, LTA ordered another 122 MAN ND323Fs which were put into service in since 2017. These buses contain similar specifications with the previous batches but with an updated bodywork design, with
8084-600: Was discontinued without Neoplan-branded successor. Instead, MAN promotes Lion's City as its successor. The Neoplan Centroliner is available in a range of styles and dimensions. As of 2009, the Centroliner consists of the following specifications and powertrain detail. Neoplan Centroliner was the third type of German double-decker introduced in Hong Kong (the first being the Mercedes-Benz O305 , and
8178-500: Was given a single MAN ND323F demonstrator for trial purposes at the manufacturer's request. Following a successful trial run, SMRT ordered 16 production batch MAN ND323F A95s which were delivered between August and November 2015 with tree guards pre-installed. In late 2015, the Land Transport Authority ordered 60 units as part of the Bus Contracting Model (BCM) order. Largely similar to the previous batch procured by SMRT Buses, these buses had some minor differences in appearance such as
8272-574: Was not high enough to justify conversion based purely on increased revenue. It has been reported however that adoption of so-called Easy Access buses does have a positive effect of ridership and revenue levels. Under the Transport Act 1985 the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) (or commonly DiPTAC) was established to provide independent consultation on accessibility issues. In
8366-439: Was not uncommon for service buses to be used for 15 to 20 years. While some coaches have been produced with a small front low floor section at the driver's level, most coaches in the UK are being made accessible through the use of wheelchair lifts , with the 2005 Caetano Levante being one of the largest introductions. While another widely stated benefit of low floor buses is quicker boarding for able-bodied passengers due to
8460-459: Was not until 2012 that the first low-floor bus in the country were added to its fleet, being a 1999 Marcopolo Viale imported used from Argentina. In São Paulo, low-floor buses began to become popular in the 2000s with the creation of the so-called Sistema Interligado (Interconnected System, in English) which divided bus routes into so-called lines: Structural, which connect the large terminals of
8554-520: Was registered in October 2003. It has been criticised for its frequent breakdowns and extra difficulty in maintenance and so it has remained as a reserve bus since it entered service. This bus remained unique in KMB fleet and was retired on 16 January 2019. After KMB put its first 20 Centroliners into service, NWFB announced the order of 30 Neoplan Centroliner N4426/3s in October 1999. They were delivered in 2000 and entered service in 2000/2001. Since 2004,
8648-532: Was selected for the city centre, while LiAZ-5292 were chosen to serve city outskirts. Later the articulated version of the latter, specifically designed for Moscow, the LiAZ-6213 was introduced. In St.Petersburg the transition to low-floor-only city bus services was completed only by 2021. Besides LiAZ-5292 and LiAZ-6213 and other full low-floor models that account for 85% of the city buses, there are also semi low-floor buses in service, with elevated floor in
8742-603: Was subsequently written off . The remains of the bus were then sent to Long Win Bus 's depot in Siu Ho Wan for inspection and storage. The remains were finally sold for scrap in 2008. In total, 21 people (20 passengers and a bus driver) were killed in this accident, making this the deadliest road accident in Hong Kong history. The lorry driver involved was sentenced to 18 months in prison after being found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving . He later appealed against
8836-456: Was then converted to LTA Smart Bus and exhibited during Singapore International Transport Congress and Exhibition (SITCE) 2019 where it displayed some proof-of-concept by Youths. Some features include retractable handgrip, wingless mirror, driver facial security & anti-fatigue system, bus lane violation system, contactless payments systems, interactive capacity lighting systems, auto-tinting windows and interactive touch screen windows. As part of
#241758