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Brockton Area Transit Authority

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Brockton Area Transit Authority , branded as Brockton Area Transit (BAT), is a public, non-profit organization in Massachusetts , charged with providing public transportation to the Brockton area, consisting of the city of Brockton and the adjoining towns of Abington , Avon , East Bridgewater , Easton , Milton , Randolph , Rockland , Stoughton & West Bridgewater .

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80-584: BAT provides fixed route bus services and paratransit services within its area. BAT's buses provide interchange with each other and with the Middleborough/Lakeville commuter rail line of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) at Brockton station . BAT also runs a fixed route bus service from Brockton to Boston's Ashmont station on MBTA's Red subway line . As of 2018, BAT operated

160-473: A rigid chassis ) and articulated bus (or 'bendy-bus') the prevalence of which varies from country to country. High-capacity bi-articulated buses are also manufactured, and passenger-carrying trailers—either towed behind a rigid bus (a bus trailer ) or hauled as a trailer by a truck (a trailer bus ). Smaller midibuses have a lower capacity and open-top buses are typically used for leisure purposes. In many new fleets, particularly in local transit systems,

240-418: A summer camp . Schools often hire charter bus services on regular basis for transportation of children to and from their homes. Chartered buses are also used by education institutes for transport to conventions , exhibitions, and field trips . Entertainment or event companies may also hire temporary shuttles buses for transport at events such as festivals or conferences . Party buses are used by companies in

320-551: A bus operating company in the United States is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Massachusetts government –related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about transportation in Massachusetts is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Bus A bus (contracted from omnibus , with variants multibus , motorbus , autobus , etc.)

400-693: A chassis produced by another manufacturer. Transit buses used to be mainly high-floor vehicles. However, they are now increasingly of low-floor design and optionally also 'kneel' air suspension and have ramps to provide access for wheelchair users and people with baby carriages , sometimes as electrically or hydraulically extended under-floor constructs for level access. Prior to more general use of such technology, these wheelchair users could only use specialist para-transit mobility buses. Accessible vehicles also have wider entrances and interior gangways and space for wheelchairs. Interior fittings and destination displays may also be designed to be usable by

480-408: A common component of the wider package holiday industry, providing private airport transfers (in addition to general airport buses ) and organised tours and day trips for holidaymakers on the package. Tour buses can also be hired as chartered buses by groups for sightseeing at popular holiday destinations. These private tour buses may offer specific stops, such as all the historical sights, or allow

560-517: A converted bus as a command post while those in cold climates might retain a bus as a heated shelter at fire scenes. Many are drawn from retired school or service buses. Buses are often used for advertising, political campaigning , public information campaigns , public relations , or promotional purposes. These may take the form of temporary charter hire of service buses, or the temporary or permanent conversion and operation of buses, usually of second-hand buses. Extreme examples include converting

640-553: A fleet of 41 Gillig Low Floor buses, 19 Ford Elkhart Coach buses, and 40 minibuses of two types. All BAT transit buses accept cash payment or allow fare to be paid via CharlieCard . Brockton bus service was previously operated by Union Street Railway , until a protracted labor strike prompted the city to buy the routes and buses in September 1973. One year later, this system was reorganized as BAT to secure state funding, and encourage regional participation. Many routes leaving

720-667: A major manufacturer of buses in the US, was founded in Chicago in 1923 by John D. Hertz . General Motors purchased a majority stake in 1925 and changed its name to the Yellow Truck and Coach Manufacturing Company. GM purchased the balance of the shares in 1943 to form the GM Truck and Coach Division . Models expanded in the 20th century, leading to the widespread introduction of the contemporary recognizable form of full-sized buses from

800-515: A maximum speed of 18 km/h (11.2 mph) and accommodated up to 20 passengers, in an enclosed area below and on an open-air platform above. With the success and popularity of this bus, DMG expanded production, selling more buses to companies in London and, in 1899, to Stockholm and Speyer . Daimler Motors Corporation also entered into a partnership with the British company Milnes and developed

880-719: A new double-decker in 1902 that became the market standard. The first mass-produced bus model was the B-type double-decker bus , designed by Frank Searle and operated by the London General Omnibus Company —it entered service in 1910, and almost 3,000 had been built by the end of the decade. Hundreds of them saw military service on the Western Front during the First World War . The Yellow Coach Manufacturing Company , which rapidly became

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960-456: A public transport operator that might maintain a separate fleet or use surplus buses, coaches, and dual-purpose coach-seated buses. Many private taxicab companies also operate larger minibus vehicles to cater for group fares. Companies, private groups, and social clubs may hire buses or coaches as a cost-effective method of transporting a group to an event or site, such as a group meeting, racing event, or organised recreational activity such as

1040-618: A rear door or side doors. The first known public bus line (known as a "Carriage" at that time) were carrosses à cinq sols launched by Blaise Pascal in 1662 in Paris . It was quite popular until fares were increased and access to the service was restricted to high society members by regulation. Services ceased after 15 years. In Britain, John Greenwood opened the first bus line in Britain in Manchester in 1824. His pioneering idea

1120-399: A separate luggage compartment under the passenger floor. Guided buses are fitted with technology to allow them to run in designated guideways, allowing the controlled alignment at bus stops and less space taken up by guided lanes than conventional roads or bus lanes . Bus manufacturing may be by a single company (an integral manufacturer), or by one manufacturer's building a bus body over

1200-399: A shift to low-floor buses is occurring, primarily for easier accessibility. Coaches are designed for longer-distance travel and are typically fitted with individual high-backed reclining seats, seat belts, toilets, and audio-visual entertainment systems, and can operate at higher speeds with more capacity for luggage. Coaches may be single- or double-deckers, articulated, and often include

1280-584: A similar manner to limousine hire, for luxury private transport to social events or as a touring experience. Sleeper buses are used by bands or other organisations that tour between entertainment venues and require mobile rest and recreation facilities. Some couples hire preserved buses for their wedding transport, instead of the traditional car. Buses are often hired for parades or processions . Victory parades are often held for triumphant sports teams, who often tour their home town or city in an open-top bus . Sports teams may also contract out their transport to

1360-526: A six-passenger motor carriage developed from the 1893 Benz Viktoria . Another commercial bus line using the same model Benz omnibuses ran for a short time in 1898 in the rural area around Llandudno , Wales. Germany's Daimler Motors Corporation also produced one of the earliest motor-bus models in 1898, selling a double-decker bus to the Motor Traction Company which was first used on the streets of London on 23 April 1898. The vehicle had

1440-620: A social life outside their own neighborhoods. By 1845, 13 companies in Paris operated 20 or 23 omnibus lines. In 1855, Napoleon III had them combined into a single company, the Compagnie générale des omnibus, with a monopoly on Paris public transportation. Beginning in 1873, they were gradually replaced by tramways, and, beginning in 1906, by the omnibus automobile , or motor bus. The last horse-drawn Paris omnibus ran on 11 January 1913, from Saint-Sulpice to La Villette. Buses have been used on

1520-407: A special large vehicle licence above and beyond a regular driving license . Buses may be used for scheduled bus transport , scheduled coach transport , school transport , private hire, or tourism ; promotional buses may be used for political campaigns and others are privately operated for a wide range of purposes, including rock and pop band tour vehicles. Horse-drawn buses were used from

1600-662: A specially manufactured trailer bus . After the Second World War, manufacturers in Europe and the Far East, such as Mercedes-Benz buses and Mitsubishi Fuso expanded into other continents influencing the use of buses previously served by local types. Use of buses around the world has also been influenced by colonial associations or political alliances between countries. Several of the Commonwealth nations followed

1680-700: A stopped school bus in the process of loading or offloading children passengers. These school buses may have school bus yellow livery and crossing guards . Other countries may mandate the use of seat belts . As a minimum, many countries require a bus carrying students to display a sign , and may also adopt yellow liveries. Student transport often uses older buses cascaded from service use, retrofitted with more seats or seatbelts. Student transport may be operated by local authorities or private contractors. Schools may also own and operate their own buses for other transport needs, such as class field trips or transport to associated sports, music, or other school events. Due to

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1760-426: A suburb of Nantes . A by-product of his mill was hot water, and thus next to it he established a spa business. In order to encourage customers he started a horse-drawn transport service from the city centre of Nantes to his establishment. The first vehicles stopped in front of the shop of a hatter named Omnés, which displayed a large sign inscribed "Omnes Omnibus", a pun on his Latin-sounding surname, omnes being

1840-694: A team bus, for travel to away games , to a competition or to a final event . These buses are often specially decorated in a livery matching the team colours. Private companies often contract out private shuttle bus services, for transport of their customers or patrons, such as hotels, amusement parks , university campuses , or private airport transfer services. This shuttle usage can be as transport between locations, or to and from parking lots . High specification luxury coaches are often chartered by companies for executive or VIP transport. Charter buses may also be used in tourism and for promotion (See Tourism and Promotion sections). Many organisations, including

1920-441: A tour guide, although the driver or a recorded audio commentary may also perform this function. The tour operator may be a subsidiary of a company that operates buses and coaches for other uses or an independent company that charters buses or coaches. Commuter transport operators may also use their coaches to conduct tours within the target city between the morning and evening commuter transport journey. Buses and coaches are also

2000-422: A vehicle that could be stable and carry a large number of passengers. Shillibeer's design worked. On 28 April 1828, the first Paris omnibus began service, running every fifteen minutes between La Madeleine and la Bastille. Before long, there were one hundred omnibuses in service, with eighteen different itineraries. A journey cost twenty-five centimes. The omnibuses circulated between seven in the morning and seven in

2080-401: Is a motor vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van , but fewer than the average rail transport . It is most commonly used in public transport , but is also in use for charter purposes, or through private ownership. Although the average bus carries between 30 and 100 passengers, some buses have a capacity of up to 300 passengers. The most common type

2160-471: Is sometimes staffed by promotions personnel, giving out free gifts. Campaign buses are often specially decorated for a political campaign or other social awareness information campaign, designed to bring a specific message to different areas, or used to transport campaign personnel to local areas/meetings. Exhibition buses are often sent to public events such as fairs and festivals for purposes such as recruitment campaigns, for example by private companies or

2240-470: Is the single-deck rigid bus , with double-decker and articulated buses carrying larger loads, and midibuses and minibuses carrying smaller loads. Coaches are used for longer-distance services. Many types of buses, such as city transit buses and inter-city coaches, charge a fare. Other types, such as elementary or secondary school buses or shuttle buses within a post-secondary education campus, are free. In many jurisdictions, bus drivers require

2320-522: Is the homes of celebrities , such as tours based near Hollywood . There are several such services between 6000 and 7000 Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. In some countries, particularly the US and Canada, buses used to transport schoolchildren have evolved into a specific design with specified mandatory features. American states have also adopted laws regarding motorist conduct around school buses, including large fines and possibly prison for passing

2400-509: Is the largest operator of local tour buses, operating on a franchised basis all over the world. Specialist tour buses are also often owned and operated by safari parks and other theme parks or resorts . Longer-distance tours are also carried out by bus, either on a turn up and go basis or through a tour operator , and usually allow disembarkation from the bus to allow touring of sites of interest on foot. These may be day trips or longer excursions incorporating hotel stays. Tour buses often carry

2480-475: The Leyland National where the two are practically inseparable. Specialist builders also exist and concentrate on building buses for special uses or modifying standard buses into specialised products. Integral designs have the advantages that they have been well-tested for strength and stability, and also are off-the-shelf . However, two incentives cause use of the chassis+body model. First, it allows

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2560-506: The London General Omnibus Company or LGOC was founded to amalgamate and regulate the horse-drawn omnibus services then operating in London. The public transport system of Berlin is the oldest one in Germany. In 1825 the first bus line from Brandenburger Tor to Charlottenburg was opened by Simon Kremser, running to a timetable . The first bus service inside the city operated from 1840 between Alexanderplatz and Potsdamer Bahnhof . It

2640-530: The armed forces . Complex urban planning proposals may be organised into a mobile exhibition bus for the purposes of public consultation. In some sparsely populated areas, it is common to use brucks, buses with a cargo area to transport both passengers and cargo at the same time. They are especially common in the Nordic countries . Historically, the types and features of buses have developed according to local needs. Buses were fitted with technology appropriate to

2720-401: The march uptown . Horses pulling buses could only work for limited hours per day, had to be housed, groomed, fed and cared for every day, and produced large amounts of manure, which the omnibus company had to store and dispose of. Since a typical horse pulled a bus for four or five hours per day, covering about a dozen miles, many systems needed ten or more horses in stable for each bus. With

2800-409: The visually impaired . Coaches generally use wheelchair lifts instead of low-floor designs. In some countries, vehicles are required to have these features by disability discrimination laws . Buses were initially configured with an engine in the front and an entrance at the rear. With the transition to one-man operation, many manufacturers moved to mid- or rear-engined designs, with a single door at

2880-415: The 1820s, followed by steam buses in the 1830s, and electric trolleybuses in 1882. The first internal combustion engine buses, or motor buses, were used in 1895. Recently, interest has been growing in hybrid electric buses , fuel cell buses , and electric buses , as well as buses powered by compressed natural gas or biodiesel . As of the 2010s, bus manufacturing is increasingly globalised , with

2960-478: The 1920s has been the diesel engine . Early buses, known as trolleybuses, were powered by electricity supplied from overhead lines . Nowadays, electric buses often carry their own battery, which is sometimes recharged on stops/stations to keep the size of the battery small/lightweight. Currently, interest exists in hybrid electric buses , fuel cell buses , electric buses , and ones powered by compressed natural gas or biodiesel . Gyrobuses , which are powered by

3040-530: The 1950s. The AEC Routemaster , developed in the 1950s, was a pioneering design and remains an icon of London to this day. The innovative design used lightweight aluminium and techniques developed in aircraft production during World War II . As well as a novel weight-saving integral design, it also introduced for the first time on a bus independent front suspension , power steering , a fully automatic gearbox , and power-hydraulic braking . Formats include single-decker bus , double-decker bus (both usually with

3120-567: The BAT Centre in Brockton are scheduled on a pulse system - meeting at the central hub simultaneously - to provide easy transfers. Twelve routes primarily serve Brockton & nearby towns : Four longer routes run to other towns: Five routes - four on-campus shuttles, and route 28 to the BAT Centre - serve Bridgewater State University . BAT also offers door-to-door para-transit service called Dial-a-BAT. This article about

3200-417: The British lead and sourced buses from British manufacturers, leading to a prevalence of double-decker buses . Several Eastern Bloc countries adopted trolleybus systems, and their manufacturers such as Trolza exported trolleybuses to other friendly states. In the 1930s, Italy designed the world's only triple decker bus for the busy route between Rome and Tivoli that could carry eighty-eight passengers. It

3280-456: The UK's trade association for the bus, coach and light rail industry, the three-day event offers visitors from Europe and beyond the chance to see and experience the very latest vehicles and product and service innovations right across the industry. Horsebus A horse-bus or horse-drawn omnibus was a large, enclosed, and sprung horse-drawn vehicle used for passenger transport before

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3360-568: The advent of mass-produced steel in around 1860, horse-buses were put on rails as the same horse could then move 3 to 10 times as many people. This was not only more efficient, but faster and produced, in an age of unpaved streets, a far superior ride. These horse drawn trams were converted to cable-drawn cars in some larger cities, as still exist in San Francisco, the underground cable being driven by stationary steam engines. At around 1890, electric propulsion became practical and replaced both

3440-704: The bi-articulated bus or tram-style buses such as the Wright StreetCar and the Irisbus Civis. Buses and coach services often operate to a predetermined published public transport timetable defining the route and the timing, but smaller vehicles may be used on more flexible demand responsive transport services. Buses play a major part in the tourism industry. Tour buses around the world allow tourists to view local attractions or scenery. These are often open-top buses , but can also be regular buses or coaches. In local sightseeing , City Sightseeing

3520-465: The bus with displays and decorations or awnings and fittings. Interiors may be fitted out for exhibition or information purposes with special equipment or audio visual devices. Bus advertising takes many forms, often as interior and exterior adverts and all-over advertising liveries. The practice often extends into the exclusive private hire and use of a bus to promote a brand or product, appearing at large public events, or touring busy streets. The bus

3600-423: The business; les Citadines, les Tricycles, les Orléanises, les Diligentes, les Écossaises, les Béarnaises, les Carolines, les Batignollaises, les Parisiennes, les Hirondelles, les Joséphines, les Excellentes, les Sylphides, les Constantines, les Dames-Françaises, les Algériennes, les Dames-Réunies, and les Gazelles. The omnibus had a profound effect on Parisian life, making it possible for Parisians to work and have

3680-417: The buyer and manufacturer both to shop for the best deal for their needs, rather than having to settle on one fixed design—the buyer can choose the body and the chassis separately. Second, over the lifetime of a vehicle (in constant service and heavy traffic), it will likely get minor damage now and again, and being able easily to replace a body panel or window etc. can vastly increase its service life and save

3760-514: The controlled alignment at bus stops and less space taken up by guided lanes than conventional roads or bus lanes . Guidance can be mechanical, optical, or electromagnetic. Extensions of the guided technology include the Guided Light Transit and Translohr systems, although these are more often termed 'rubber-tyred trams' as they have limited or no mobility away from their guideways. Transit buses are normally painted to identify

3840-610: The cost and inconvenience of removing it from service. As with the rest of the automotive industry , into the 20th century, bus manufacturing increasingly became globalized, with manufacturers producing buses far from their intended market to exploit labour and material cost advantages. A typical city bus costs almost US$ 450,000. Transit buses , used on public transport bus services , have utilitarian fittings designed for efficient movement of large numbers of people, and often have multiple doors. Coaches are used for longer-distance routes. High-capacity bus rapid transit services may use

3920-402: The costs involved in owning, operating, and driving buses and coaches, much bus and coach use comes from the private hire of vehicles from charter bus companies, either for a day or two or on a longer contract basis, where the charter company provides the vehicles and qualified drivers. Charter bus operators may be completely independent businesses, or charter hire may be a subsidiary business of

4000-415: The customers to choose their own itineraries. Tour buses come with professional and informed staff and insurance, and maintain state governed safety standards. Some provide other facilities like entertainment units , luxurious reclining seats, large scenic windows, and even lavatories. Public long-distance coach networks are also often used as a low-cost method of travel by students or young people travelling

4080-590: The demonstration. Max Schiemann opened a passenger-carrying trolleybus in 1901 near Dresden , in Germany. Although this system operated only until 1904, Schiemann had developed what is now the standard trolleybus current collection system. In the early days, a few other methods of current collection were used. Leeds and Bradford became the first cities to put trolleybuses into service in Great Britain on 20 June 1911. In Siegerland , Germany, two passenger bus lines ran briefly, but unprofitably, in 1895 using

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4160-518: The development of the trolleybus concept. Sir William first proposed the idea in an article to the Journal of the Society of Arts in 1881 as an "...arrangement by which an ordinary omnibus...would have a suspender thrown at intervals from one side of the street to the other, and two wires hanging from these suspenders; allowing contact rollers to run on these two wires, the current could be conveyed to

4240-486: The evening; each omnibus could carry between twelve and eighteen passengers. The busiest line was that along the Grand Boulevards; it ran from eight in the morning until midnight. The Paris omnibus service was an immediate popular success, with more than two and a half million passengers in the first six months. There was no reliable way to collect money from the passengers, or the fare collectors kept much of

4320-523: The far east has led to the adoption of high capacity long multi-axle buses , often double-deckers while South America and China are implementing large numbers of articulated buses for bus rapid transit schemes. Euro Bus Expo is a trade show , which is held biennially at the UK's National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham. As the official show of the Confederation of Passenger Transport ,

4400-545: The front or multiple doors. The move to the low-floor design has all but eliminated the mid-engined design, although some coaches still have mid-mounted engines. Front-engined buses still persist for niche markets such as American school buses, some minibuses, and buses in less developed countries, which may be derived from truck chassis, rather than purpose-built bus designs. Most buses have two axles , while articulated buses have three. Guided buses are fitted with technology to allow them to run in designated guideways, allowing

4480-564: The horse and the cable and the number of tram lines expanded exponentially. This was seen as a huge advance in urban transport and considered a wise investment at that time. These became known as streetcars, trams or trolleys, and still exist in many cities today, though often having been replaced by the less infrastructure intensive motorbus. From the beginning of the twentieth century the remaining horse buses which had not been converted to rail began to be replaced by petrol-driven motor buses , or autobuses. The last recorded horse omnibus in London

4560-412: The introduction of motor vehicles . It was mainly used in the late 19th century in both the United States and Europe, and was one of the most common means of transportation in cities. In a typical arrangement, two wooden benches along the sides of the passenger cabin held several sitting passengers facing each other. The driver sat on a separate, front-facing bench, typically in an elevated position outside

4640-580: The local climate or passenger needs, such as air conditioning in Asia, or cycle mounts on North American buses. The bus types in use around the world where there was little mass production were often sourced secondhand from other countries, such as the Malta bus , and buses in use in Africa. Other countries such as Cuba required novel solutions to import restrictions, with the creation of the "camellos" ( camel bus ),

4720-516: The male and female nominative, vocative and accusative form of the Latin adjective omnis/-e ("all"), combined with omnibus , the dative plural form meaning "for all", thus giving his shop the name "Omnés for all", or "everything for everyone". His transport scheme was a huge success, although not as he had intended as most of his passengers did not visit his spa. He turned the transport service into his principal lucrative business venture and closed

4800-624: The market, and for a time buses were referred to as 'Shillibeers'. Shillibeer built another bus for the Quaker Newington Academy for Girls near London; this had a total of 25 seats, and entered history as the first school bus . On London omnibuses, the introduction of the clerestory roof in 1847, to provide more headroom inside, allowed the provision of a longitudinal seat on the upper deck. Outside fares were, like stage coaches, cheaper than for travelling inside. In 1850 Thomas Tilling started horse bus services, and in 1855

4880-731: The mill and spa. Nantes citizens soon gave the nickname "omnibus" to the vehicle. Having invented the successful concept Baudry moved to Paris and launched the first omnibus service there in April 1828. A similar service was introduced in Manchester in 1824 and in London in 1829. Regular intercity bus services by steam-powered buses were pioneered in England in the 1830s by Walter Hancock and by associates of Sir Goldsworthy Gurney , among others, running reliable services over road conditions which were too hazardous for horse-drawn transportation. The first mechanically propelled omnibus appeared on

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4960-443: The momentum stored by a flywheel , were tried in the 1940s. United Kingdom and European Union: United States, Canada and Mexico: Early bus manufacturing grew out of carriage coach building , and later out of automobile or truck manufacturers. Early buses were merely a bus body fitted to a truck chassis. This body+chassis approach has continued with modern specialist manufacturers, although there also exist integral designs such as

5040-470: The money for themselves; In its first years the company was continually on the verge of bankruptcy, and in despair, Baudry committed suicide in February 1830. Baudry's partners reorganized the company and managed to keep it in business. In September 1828, a competing company, les Dames-Blanches, had started running its own vehicles. In 1829 and the following years, more companies with poetic names entered

5120-448: The operator or a route, function, or to demarcate low-cost or premium service buses. Liveries may be painted onto the vehicle, applied using adhesive vinyl technologies, or using decals . Vehicles often also carry bus advertising or part or all of their visible surfaces (as mobile billboard ). Campaign buses may be decorated with key campaign messages; these can be to promote an event or initiative. The most common power source since

5200-620: The passengers' enclosed cabin. In the main age of horse buses, many of them were double-decker buses . On the upper deck, which was uncovered, the longitudinal benches were arranged back to back. Similar, if smaller, vehicles were often maintained at country houses (and by some hotels and railway companies) to convey servants and luggage to and from railway stations. Especially popular around 1870–1900, these vehicles were known as 'private omnibuses' or 'station buses'; coachman -driven, they would usually accommodate four to six passengers inside, with room for luggage (and sometimes additional seating) on

5280-871: The police, not for profit , social or charitable groups with a regular need for group transport may find it practical or cost-effective to own and operate a bus for their own needs. These are often minibuses for practical, tax and driver licensing reasons, although they can also be full-size buses. Cadet or scout groups or other youth organizations may also own buses. Companies such as railroads, construction contractors, and agricultural firms may own buses to transport employees to and from remote job sites. Specific charities may exist to fund and operate bus transport, usually using specially modified mobility buses or otherwise accessible buses (See Accessibility section). Some use their contributions to buy vehicles and provide volunteer drivers. Airport operators make use of special airside airport buses for crew and passenger transport in

5360-523: The roads of Great Britain for 30 years, the Locomotive Act 1861 imposing restrictive speed limits on "road locomotives" of 5 mph (8.0 km/h) in towns and cities, and 10 mph (16 km/h) in the country. In parallel to the development of the bus was the invention of the electric trolleybus, typically fed through trolley poles by overhead wires . The Siemens brothers, William in England and Ernst Werner in Germany, collaborated on

5440-628: The roof. A small open wagon with or without a top, but with an arrangement of the seats similar to horse-drawn omnibuses, was called a wagonette . Bus is a clipped form of the Latin word omnibus . A legend , promoted by the French Transportations Museum website, says the name is derived from a hatter's shop of the Omnes family in front of the first station opened in Nantes by Stanislas Baudry in 1823. "Omnes Omnibus"

5520-539: The same designs appearing around the world. The word bus is a shortened form of the Latin adjectival form omnibus ("for all"), the dative plural of omnis/omne ("all"). The theoretical full name is in French voiture omnibus ("vehicle for all"). The name originates from a mass-transport service started in 1823 by a French corn-mill owner named Stanislas Baudry  [ fr ] in Richebourg,

5600-547: The secure airside parts of an airport. Some public authorities, police forces, and military forces make use of armoured buses where there is a special need to provide increased passenger protection. The United States Secret Service acquired two in 2010 for transporting dignitaries needing special protection. Police departments make use of police buses for a variety of reasons, such as prisoner transport , officer transport, temporary detention facilities, and as command and control vehicles . Some fire departments also use

5680-684: The son of Baudry's bookkeeper wrote in the Bulletin de la Société archéologique de Nantes that omnibus had a simpler origin. Baudry used to call his horsecars Dames blanches (White ladies), a name which, critics told him, made no sense. He then replied, with the Latin word: "Then, these are omnibus cars!" (cars for all). The name caught on immediately. Other stories about the name origin quickly spread out. The term 'omnibus' carried over to motor vehicles. The 1914 book Motor Body-building in all its Branches , by Christopher William Terry, described an omnibus as having longitudinal seats in rows with either

5760-496: The streets of London on 22 April 1833. Steam carriages were much less likely to overturn, they travelled faster than horse-drawn carriages, they were much cheaper to run, and caused much less damage to the road surface due to their wide tyres. However, the heavy road tolls imposed by the turnpike trusts discouraged steam road vehicles and left the way clear for the horse bus companies, and from 1861 onwards, harsh legislation virtually eliminated mechanically propelled vehicles from

5840-612: The streets of London since 1829. George Shillibeer saw the success of the Paris omnibus in service and concluded that operating similar vehicles in London would be commercially successful. His first London "Omnibus", using the same design and name as the Paris vehicle, took up service on 4 July 1829 on the route between Paddington , The Yorkshire Stingo , and Bank via the New Road (now Marylebone Road ), Somers Town and City Road . Four services were provided in each direction daily. Shillibeer's success prompted many competitors to enter

5920-529: The tram-car, and back again to the dynamo machine at the station, without the necessity of running upon rails at all." The first such vehicle, the Electromote , was made by his brother Ernst Werner von Siemens and presented to the public in 1882 in Halensee , Germany . Although this experimental vehicle fulfilled all the technical criteria of a typical trolleybus, it was dismantled in the same year after

6000-549: The world. Some companies such as Topdeck Travel were set up specifically to use buses to drive the hippie trail or travel to places such as North Africa. In many tourist or travel destinations, a bus is part of the tourist attraction , such as the North American tourist trolleys , London's AEC Routemaster heritage routes , or the customised buses of Malta, Asia, and the Americas. Another example of tourist stops

6080-517: Was a pun on the Latin-sounding name of that hatter Omnès: omnes (nominative plural) meaning "all" and omnibus (dative plural) meaning "for all" in Latin . Thence, the legend concludes, Nantes citizens gave the nickname of Omnibus to the vehicle. Though it is undisputed that the term arose with Stanislas Baudry's company, there is no record of any Omnès hatter living in that street. In 1892,

6160-672: Was run by Israel Moses Henoch, who had organized the cab service since 1815. On 1 January 1847, the Concessionierte Berliner Omnibus Compagnie (Berlin Bus Concession Company) started its first horse-bus line. The growing market experienced the launch of numerous additional companies, with 36 bus companies in Berlin by 1864. From the end of the 1820s, the first horse-drawn omnibuses ran in the streets of New York City , facilitating

6240-527: Was started in 1828 by a businessman named Stanislas Baudry, who had begun the first French omnibus line in Nantes in 1826, using two spring-suspended carriages, each for 16 passengers. Following success in Nantes, Baudry moved to Paris and founded the Enterprise des Omnibus on rue de Lancre, with workshops on the quai de Jemmapes. In 1827 he commissioned an English coach-maker, George Shillibeer , to design

6320-427: Was to offer a service where, unlike with a stagecoach , no prior booking was necessary and the driver would pick up or set down passengers anywhere on request. The first omnibus was introduced in London in 1831. In 1833, legislation was passed to allow these long-bodied vehicles to ply the streets of the city, provided the drivers and conductors took out a license and wore a badge with a number on it. The Paris omnibus

6400-503: Was unique not only in being a triple decker but having a separate smoking compartment on the third level. The buses to be found in countries around the world often reflect the quality of the local road network, with high-floor resilient truck-based designs prevalent in several less developed countries where buses are subject to tough operating conditions. Population density also has a major impact, where dense urbanisation such as in Japan and

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