Second-stage manufacturer
129-578: The Wayne Corporation was an American manufacturer of buses and other vehicles under the "Wayne" marque . The corporate headquarters were in Richmond, Indiana , in Wayne County, Indiana . During the middle 20th century, Wayne served as a leading producer of school buses in North America . Among innovations introduced by the company were the first application of cutaway van chassis for
258-495: A recreational vehicle derived from its bus body. By 1927, Wayne introduced the use of steel for its external body panels (combined with a wood internal frame). In the 1910s, Wayne chose to become a body manufacturer for truck chassis (such as the Ford Model T ). In 1914, alongside a line of commercial truck bodies, the company introduced its first motorized "School Car", its first school bus mounted on an automotive chassis. In
387-473: 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,
516-418: 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
645-473: A bench seat intended for two passengers. Other concerns include poorly maintained buses, drivers' backgrounds, children travelling on public buses and school children's behaviour. In one case in 2009, two boys aged 14 and 15 fell out of a bus window, after they leaned on the side of the Premiere Travel bus they were travelling on. As a result of this, over the past decade, starting in around 2000,
774-693: 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
903-408: 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
1032-517: 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
1161-434: A few exceptions. Public transport timetables are often adapted to the needs of secondary schools. Some German states offer a reimbursement for public transport tickets. In Hong Kong , younger students are transported between their homes and schools by " nanny vans ". These vehicles are typically van -based and are smaller than a typical Hong Kong public light bus . When nanny vans originated, they were regulated primarily by
1290-414: A fleet of older transit buses or coaches , different from the newer public service fleet vehicles, to cater for school services. While carrying students, buses are marked by either "SCHOOL", "SCHOOL BUS", "KURA" ( Maori for "school"), or pictograms of children in black on a fluorescent chartreuse background, and are limited on the open road to 80 km/h (50 mph). These signs all indicate that
1419-667: 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
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#17327913903911548-515: 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
1677-540: A merger of Divco and Wayne Works, with Divco acquiring the assets of Wayne; a 26% share was owned by the law firm owned by Glekel. Under the merger, Wayne began business as the Divco-Wayne Corporation; by 1961, all management of the merged company came from Wayne, with Glekel serving as president. Following the merger, Divco-Wayne expanded into a manufacturing conglomerate; beyond its bus, professional car, and truck product lines, Divco-Wayne expanded into
1806-603: A merger with Wayne Works. After having inspected the Richmond factory for a potential 1949 sale, the New York-based investor retained interest. At the time in the United States, Wayne controlled a 25% share of school bus manufacturing with Miller-Meteor controlling a 50% share of professional car manufacturing. In November 1956, under the leadership of Newton Glekel, a real estate investor from New York, completed
1935-796: A military supplier for the Armed Forces. From 1942 to 1945, Wayne would produce 22,857 ambulance bodies for the Dodge WC-54 4x4 chassis. The military also were supplied with other vehicles from the company, including mobile machine shops and buses. Along with conventional-chassis buses, Wayne produced trailer buses pulled by a semi-tractor; the latter buses could transport up to 150 passengers. To conserve steel for war use, Wayne Works and other manufacturers reverted from all-steel construction to building some bus bodies with wooden components during World War II. The company also did some reconstruction on older buses and trucks to extend their lives during
2064-474: A motorist must slow to 20 km/h (12 mph) when passing a stationary bus in either direction. A student is entitled to free school bus transport if they attend the closest state or state integrated school appropriate for the student's year level and gender, and in the case of a state integrated school, the special character the student or parents identifies with. However, students are not entitled to transport if they live within 3.2 km (2.0 mi) of
2193-719: 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
2322-425: A number of significant changes in school bus design. Among other manufacturers, Wayne would introduce changes that have remained part of school bus design, even decades later. In 1930, Wayne Works became the first manufacturer to replace steel-sheathed bodies with full-steel construction, including the internal body frame. Initially offered as an option, the all-steel body became standard in 1933. In 1933, Wayne became
2451-597: A public route bus, or a "school special" service. Some private schools have their own buses which are often provided by a school where a private company is unwilling or unable to provide the service. In New South Wales , school bus transport is listed as one of the safest forms of land transport, other than train (current figures are represented without seatbelts installed). Students in years K-2 get free travel regardless of where they live, students in years 3-6 get free travel if they live further than 1.6 kilometres (0.99 mi) radial distance or 2.3 kilometres (1.4 mi) by
2580-456: 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
2709-450: A school bus and an improvement in structural integrity in bus body construction, involving the use of continuous longitudinal panels to reduce body joints; the design change happened before federal standards required stronger body structures in school buses. After 1980, Wayne faced difficulty competing in a market with overcapacity. Declaring bankruptcy, the company discontinued operations in 1992 and its assets were liquidated. Later in 1992,
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#17327913903912838-399: 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
2967-399: 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
3096-584: 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
3225-526: 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
3354-407: 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
3483-404: A special education school) and is therefore not able to go to school by a regular bike, he or she gets a budget from the municipality to pay for a taxi to go to school with (with a normal taxi, there are not different taxis for student who go to school) or for an annual season ticket so the students can use public transport . When the students go to college, they get an annual season ticket from
3612-662: 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
3741-700: 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
3870-426: 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
3999-694: 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
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4128-441: 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
4257-401: 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
4386-610: Is a British campaign promoting the benefits of walking to school. It is run by the charities Living Streets and Travelwise. It receives funding from the Department for Transport and Transport for London . Walking buses have remained popular. The first walking bus in the United Kingdom was introduced in 1998 by Hertfordshire County Council and used by students of Wheatfields Junior School in St Albans in 1998 In
4515-559: Is a fast-diminishing phenomenon in New Zealand. It has historically favored rural students. As population migration trends internal to New Zealand have favored the growth of cities, it is an increasingly smaller minority of students who are served by school buses. Parents, acting as chauffeurs, are filling this gap, with multiple negative consequences (e.g. productivity losses for the New Zealand workforce, increased vehicular traffic interfering with commercial or industrial traffic well into
4644-496: Is popular among students and bike sheds a common feature of schools. Bike buses are supervised bicycle rides for students to travel to or from school in large groups by bicycle or other pedal or human powered vehicles such as scooters. A 1994 report based on Australian road safety statistics found that traveling to school by bus is: Officials of the National Transportation Safety Board (in
4773-471: 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
4902-470: 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
5031-522: 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
5160-509: 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
5289-582: The Canadian Pacific Railway , ran for decades until it ended in the 1960s. This system is commemorated at the School on Wheels Museum in Clinton, Ontario . In Southern Ontario , some students in the early 20th century commuted to and from school using the interurban electric railways and street railway systems that existed at the time, which were largely shut down around the time of
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5418-626: The Great Depression and Second World War . During the 1950s, some high school students in rural Northern Ontario commuted to school on Greyhound motor coaches. In 2007, it was reported students at a school in Los Pinos, a town near Bogota , travel to school by zip line across the Rio Negro . In Finland , students who live more than 5 kilometers away from the nearest school, or have other significant impediments to going to
5547-475: 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
5676-519: The Mercury Comet was introduced. In response, Comet Coach renamed itself Cotner-Bevington Coach Company, taking on the names of its two founders; the company also relocated from Memphis, Tennessee , a few miles north to Blytheville, Arkansas . At the time of its acquisition by Divco-Wayne, Cotner-Bevington specialized primarily in ambulances based on Oldsmobile commercial chassis. In 1968, Wayne began production of truck-based ambulances, using
5805-473: The Netherlands , there is not an organized form of student transport on a large scale. Children who attend kindergarten are usually brought by their parents. Almost all students at elementary school go to school by foot, as they live close by the school. Students who live further away, go by bike. When the students go to high school, they usually go by bike. When the student has a handicap (or goes to
5934-512: The Thyssen-Bornemisza Group . In 1967, Wayne opened the largest school bus manufacturing facility in the United States; adjacent to Interstate 70 , the factory became a familiar landmark to millions of travelers. During the 1980s, the company struggled against an industry downturn fueled by overcapacity and a difficult market cycle. Following millions of dollars of losses, Wayne Corporation declared bankruptcy in 1992. During
6063-530: 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
6192-409: 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
6321-487: The " school run ", is increasing due to perceived hazards to unaccompanied children. Older students in some countries are able to drive themselves to school. However, most countries minimum age for driving is 17 or 18, only Kosovo has a minimum driving age below 14 . The Walk to School campaign and ' walking buses ' promote the benefits of walking to school. In the latter, student groups are escorted supervised by adults to travel to or from school on foot. Cycling to school
6450-415: 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
6579-501: The 1840s and 1850s, the foundry would undergo several changes of ownership. In 1868, the company produced its first vehicle, a horse-drawn utility wagon derived from the then-popular Conestoga wagon . The 1870s saw two major events that would change the company forever. In 1871, Wayne Agricultural Company was founded out of a reorganization of the foundry ownership (deriving its name from Wayne County, Indiana ). In 1875, Wayne Agricultural relocated its operations to Richmond, Indiana. In
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#17327913903916708-478: 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
6837-968: The 1930s to the 1970s, a common starting point for such vehicles was the Cadillac Commercial Chassis (or similar vehicles); using a heavy-duty frame, the vehicle was a bare chassis aft of the dashboard, leaving all exterior and interior bodywork to be completed by coachbuilders (much of the vehicle was completed by hand). Divco-Wayne Corporation acquired two professional car manufacturers, Miller-Meteor and Cotner-Bevington; both companies produced funeral cars and ambulances. Wayne Works purchased Meteor Motor Car Company in Piqua, Ohio in 1954. Meteor built professional cars, such as limousines and ambulances. In 1956, Wayne acquired A.J. Miller's professional car building company of Bellefontaine, Ohio . The A.J. Miller Company had begun in 1853 by making horse carriages and then started making automobiles in
6966-530: 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
7095-505: The 1984 film Ghostbusters and its 1989 and 2021 sequels, is a 1959 Cadillac fitted with a Miller-Meteor ambulance body. Divco-Wayne acquired Cotner-Bevington Coach Company (C-B) in 1965, making it a subsidiary of Wayne Corporation. Founded as Comet Coach Company, the coachbuilder sold the rights in 1959 to the "Comet" name" to Ford Motor Company (which sought to use it for the Lincoln-Mercury Division); in 1960,
7224-538: The 1990s, Wayne was briefly reorganized as Wayne Wheeled Vehicles , with the Richmond factory utilized by rival manufacturer Carpenter, building school buses from 1996 until its closure in 2000. The ultimate beginning of Wayne Corporation traces back to 1837 in Dublin, Indiana , as the Witt family set up a foundry. Alongside the initial manufacturing of stoves, the foundry expanded its manufacturing to farm implements. Through
7353-441: The 19th century, all manufacturing had been centralized at its facility in Richmond, Indiana. Most bus bodies consisted of in-house manufactured parts and purchased components manufactured by others, combined into bus bodies in assembly operations. Thus, the major two functions of the Richmond, Indiana plant were manufacturing of parts, and assembly. Wayne bus bodies were also assembled at multiple locations of truck body dealers around
7482-569: The 20th century. Wayne products eventually included school buses, transit buses , highway coaches , military and shuttle buses , ambulances and even huge bus bodies pulled by tractor trailers used to haul oil field workers in the Middle East. Among many innovations, Wayne pioneered the side-mounted guard rails of modern school buses, inboard wheelchair lifts, and high-headroom doors (a special accommodation for mobility-challenged persons requiring head and neck support from above). The company
7611-417: 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
7740-718: The Cotner-Bevington facilities. For 1968, the "Sentinel" (based on the Chevrolet Suburban) was introduced, expanding to the "Vanguard" (based on the Chevrolet Van) in 1971, and "Medicruiser" (based on Dodge Ram Van) in 1973. The Sentinel received a headroom increase for 1971, but were only built through the 1972 model year. After that, the Sentinel brand name was used on Wayne's line of Type I (pickup chassis) modular ambulances. Body shells were produced at
7869-410: The Richmond, Indiana, bus plant for Care-O-Van ambulance units, based upon cutaway chassis and Wayne Busette bodies. In 1973, Wayne truck-based ambulance production moved to Piqua, Ohio, home to Miller-Meteor. C-B stayed in business through the 1975 model year, building only on Oldsmobile commercial chassis after 1964; all other production would become truck-based ambulances. In 1967, the company became
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#17327913903917998-452: The U.S.) say school buses are safer than cars, even if they are not fitted with seat belts. In Argentina , although most students either walk, are driven by parents, or take regular public transit to school, many of them use private buses carrying an identification and authorization of government in each city. They are usually white and orange and are mostly vans, a change from the times when bigger transit-style buses were used. Parents pay
8127-646: 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. Student transport Student transport is the transporting of children and teenagers to and from schools and school events. School transport can be undertaken by school students themselves (on foot, bicycle or perhaps horseback ; or for older students, by car ), they may be accompanied by family members or caregivers , or
8256-499: The US and at a Canadian assembly plant, Welles, Ltd. in Windsor, Ontario . Kits were also shipped overseas even after all North American assembly was eventually centralized in Richmond, Indiana and Windsor, Ontario in the early 1960s. During the earlier years of the school bus industry, the factory manufactured most of the parts used to assemble a bus body, but it was customary for these to be shipped unassembled to body dealers around
8385-413: The United Kingdom, most student transport is performed by ordinary transit buses . These buses can be used for other purposes when not in use for school journeys. Most children use local scheduled public transport bus services. In almost all cases, dedicated school transport bus services in the UK are contracted out to local bus companies. In Greater London , many school children travel to school using
8514-474: The United States and Canada, for assembly onto an incomplete truck chassis. Gradually, as highway transportation of completed buses became more practical, and school bus bodies became more sophisticated, the assembly of complete bodies onto truck chassis in the United States and Canada became centralized at locations owned by the body companies. The companies often continued to ship "kits" overseas. By
8643-399: The United States use specially built and equipped school buses, painted school bus yellow and equipped with various forms of warning and safety devices specific to them. In other parts of the world, buses used for transporting students tend to be more general-purpose type buses than their North American counterparts. Parental transport of students in the family automobile , sometimes termed
8772-407: The United States, purpose-built school buses are the primary means of student transport, almost always provided without charge to families. In the US, the term, "busing" is also used to refer to desegregation busing , the transport of students to schools other than the closest local school for increased racial integration . Each year, school buses provide an estimated 10 billion student trips in
8901-438: The United States. Every school day, 475,000 school buses transport 25 million children to and from schools and school-related activities. School buses are purchased or leased by some school districts , while other school districts engage the service of school bus contractors to perform this function. Approximately 40% of school districts in the United States use contractors to handle the function of student transport. However,
9030-497: The Wayne brand was reorganized as Wayne Wheeled Vehicles , doing business through 1995. Wayne is a name in school transportation that predates the familiar yellow school bus seen all over the United States and Canada. Beginning in the 19th century, craftsmen in Richmond, Indiana at Wayne Works and its successors built horse-drawn vehicles , including kid hacks , evolving into automobiles and virtually all types of bus bodies during
9159-704: 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
9288-465: 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
9417-417: 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
9546-530: The company began a transition towards the manufacturing of automobile bodies. In addition, the company began production of complete automobiles, with the Richmond built between 1901 and 1917. The Wayne County Historical Museum in Richmond, Indiana has a rare 1907 "Richmond" on display, along with horse-drawn "kid hack" also manufactured by the Wayne Works. In 1922, Wayne introduced the Touring Home,
9675-426: The company introduced a redesigned bus body, introducing wraparound rear windows and an optional wraparound windshield. In the mid-1950s, Wayne expanded beyond bus manufacturing, as it acquired two manufacturers of professional cars . In 1954, the company acquired Meteor Motor Car and A.J. Miller Company in 1956, merging them together as Miller-Meteor. In 1956, Newton Glekel began negotiations with Divco to undergo
9804-435: The company produced its largest school bus, seating 115 students. In 1938, Wayne Works introduced its first forward-control school bus, offered as a second-party conversion on its conventional-chassis body. In contrast to later front-engine buses, the driver sat on top of the front axle (instead of before the front axle). In April 1939, a school bus industry conference hosted by rural education expert Frank W. Cyr would change
9933-551: The company produced the Divco Dividend bus, a Divco truck modified with seats and windows from Wayne buses. In 1967, Divco-Wayne sold off its namesake truck manufacturing arm to air conditioning manufacturer Transairco. As part of the sale, Transairco shifted manufacturing of Divco trucks in 1969 from Detroit to Delaware, Ohio, lasting until 1986. As Wayne started out as the Wayne Agricultural Works in
10062-514: 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
10191-610: 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
10320-402: 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
10449-415: 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
10578-645: 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
10707-479: The design of the school bus forever. Although Wayne Works was not a participant, the results would lead to many industry-wide changes. Along with the adoption of chrome yellow as a standard color for school buses, the conference resulted in the development of a number of industry-wide standards, including the adoption of forward-facing seats and the standardization of many body dimensions. For World War II, as with other school bus manufacturers, Wayne Works retooled as
10836-518: 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
10965-598: The early part of the 20th century. However, the small company found it could not compete in the general market with the larger automobile makers, so they began specializing in hearses and ambulances . Over the years the Miller hearses became known and used throughout the world. The Miller Co. was combined with Wayne's existing professional car subsidiary, Meteor Motor Car Company, forming the new Miller-Meteor (M-M) division of Wayne. Professional car manufacturers Miller and Meteor, newly combined as Miller-Meteor, were brought into
11094-523: 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 ,
11223-507: The first coachbuilder to standardize air conditioning on all vehicles produced. Divco-Wayne Corporation manufactured housing brands included Kozy, Elcar, Star, and National. The Divco-Wayne conglomerate also had a financial arm, Divco-Wayne Acceptance Corporation, which was also known as Divco-Wayne Financial, Wayne Acceptance or Financial Corporation and Wayne Financial Sales Corporation. Bus A bus (contracted from omnibus , with variants multibus , motorbus , autobus , etc.)
11352-404: The first manufacturer to offer an all-steel body with safety glass windows. In addition, the company began to phase in the heavy-duty reinforced side rails seen on school buses, "collision rails" or "guard rails" became an added safety feature. For 1936, Wayne redesigned its school bus body, making it sectional, allowing a customer to add or remove sections for repair or change capacity. In 1937,
11481-403: The fold of Divco-Wayne as the newly formed conglomerate was developing its opportunities in this field. Although the recently combined Miller-Meteor company was initially based at Bellefontaine, Ohio , originally the home of the A.J. Miller Company, under Divco-Wayne ownership, it was later relocated to Piqua, Ohio , Meteor's old hometown nearby. Ecto-1 , the vehicle used by the protagonists in
11610-545: 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
11739-498: The government, so they can use the public transport 'for free' ('For free', because when the government introduced this scheme in the 1990s, students yearly budgets were cut as a result, without a choice for students to opt in or out). In New Zealand, student transport is sometimes provided by the New Zealand Ministry of Education through school bus contractors or general bus companies . Bus companies generally have
11868-416: The late 1880s, Wayne Agricultural fell into receivership and was nearly closed; in 1888, the company was reorganized as Wayne Works. In 1902, Wayne Works was forced to rebuild after a fire destroyed the factory. Following the closure of Wayne Agricultural in 1888, Wayne Works began focusing its product range from farm implements towards horse-drawn vehicles, including wagons and carriages. In 1892, Wayne Works
11997-580: 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 ),
12126-516: 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
12255-441: The manufacturing of mobile homes, recreational vehicles, and ambulances. Although Divco would continue the manufacturing of its namesake delivery vehicles, nearly all vehicle manufacturing was completed through Wayne and its professional car subsidiaries. Divco stands for D etroit I ndustrial V ehicles CO mpany. Founded in 1926, Divco was known for its pioneering delivery vehicles , with many examples built as milk trucks . At
12384-478: The mid-1960s, several other body companies (notably Blue Bird Body Company and Perley A. Thomas Car Works ) maintained assembly plants at multiple locations. Instead of establishing multiple assembly points in the U.S., Wayne chose to replace the overcrowded and aged Wayne Works facility on E Street near downtown Richmond with a single new plant large enough to handle both manufacturing and assembly for United States production. Due primarily to Canadian import tariffs,
12513-789: 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
12642-443: 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
12771-474: The most direct practical walking distance from the school, and high school students get free travel only if they live more than 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) radial distance or 2.9 kilometres (1.8 mi) by the most direct practical walking distance from school. The concept of the walking bus was first invented in Australia 1992 by David Engwicht . In Canada, student transport is generally handled in much
12900-448: 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
13029-558: The ordinary bus service , with travel being free using the Oyster card system. In the United Kingdom, there are concerns about children's safety after they have alighted from conventional buses used for student transport. There are also more general worries about safety, such as lack of seatbelts, crowded buses, and in Northern Ireland especially, the use of "three for two" seating, where three children are expected to sit on
13158-871: 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
13287-590: The rear emergency exit seen on the buses of today; the primary mode of ingress/egress is now through a curbside door. Following World War I, Wayne Works began to produce the School Car in large numbers; alongside changes in education funding and school modernization, the motorized school bus was a contributing factor in the decline of rural one-room schools in United States. Although fewer children lived within walking distance of school, school systems consisted of fewer but larger multi-room schools. The 1930s marked
13416-523: 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
13545-539: 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,
13674-486: The same manufacturers). Due to its many remote and historically isolated communities, Canada had some of the only examples of a railway school car , which brought travelling teachers to these communities on a temporary basis, as it was often easier than transporting students to schools or building local schools in these areas. This system, which was operated by both the Canadian National Railway and
13803-552: The same way as it is in the United States: the yellow school bus. Canadian school districts usually engage school bus contractors for student transport services, almost always provided without charge to families. Outside of the metrification of the dashboard instruments and the French-language signage on school buses in the province of Quebec, Canadian and U.S. school buses are largely identical (and are produced by
13932-431: The school for primary school students (ages 5–12) or within 4.8 km (3.0 mi) of the school for secondary school students (ages 13–18). Students are also not eligible if there are suitable public transport services between the school and the student's residence, ruling out free transport in most cities. School buses generally operate where there are 4 or more pupils entitled to transport support. Free school busing
14061-556: The school paddock, known as a glebe in some areas. The Education Department paid about 4d a day towards the upkeep of each horse. The first buses allowed five rural schools to be merged into one, a pattern which continued as school buses spread (e.g. Raupo Consolidated High School in 1929 ), so that, by 1940, the five had increased to 650, but wartime rationing slowed the pace of consolidation. Tendering for services began in 1987. Prior to that loans were available to buy buses. As of 2022, Go Bus has 679 of about 2,150 routes. In
14190-468: The school, are eligible to either bus or taxi rides. The buses and taxis that are used are normal vehicles, typically operated by local companies. Buses that are reserved solely for school busing have "Koulukyyti/Skolskjuts" markings on front and back. Taxis engaged in student transport have a triangular sign on the roof. Buses engaged in student transport are limited to driving at 80 km/h maximum speed. There are no special school buses in Germany with
14319-441: The schools and the van drivers. Today, in the interest of safety, nanny vans are government-regulated vehicles that run on fixed routes. Another Way Students Are transported are by School Buses which can fit 15 students a bus mother and a driver. The Bus Mother takes care of the children while they are on the bus and help the bus driver while he is driving. Some school buses fit up to 27 Students but are mostly 16 students per bus. In
14448-547: 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
14577-643: The separate Canadian assembly plant (Welles, Ltd.) had been established and was maintained for Canadian production. In 1963, Divco-Wayne acquired Welles entirely, making it a subsidiary of the company. The professional car (quoted from a leading trade association) "is loosely defined as a custom-bodied vehicle, based on passenger car styling, and used in the funeral, rescue or livery services." Such vehicles may be ambulances, funeral cars ( hearses , flower cars , service cars), limousines, or combination cars , vehicles specially built to combine multiple functions (hearse-ambulances, sedan ambulances or invalid coaches). From
14706-546: The sole Canadian distributor of Wayne Works school buses. Named for Halsey V. Welles (who founded H. V. Welles Ltd. in 1925), Welles Corporation was first established as Warford Corp. of Canada to distribute Warford transmissions. In late 1950, Wayne Works changed hands, as the Jeffery Ives Corporation acquired Wayne Works from the Clements family, involved with the company ownership since 1897. For 1952,
14835-496: 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
14964-493: The talk of and introduction of dedicated, yellow student-specific school buses has been widespread. In 2005, it was reported that the introduction of such buses would "save pupils". As well as safety benefits, it would also be better to the environment, though this is partly due to a resulting decrease in driving. North American-style ' yellow ' school buses (built by European manufacturers) are being introduced by First Student UK and My bus . The Walk to school campaign
15093-594: The time of the Divco-Wayne merger, 75% of milk delivery vehicles sold in the United States were manufactured by Divco. First built in 1926, Divco produced its delivery trucks until 1986; only the Volkswagen Beetle remained in production under a single generation for longer. Divco trucks have become popular collectible vehicles today. Following the 1956 merger, Divco-Wayne continued manufacturing of Divco trucks in its Detroit facility. From 1959 to 1961,
15222-529: 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
15351-574: The transport may be organised collectively, using school buses or taxis . Using the general-purpose public transport is the most common means of student transport, in some countries. Some countries such as Australia have special routes and timetables exclusively used by students, but still run by public transportation services. Sometimes the parents or the students get reimbursed when they buy public transport tickets. Student transport can use specially designed school buses . Many districts in Canada and
15480-440: The use of standard public transit buses is increasingly common in urban areas. For example, New York City provides yellow school bus service to select students based on grade level and their distance from the school, but relies on the public New York City Transit bus system to transport students in grades 7-12 and younger students where dedicated school bus service is unavailable. Free or half-price transit passes are provided by
15609-532: The van owner a monthly fee to carry their children back and forth from school. These vans are not affiliated to the school and usually transport children from different schools in the same route. In Australia, students who live in outer suburban or rural areas often travel on public buses and trains or on special routes provided by private bus companies. The school services cross-subsidise the regular bus routes. In inner city areas, school students travel on government-owned route service buses. Students travel on either
15738-421: The vehicle bodies for school transportation that the company produced during this era, passengers sat on perimeter seating, facing the sides rather than the front of the bus. In place of wooden benches, the 1914 School Car was fitted with padded seats. Entry and egress was through a door at the rear, a design first utilized from the days of wagons (to avoid startling the horses). This feature was retained, becoming
15867-576: The war years, as did other bus body manufacturers. In 1944, as the end of World War II approached, Wayne returned to building all-steel bodies. Following World War II, Wayne Works began to adapt for new markets for its vehicles. In 1948, Wayne entered a joint venture with Crown Coach to distribute a separate bus; the joint venture resulted in Crown becoming the West Coast distributor for Wayne. The same year, Welles Corporation of Windsor, Ontario became
15996-454: The way for U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) for school buses, most of which became applicable on April 1, 1977. In the years after, Wayne continued to be a leader in bus safety engineering. Through nearly 160 years of existence, Wayne went through several ownership and name changes. From 1955 to 1975 alone, the business underwent periods under the ownership of Divco (as "Divco-Wayne"), Boise Cascade , "Indian Head, Inc.", and
16125-667: The work-day, increased carbon footprint, diminished development of transport self-management skills in early teenagers, dangerous concentrations of hectic motoring near congested school entrances at school start-times, etc). The matter occasionally surfaces in the New Zealand media, but making free school busing the norm is usually dismissed as another example of American-style thinking. In Auckland , New Zealand, as at November 2007, one hundred schools were running 230 walking buses with over 4,000 children and 1,500 adults participating. Before school buses were introduced, from 1924 onwards, rural children rode to school and left their horses in
16254-549: 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
16383-419: Was commissioned by an Ohio school district to build a wagon designed for student transport . Its "School Car" featured perimeter seating with wooden bench seats. Other wagons at the time adapted for transporting students were referred to as "school hacks,","school trucks," or " kid hacks ." In 1902, Wayne Works was forced to completely rebuild after a fire destroyed the factory. Moving away from farm implements,
16512-463: Was the first with a school bus based upon a cutaway van chassis , the Wayne Busette , a body design that would set a precedent for small school bus design, more than 40 years after its introduction. The crowning safety achievement was the "Wayne Lifeguard" structural body design introduced in 1973, which featured continuous interior and exterior longitudinal panels. The body design helped pave
16641-503: 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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