73-497: The Scania 4-series low floor city bus and coach range was introduced by Scania in 1997 as a successor to the 3-series bus range . The 4-series bus range was first presented in September 1996, when the integral low-floor city bus OmniCity was revealed. Production of the chassis range started in second half of 1997, and by the end of 1998 all worldwide production facilities had changed from 3-series to 4-series. Unlike
146-409: A hydraulic or pneumatic 'kneeling device', which can be used when the bus is not in motion, tilting it or lowering it at the front axle even further, often down to normal curb height. Depending on how close to the curb the bus is parked and wheelchair design, this can allow wheelchair users to board unaided. Though such technology has been available and in use on high-floor buses since the 1970s, it
219-660: A longitudinally rear-mounted engine, replacing the K93 and K113 of the 3-series. Initially only available as K94 and K124, the K114 became available in 2000. It could be built as a premium coach (K EB), a coach or intercity bus (K IB), or as a much rarer city bus version (K UB). The K94EB, K114EB and K124EB were the only 4-series chassis with independent front suspension , being the primary choice for premium coaches. They were available as two-axle (4x2), tri-axle (6x2) and tri-axle with steered tag axle (6x2*4). A normal tri-axle coach would have
292-624: A batch of Volgren CR228L bodied K94UB with Brazilian-made chassis. The L94-series was a longitudinal inclined rear-engined simple coach, intercity and city bus series, and was a direct replacement for the L113 . It has been used widely in Scandinavia , the United Kingdom , Brazil and Australia . In Ireland and Northern Ireland it was also quite popular with companies such as Bus Éireann , Ulsterbus and Metro . When Scania presented
365-566: A full low floor, and was a direct replacement of the N113 . The N94UA ( N94UA6x2/2EB ) articulated chassis had a low floor throughout the length of the bus, compared to the L94UA which had a step up. It was the basis for the articulated version of the OmniCity , being available on left-hand drive markets from 1997. The N94UB ( N94UB4x2EB ) rigid two-axle chassis was first introduced as the basis for
438-785: A high floor bus where the floor is flat in order to align with the high platforms in certain Bus Rapid Transit systems. Thereby, referring to it as a non-step high floor bus. The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) mandates the use of low-floor or low-entry buses on city bus routes in the Philippines since 2016. Low-floor buses are used on city bus networks in Metro Manila , Metro Cebu and Davao City , and on some provincial routes, and most Point-to-Point Bus services, although older coaches are still largely used for such services. Buses used on
511-539: A low floor throughout the length of the bus (more popular in Europe ), and low-entry buses with step-free access to only a part of the bus, most commonly between the front door and the middle door (more popular in North America). In North America, both types are commonly called low-floor, as the majority of the vehicle has a low floor, without steps at the doors. The main reason for choosing a low-entry configuration
584-464: A low-floor bus "no-step bus (ノーステップバス)". At Enshu Railway Company in Hamamatsu Area, a low-floor bus is called "omnibus (オムニバス)", " cho-teisho bus (超低床バス; very low-floor bus)" and " cho-teisho omnibus (超低床オムニバス; very low-floor omnibus)". Japanese government calls a low-floor bus " cho-teisho non-step bus (超低床ノンステップバス; very low-floor non-step bus)". The term non-step bus may also refer to
657-492: A low-floor bus therefore requires careful design. Low floor configuration is also known to have poor side to side dead load distribution within the chassis due to the asymmetrical off-centre placement of driveline components - mainly engine and transmission. As a result, many of such buses require electronically controlled air suspension to compensate the lopsided configuration. Low-floor buses usually include an area without seating (or seating that folds up) next to at least one of
730-482: A low-floor design. A small number of higher capacity articulated low-floor buses are used to service the city's southern busways. In Sydney , routes may be operated by both high-floor buses and low-entry ones. Selected routes can be set aside specifically for low-entry buses which are considered to be wheelchair-accessible routes. A recent all-low-entry bus network is the Metrobus system. Westbus Westbus
803-413: A smaller low floor area with a small underfloor bin for some luggage. Whilst these buses do not provide a full amount of luggage space, they can be used to house more luggage than what can be held inside the bus itself. Another drawback is the arrangement means the section of the bus that is at curb height is very short—consisting of enough space to house the wheelchair area and then rising up, to accommodate
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#1732791728920876-669: Is a very low or non-existent availability of high-floor electric buses. The majority of standard and truncated vehicles were and are the Caio Millennium and Millennium BRT "toco" models, on Mercedes-Benz O500U, Scania K270 and K310, Volvo B7RLE and B290RLE and Volkswagen 17.240 and 17.260 chassis. For articulated vehicles, Caio Mondego HA and Millennium BRT vehicles with Mercedes-Benz O500UA and O500UDA chassis were and are used. The Biarticulates were made with Caio TopBus PB and Millennium BRT TopBus bodies on Volvo B360S and B9Salf chassis. In Brisbane , all Translink buses are of
949-495: Is of significant utility on low-floor vehicles only where it enables less-mobile passengers to board and leave the vehicle without help from others. Many vehicles are also equipped with wheel-chair lifts, or ramps which, when combined with a low floor, can provide a nearly level entry. An implementation of the low floor design exists in Australia where custom coaches make a "hybrid" variant of its CB60 bodywork. These buses combine
1022-466: Is one of the first cities in India that introduced Low Floor buses. The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation, BMTC operates many services using the premium Volvo 8400LE Low-floor buses. These buses are air-conditioned, and offer features such as automatic transmission, kneeling and wheel-chair ramp, typical of modern city buses. They are also fitted with LED display boards as well as ITS to announce
1095-643: Is to allow better placement for the powertrain and other technical equipment in the raised floor section, in addition to allowing a more comfortable ride on rough roads. Some manufacturers use the initials LF or L in their model designations for fully low-floor models (or in the case of German manufacturers, NF or N , based on the German word Niederflur , which means low floor), and in North America buses that are partially low-floor are often also designated LF. In some countries, LE , short for Low Entry ,
1168-403: Is used by some manufacturers in their model designations for low-entry buses. Most bus manufacturers achieve a low floor height by making rear-engined rear-wheel drive buses with independent front suspension , so that no axle is needed to pass under the floor of the front part of passenger compartment, or a lowered front axle. Some full low-floor buses also have a lowered rear axle, while
1241-725: The Den Oudsten B85/B86 [ nl ] . Other competitors followed suit, with the Orion VI (1995), Nova Bus LF Series (1996, also derived from the Den Oudsten B85), Gillig Low Floor (1997, derived from a shuttle bus design for the Hertz rental car agency), and Neoplan AN440L (1990/94/99). By 2008, most new bus orders in the United States were for low-floor buses. In the capital of this country,
1314-871: The EDSA Busway are usually equipped with 1-2 doors on the left side for boarding at the median stations, although not all units currently have them installed. Low-floor buses often use upholstered coach-style seating in a 2-3, or 2-2 configuration, although plastic seats may be found in some buses. Low-floor wheelchair-accessible buses were first introduced in Singapore in 2006 with 150 Volvo B9TL CDGE buses procured by SBS Transit . These buses were registered SBS7300P - SBS7499A. Volvo B9TL CDGE buses were fully retired in 2023. In 2007, SBS Transit procured 1101 units of low-entry Scania K230UB buses bodied by Gemilang Coachworks of Senai , Malaysia . Afterwards, all new city buses procured by SBS Transit, SMRT Buses and
1387-551: The K-series , N-series and F-series . Some 4-series products have been available for a couple of years after this. Approximation of the power rating in hp to the nearest ten. Engines available at launch were the 9.0-litre (8974 cc) DSC9 and the 11.7-litre (11705 cc) DSC12, both being Euro II compliant inline 6-cylinder, turbocharged and intercooled engines. The DSC9 with outputs at 220 hp (1005 Nm), 260 hp (1180 Nm) and 310 hp (1355 Nm), and
1460-564: The Land Transport Authority are low-floor. Low-floor buses are first adopted in Germany in 1989, and to make them easier to use for wheelchairs and strollers, the minimum ground clearance of the entire vehicle is lowered and the floor is proportionately raised by 30 centimetres (12 in) above the road surface. The Dennis Dart SLF (Super Low Floor) marked the wholesale introduction of single-deck low floor buses in
1533-507: The OmniDekka , the first bus was built for Metrobus and delivered in early 2003. In 2005, Scania unveiled the double-deck OmniCity DD based on the N94UD. Plans for Wrightbus bodywork on the N94UD chassis were dropped after Wrightbus experienced difficulty adapting the bodywork for the chassis. Low-floor bus A low-floor bus is a bus or trolleybus that has no steps between
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#17327917289201606-474: The Optare Alero and Hino Poncho . Accessibility was previously achieved in paratransit type applications, which use small vehicles with the fitment of special lifts. The inception of small low-floor buses has allowed the development of several accessible demand-responsive transport schemes using standard 'off-the-shelf' buses. A disadvantage of the low floor is accommodating the bus's own wheels. With
1679-519: The Volvo B10M purchasing over 160 as buses and 12 as coaches in the 1980s. It later purchased Mercedes-Benz O405 and Scanias . As at May 2013 Westbus operated 289 buses across four depots in Bonnyrigg and Girraween for Region 3 and St Marys and Windsor for Region 1. Upon formation in 1983 Westbus adopted a cream and red livery, which was adopted by National Bus Company in 1993. This
1752-609: The ethanol fueled DSI9 E01 was available, with a power output of 230 hp (1035 Nm). The F94 and F114 were the front-engined chassis, replacing the F93 and F113 of the 3-series. They were mainly produced in São Bernardo do Campo , Brazil and Tucumán , Argentina for the Latin American and African market. The F94HA ( F94HA6x2NA ) was an articulated chassis with remotely mounted Voith gearbox, leaf-spring suspension on
1825-501: The 3-series, which was a range of 45 different chassis models, the 4-series is one basic chassis with different modular configurations depending on usage and customer needs. At launch there were a total of seven major configurations, presumably the F ;HB, K EB, K IB, L IB, L UB, N UA and N UB. These were later followed by the F HA, K UB, L IA, L UA and N UD. The first letter describing
1898-623: The AC volvo bus and MW series are served by the Tata Marcopolo buses operated by WBSTC. AC Marcopolo buses serve the MH series route operated by WBHIDCO and the MB series route operated by BHBL. Calcutta State Transport Corporation (CSTC) also run AC Volvo Bus & Ashok Leylan JanBus. In Japan , a low-floor bus is called "non-step bus (ノンステップバス)". Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation used to calling
1971-809: The Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, since 1997 the legislation governs that all buses of lines of "national" jurisdiction (bus lines that circulate within the capital district and/or cross from here to the suburbs). The first low-floor bus produced in Argentina and marketed in this country was the El Detalle OA105, and the first low-floor bus imported by Argentina was the Marcopolo Torino GV Low-Entry brought from Brazil in 1998. Within Paraguay's public transit system, it
2044-601: The DC12. To fill the gap between them, they were joined by the new 10.6-litre (10641 cc) DC11 engine with power outputs at 340 hp (1600 Nm) and 380 hp (1800 Nm). The 9.0-litre engine was also available with alternative fuels. The OSC9 G01 CNG engine had ratings of 260 hp (970 Nm), which was later tuned up to 990 Nm. It was later replaced by the OC9 with power outputs of 260 hp (1100 Nm) and 300 hp (1250 Nm). In selected markets even
2117-527: The DSC12 with outputs at 360 hp (1665 Nm) and 420 hp (1950 Nm). In November 1999, Scania presented a new range of Euro III compliant truck engines, which soon became available on the buses too. The DSC9 and the DSC12 were renamed DC9 and DC12, and new power outputs were 230 hp (1100 Nm), 260 hp (1250 Nm) and 300 hp (1400 Nm) for the DC9 and 420 hp (2000 Nm) for
2190-456: The K EB type, they were available as two-axle (4x2), tri-axle (6x2) and tri-axle with steered tag axle (6x2*4), and on the Latin American market also as quad-axle (8x2). The K94IB was quite rare, as it was in may ways in direct competition with the L94IB as an intercity bus. The K94UB was a citybus chassis which allowed low floor at the front half of the bus and a step up to the rear part, known in
2263-559: The United Kingdom in 1995, after many small-scale demonstrator usages. Low floor buses were rapidly introduced on high-profile routes, notably becoming a requirement for London Buses contracts. The Optare Solo introduced in 1997 marked another step change with inroads into smaller usages traditionally served by minibuses . The final phase came with low floor double-deckers the Dennis Trident 2 and Volvo B7TL entering
Scania 4-series (bus) - Misplaced Pages Continue
2336-898: The WBSTC. These buses connects places like the Kolkata Airport , Barasat (Capital Town of North Suburb), New Town , Salt Lake , Howrah , Santragachi (a station on the Howrah-Kharagpur railway line), Kudghat and Tollygunge . The road network in Kolkata is vast. Under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, air conditioned buses have been included as a part of travel comfort to commuters. Air-conditioned buses are operated by West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation (WBSTC) directly & through outsourcing. These buses are served by Tata Marcopolo Buses and Volvo Low Floor Buses. The V Series and VS series bus routes are served by
2409-475: The articulated version of the OmniLink integral citybus. The L94UB was the versatile citybus chassis when a full low floor was not required, as it like the L94UA was a low-entry configuration. Available both as two-axle ( L94UB4x2LB ) and tri-axle ( L94UB6x2LB , L94UB6x2*4LB ). It was also the basis for the first generation of OmniLink , which was launched in 1998. The N94 had a transverse-mounted engine and
2482-539: The bus deck and sidewalk. This is distinct from high-floor , a bus deck design that requires climbing one or more steps (now known as step entrance) to access the interior floor that is placed at a higher height. Being low-floor improves the accessibility of the bus for the public, particularly the elderly and people with disabilities , including those using wheelchairs and walkers . Almost all are rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout . Low-floor buses are generally divided into two major types: fully low-floor buses with
2555-546: The bus industry as low-entry. One example of a tri-axle K94UB (K94UB6x2/4LB) was produced in 2000. In Hong Kong, the K94UB has been fitted with a Volgren CR224LD 12m double-deck bodywork and was in operation with Citybus in Hong Kong. It is equipped with a 260 hp Euro III engine and a hydraulically (ZF - RAS) steered tag axle in front of the drive axle. It was retired on 3 July 2019. Westbus ( Sydney ), Australia received
2628-542: The city center. Low-floor buses have become popular on the Structural and Regional Articulation lines, and have been a mandatory model to be purchased for these since 2015. Until then, exceptions for local lines with low-floor buses were rare, but this has been changing since 2019 and especially since 2023. In 2023, the city banned the purchase of new diesel buses. With the mandatory use of electric buses, new buses on local lines are also being made with low floors, as there
2701-502: The conventional buses. A revamp plan is underway to improve bus-shelters in the city and to integrate GPS systems in DTC buses and bus stops so as to provide reliable information about bus arrivals. The Delhi Government decided to expedite this process and procured 6,600 low floor buses for the DTC before commonwealth games in 2010. Kolkata has an extensive network of government run buses. Recently air-conditioned buses have been introduced by
2774-445: The doors, where wheelchairs , walkers , strollers/prams, and where allowed even bicycles, can be parked. This is sometimes not the only purpose of this area, though, as many operators employ larger standee areas for high occupancy at peak times. Despite the space existing, operators may also insist that only one or two wheelchairs or pushchairs can be accommodated unfolded, due to space/safety concerns. Low floors can be complemented by
2847-482: The early 2000s. In the United Kingdom , Westbus Australia took over Swinards Coaches, Ashford, Kent and ADP Travel Services of Hounslow to form Westbus UK in 1986. Since 2005, Westbus UK has continued to exist as a separate entity to Westbus Australia, despite using Westbus Australia's old name, logo and livery, and having the same owners. It is now owned by CityFleet Networks , also a wholly owned subsidiary of ComfortDelGro . By 1999, 57% shareholding of Westbus
2920-459: The end of 2005, 10 years ahead of the national requirement. London was one of the first major cities in the world to have a fully accessible bus fleet. Due to the deregulated nature of the public transport system in the UK, adoption of the higher cost low floor buses was usually in conjunction with some sort of grant or quality partnership with a local authority , as the profitability of many routes
2993-446: The enforced sale of non-compliant existing vehicles, allowing operators to retain a high floor vehicle until "the end of their economic life". In reality, as the prevalence of low floor buses spreads, combined with grants/incentives, it is likely that the prevalence of high floor vehicles in the national fleet will markedly reduce before all buses were de-registered by 27 October 2014. In the past, in times of reduced economic investment, it
Scania 4-series (bus) - Misplaced Pages Continue
3066-511: The front axle and air suspension on both drive (2nd axle) and trailer axle (3rd axle). It is known as a 'puller' artic, where no hydraulic articulation control is needed. The F94HB was a two-axle chassis with leaf-spring suspension. It was available with both normal chassis height ( F94HB4x2NZ ) and a higher version ( F94HB4x2HZ ). In Africa it was also available as the Scania F114 with a bigger engine. The K94, K114 and K124 were fitted with
3139-401: The full designation of K124EB6x2NI, but because of the independent front suspension it was also available as K124EB6x2LI with low front, which made it possible to have a gangway between the front wheel arches and a low driving position, making it suitable for use in double-decker coaches. The K94IB, K114IB and K124IB were the standard coach and intercity bus chassis with a rigid front axle. Like
3212-409: The ground and the floor of the bus at one or more entrances, and low floor for part or all of the passenger cabin. A bus with a partial low floor may also be referred to as a low-entry bus or seldom a flat-floor bus in some locations. Low floor refers to a bus deck that is accessible from the sidewalk with only a single step with a small height difference, caused solely by the difference between
3285-747: The halts. The corporation also had tried Mercedes-Benz Low-Floor buses as well as Ashok Leyland ULE coaches, but chose to stick to the Volvo offering. In order to keep the bus ticket prices low, the BMTC operates the majority of their services using Non-Airconditioned Semi-Low Floor (SLF) buses that have a floor height of 650mm as against the 400mm floor height of the true Low-Floor buses. These buses are from Ashok Leyland and Tata Motors, with future procurements planned to be from Eicher (VECV). These cheaper alternative to low-floor buses do not have kneeling or wheel-chair accessible ramps, but they have air suspension and use
3358-546: The integral OmniCity citbus in 1996, but was also available for bodywork by other manufacturers from 1997. Having a full low floor, it did not sell as well as the L94UB in the Nordic countries, where the low-entry alternative was more popular. The N94UD ( N94UD4x2EB ) double-decker chassis became available in 2002 and was mainly built for the United Kingdom and initially it was only available with East Lancs bodywork and sold as
3431-402: The lack of steps, studies have found the opposite effect in the UK. This is apparently due to the prevailing system of operation where passengers enter and exit through one single front door. It has been suggested that the previous 1980s/90s high floor step entrance buses which featured a centre rail, encouraged a bi-directional flow of entering and exiting passengers simultaneously. The removal of
3504-423: The low floor, the wheels protrude into the passenger cabin, and need to be contained in wheel pockets of waist height, and this occupies space which would otherwise be used for seating. To allow space for technical equipment, many low-floor buses have the seats mounted on podiums, making a small step up from the floor, while others are able to mount the seats directly to the floor, avoiding the step. Seating layout for
3577-698: The luggage bin. These buses also lack the ability to have a center door. Many bus rapid transit systems employ a level boarding by using high-floor buses stopping at "station" style bus stops. Specially raised sections of curb may also be used to achieve accessibility with lesser low floor models, although this is more expensive for the operator, and only attractive for regular busy scheduled routes. For infrequent routes or routes with hail and ride sections, or demand responsive transport , raised curbs would only be feasible in terminuses . Some transit agencies refused to order low-floor buses altogether, such as New Jersey Transit and MUNI owing to terrain conditions in
3650-547: The mass market, even though they were introduced after the Optare Spectra . London Buses was one of the earliest major users of low-floor buses, with the first low-floor single decker vehicles entering service in 1993 and the first low-floor double decker vehicles entering service in 1998. Following withdrawal of older, high-floor vehicles such as the AEC Routemaster , the bus fleet became fully accessible at
3723-524: The newly acquired Glenorie Bus Company under the Hillsbus brand. With debts of $ 90 million and National Express unwilling to provide further funding, in January 2005 the company was placed into voluntary administration. Westbus's problems threatened a major disruption to Sydney's transport network: the company ranked second only to government-owned Sydney Buses in the commuter bus industry. The company
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#17327917289203796-436: The pole to allow wheelchair/buggy access created the situation where the quintessentially polite British bus passenger would wait for all passengers to alight before boarding, leading to an increase in dwell times . Moscow was the first city to introduce low floor as the compulsory requirement for the suppliers of the city buses. By 2005 a few hundreds of low-floor buses started intra-metropolitan service. At first, PAZ-3237
3869-404: The position of the engine, and the last two letters describing areas of use. In marketing of the 4-series, Scania have generally only used the engine position (F/K/L/N), the engine displacement (9/11/12) and the series number (4), which is why we know them as F94, F114, K94, K114, K124, L94 and N94. The 4-series was superseded in 2006 by the new Euro IV compliant bus and coach range consisting of
3942-535: The rear axle is not an issue on a low-entry bus. Many low-floor buses, including the Irisbus Citelis (also in Skoda 24Tr trolleybus version), have the engine in a vertical cabinet at the rear of the bus. Van Hool have a series of "side-engine mid-drive" buses that puts the engine off to one side of the cabin longitudinally between the first and the second axle, to maximize usable cabin space. The same concept
4015-506: The rear end of the bus. The same applies to trolley buses that are mostly of low-floor design. Other cities that use low-floor buses on the regular routes are Kazan , Sochi , Tyumen , Pskov and more. Most of these vehicles are domestically manufactured by LiAZ , GAZ , KAMAZ and Volgabus . In the United States, the Americans with Disabilities Act is credited with motivating the development of low-floor buses, directly affecting
4088-408: The regions to the center, or connect two large terminals of two regions passing through the center Regional Articulation, which connect distant neighborhoods to the center without passing through large terminals, or connect two distant neighborhoods passing through important regions. Locations/distributors, which connect neighborhoods to large terminals or stations. None of these lines pass through
4161-619: The sale were Baxter's Girraween depot and some of its bus fleet. From 2005 Westbus' services were part of Sydney Bus Regions 1 and 3 . In 2012, these regions were put out to tender by Transport for NSW . Westbus' bids to retain both regions were not successful, with the Region 1 services operating out of St Marys and Windsor passing to Busways , while the Region 3 services operated by Bonnyrigg and Girraween passing to Transit Systems Sydney , both in October 2013. The remaining Westbus fleet
4234-566: The same or better seats as those found in the Volvo buses. They also feature manual transmission as against automatic transmission With the introduction of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and the development of dedicated corridors for the service, bus service is set to improve. The Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) has started introducing air-conditioned buses and brand new low-floor buses (with floor height of 400 mm (15.75 in) and even higher on one third area as against 230 mm (9.06 in) available internationally) on city streets to replace
4307-558: The same year, the first low floor bus specification was drafted by DPTAC. The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 provided for the completion of the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000, which specified that all new public service vehicles over 22 seats should be low floor from 31 December 2000, with smaller vehicles mandated from 1 January 2005. The 2000 regulations do not require retro-fitting of pre-existing vehicles or
4380-558: The service area. DART still has a preference for high floor buses. Although New York City Transit runs some 40-foot low-floors, it originally refused to order low-floor buses, namely D60LFs from New Flyer , after the D60HF, a high floor model, was discontinued mid-delivery. However, they have demonstrated both the D60LF and NovaBus LFSA, the latter of which they have decided to order. Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation Bangalore
4453-613: The standardized design of the Transbus Program , which concluded with the introduction of so-called 'interim' Advanced Design Buses with a lower floor height but which required lifts to board passengers in wheelchairs. The first low-floor (low-entry) buses to be delivered were the New Flyer Low Floor D40LF, to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in 1991. The New Flyer LF was derived from
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#17327917289204526-542: The successor to the 4-series, the inclined engine was dropped, so the L94 was superseded by the K-series . The L94IA ( L94IA6x2/2NB ) was an articulated normal-floor intercity bus chassis and was only available in Latin America. The L94IB was the general intercity bus and simple coach chassis. It was most common as a two-axle ( L94IB4x2NB ), but was also available as a tri-axle ( L94IB6x2NB , L94IB6x2*4NB ). The L94IB
4599-594: The time, it operated a fleet of five buses on a route connecting the Sydney suburbs of Canley Vale and Edensor Park . Bosnjak's purchased a number of bus companies: All companies began to trade as Westbus in October 1984. In 1985 the coach business of Rowe's was purchased. A fleet of Volvo B10M coaches were purchased and based at Northmead . Following the purchase of Calabro's in June 1989 both fleets moved to Alexandria and later Arncliffe . The operation ceased in
4672-499: Was acquired by ComfortDelGro Cabcharge in October 2005. The new owners pledged to honour the company's contractual obligations to customers and staff. The change of ownership saw the company exchange one politically well-connected shareholder, the Bosnjak family, for another, Cabcharge's Reg Kermode. In August 2006 the routes of Baxter's Bus Lines were purchased by and absorbed into Westbus Region 3 operations. Also included in
4745-436: Was also utilized by Volvo on their B9S articulated chassis. For smaller buses, such as midibuses , the low-floor capability is achieved by placing the front wheels ahead of the entrance. One of the last types of buses to gain low-floor accessibility as standard was the minibus , where a similar front-wheel arrangement allows around 12 seats and a wheelchair space to be accommodated in very small low-floor minibuses , such as
4818-477: Was an Australian bus and coach operator that operated bus services in Western Sydney from 1955 until October 2013. Founded by the Bosnjak family, it later became a subsidiary of National Express and later ComfortDelGro Cabcharge (now known as ComfortDelGro Australia ). Westbus's history originates from the Bosnjak family, who entered the transport business in 1955 and traded as Bosnjak's Bus Service. At
4891-617: Was held by Bosnjak Holdings, the main subsidiary of National Bus Company , which is also owned by Jim Bosnjak and his sister-in-law Carol. In May 1999, British coach operator National Express purchased National Bus Company and in turn took the 57% shareholding in Westbus held by National Bus Company. Members of the founding Bosnjak family including Jim continued to hold the remaining shares. Jim Bosnjak also continued to be Chairman of National Bus Company. In December 2004, Westbus' Northmead and Seven Hills operations were merged with those of
4964-574: Was not high enough to justify conversion based purely on increased revenue. It has been reported however that adoption of so-called Easy Access buses does have a positive effect of ridership and revenue levels. Under the Transport Act 1985 the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) (or commonly DiPTAC) was established to provide independent consultation on accessibility issues. In
5037-439: Was not uncommon for service buses to be used for 15 to 20 years. While some coaches have been produced with a small front low floor section at the driver's level, most coaches in the UK are being made accessible through the use of wheelchair lifts , with the 2005 Caetano Levante being one of the largest introductions. While another widely stated benefit of low floor buses is quicker boarding for able-bodied passengers due to
5110-459: Was not until 2012 that the first low-floor bus in the country were added to its fleet, being a 1999 Marcopolo Viale imported used from Argentina. In São Paulo, low-floor buses began to become popular in the 2000s with the creation of the so-called Sistema Interligado (Interconnected System, in English) which divided bus routes into so-called lines: Structural, which connect the large terminals of
5183-532: Was selected for the city centre, while LiAZ-5292 were chosen to serve city outskirts. Later the articulated version of the latter, specifically designed for Moscow, the LiAZ-6213 was introduced. In St.Petersburg the transition to low-floor-only city bus services was completed only by 2021. Besides LiAZ-5292 and LiAZ-6213 and other full low-floor models that account for 85% of the city buses, there are also semi low-floor buses in service, with elevated floor in
5256-475: Was the basis for the first generation of the OmniLine integral intercity bus available in some left-hand drive markets. The L94UA ( L94UA6x2/2LB ) was an articulated low entry city bus chassis, which had low floor in the front part of the bus and then a step up to the rear part. It was available from around 2001 as an alternative to the full low-floor N94UA, and was also the basis for the first generation of
5329-593: Was transferred to other ComfortDelGro Australia subsidiaries. Prior to its cessation in 2013, Westbus operated services in Sydney Bus Regions 1 and 3 : Westbus also operated services in the Hills District prior to their rebranding to Hillsbus in December 2004: A long time Bedford and Leyland buyer, after briefly manufacturing its own Bosnjak JBJ chassis in the late 1970s, Westbus moved to
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