Rethinking the shape of the bus

The Thomas Saf-T-Liner C2 was pretty radical when it came out in like 05 IIRC:
C2_08_Visibility_LG.jpg


Yes...I'm a bit of a school bus enthusiast...:p

Ah yes, the essential piece of school bus safety kit is catered for : the cupholder.
 
Saw this today.

The East Yorkshire Motor Services (EYMS) hybrid diesel/electric buses run on diesel with the battery kicking in when the bus brakes.

"You get the most fuel benefit from a highly urban, stop/start route.

"The more we use them the more fuel we save."

We now have 10 Diesel/Electric buses in the city. James May wants some money. :lol:
 
I still laugh at School Buses with seat belts.

-Robert
As an avid rider of normal buses I once had the opportunity to watch a man smash our windshield with his head. He wasn't wearing his seatbelt. Luckily the police didnt show up to give him a ticket (~$200 converted).

If I had to look at that dash all day while pressed up against the sidepanel on the left constantly flipping stupidly placed switches with my left arm I would get another job.....who the hell designed that? someone with one arm and one leg? :p
I agree, I think the answer is: nobody. They just bolted on the switches as they went along. And forgot about the radio. At least they left tonnes of room for stupid WARNING LABELS in the center console.
 
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I agree, I think the answer is: nobody. They just bolted on the switches as they went along. And forgot about the radio. At least they left tonnes of room for stupid WARNING LABELS in the center console.
Definitely not particularly well thought out. Looks like they just bolted in a generic class 5 truck dashboard and made it work. I doubt bumping switches with your arm would really be a problem; there's more room there than it looks like and the driver sits pretty high. But the whole switch panel could've been moved forward several inches anyway. And they left the emergency brake on the dash when there's room for it on the left as well.

You can also put a lot of that stuff; lights, sign control, HVAC, etc, overhead. Very convenient and it leaves the dash and window panel less cluttered. Plus hitting switches and toggles over your head makes you feel like you're firing up the Millennium Falcon or something. :mrgreen:
 
If I had to look at that dash all day while pressed up against the sidepanel on the left constantly flipping stupidly placed switches with my left arm I would get another job.....who the hell designed that? someone with one arm and one leg? :p

It's predecessor, the Saf-T-Liner FS65 had a slightly different layout that alleviates this somewhat:

th_08a.jpg

th_08e.jpg

th_08f.jpg


Source: http://www.schoolbuscentral.com/gallery/updates/aug05/th8_06fre_pa.htm

You could have switches placed on the canted portion of the switch bank, a lot more than what they have on that particular bus, where the radio and HVAC controls are.

I agree, I think the answer is: nobody. They just bolted on the switches as they went along. And forgot about the radio. At least they left tonnes of room for stupid WARNING LABELS in the center console.

One of the big things about the C2, is/was that you can easily move switches by popping them out and stuff...so in theory, one could create a different layout. The radio is usually optional, if that bus had it, it would be in the center stack where you'd expect it, with speakers running along the ceiling.

Definitely not particularly well thought out. Looks like they just bolted in a generic class 5 truck dashboard and made it work. I doubt bumping switches with your arm would really be a problem; there's more room there than it looks like and the driver sits pretty high. But the whole switch panel could've been moved forward several inches anyway. And they left the emergency brake on the dash when there's room for it on the left as well.

You can also put a lot of that stuff; lights, sign control, HVAC, etc, overhead. Very convenient and it leaves the dash and window panel less cluttered. Plus hitting switches and toggles over your head makes you feel like you're firing up the Millennium Falcon or something. :mrgreen:

The dash comes from the M2, so yeah pretty generic. On other models, like the IC/Amtran/International RE though, there does exist a switch bank above and to the left of the driver:

ic_re_1a.jpg

ic_re_1e.jpg

ic_re_1g.jpg


Source: http://www.schoolbuscentral.com/gallery/special/stn05/ic6_06re_nv.htm
 
Question time! It's okay if you don't know the answer to all of them.

Why does the driver of the school bus have a round mirror in front of him that only shows his own face?
What is the thingymajig on the front bumper that curls around itself?
Does american law dictate that buses must have split front windows?

Example: Volvo for american market
https://pic.armedcats.net/k/kn/knarkas/2011/04/29/foto_sys_Afbeeldingen_Afbeelding_433.jpg

Volvo for all other markets
https://pic.armedcats.net/k/kn/knarkas/2011/04/29/n_foto_0707_volvo-2.jpg
 
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Question time! It's okay if you don't know the answer to all of them.

Why does the driver of the school bus have a round mirror in front of him that only shows his own face?
What is the thingymajig on the front bumper that curls around itself?
Does american law dictate that buses must have split front windows?

Example: Volvo for american market
https://pic.armedcats.net/k/kn/knarkas/2011/04/29/foto_sys_Afbeeldingen_Afbeelding_433.jpg

Volvo for all other markets
https://pic.armedcats.net/k/kn/knarkas/2011/04/29/n_foto_0707_volvo-2.jpg

The round mirrors in front are called crossover mirrors. Those ensure that the bus driver can see children who may be crossing too close to the bus, as well as those close to the corners of it.

The "stick" attached to the bumper is the crossing gate arm, it extends outward at a stop to ensure that people cross the bus at the recommended minimum to ensure that the person is within sight of the driver.

Split pane flat glass is cheaper to replace if it get's chipped or cracked I presume. It's not a law, as the C2 mentioned on the previous page and IC CE has a one piece windshield:

http://img199.imageshack.**/img199/5912/iccep.png
 
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Thanks!

I thought those school buses were way cooler than our ordinary coaches when I was little. They had flashing lights and stuff. Flashing lights instantly make everything better when you're 8 :D
They actually introduced the flashing lights on our buses during "my time". But the extent of the flashing lights are limited to this:

UypPs.jpg

Hey split screen! A classic.

They run in school bus mode in the morning, fold away the plate during the day and resume normal service, return to being school buses in the afternoon. I suppose american yellow schoolbuses are idle during the day?
 
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Thanks!

I thought those school buses were way cooler than our ordinary coaches when I was little. They had flashing lights and stuff. Flashing lights instantly make everything better when you're 8 :D
They actually introduced the flashing lights on our buses during "my time". But the extent of the flashing lights are limited to this:

http://i.imgur.com/UypPs.jpg
Hey split screen! A classic.

They run in school bus mode in the morning, fold away the plate during the day and resume normal service, return to being school buses in the afternoon. I suppose american yellow schoolbuses are idle during the day?

Hah nice, and interesting that they are "dual-use." Here, school buses are only used for school activities, not general mass transportation unless it's an emergency. During the day there is indeed some downtime.
 
I remember they always used to tell us how strong school buses were my explaining that a bus could hold the weight of like 7 other buses on top of it.
 
I remember they always used to tell us how strong school buses were my explaining that a bus could hold the weight of like 7 other buses on top of it.

Thomas put a shortened Saf-t-liner EF on top of a Minotour, which is a Type A bus (bus built on a full size van chassis cab) so yeah school buses are extremely strong. :cool:

Ill find the picture when I'm on a pc in a few.

EDIT: found it:

safety.jpg


Minotour Product Page said:
The Minotour is so strong and durable that we parked our 18,000-pound Type D bus on its roof-without extra reinforcement. Its steel cage construction and one-piece, skirt-to-skirt steel rafter held up so well that all its windows and doors still opened easily without binding.

Also, must spread rep before giving more to Air...didn't forget you!
 
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They seem to be able to take a beating alright......

hummer-vs-school-bus_460x0w.jpg
 
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Talking bout school buses..any of you Americans recognise this?

https://pic.armedcats.net/s/sc/schumacherm/2011/05/01/18.jpg

https://pic.armedcats.net/s/sc/schumacherm/2011/05/01/18g.jpg

https://pic.armedcats.net/s/sc/schumacherm/2011/05/01/18b.jpg

An attempt to make an american school bus. The factory where it was conceived is only about an hours drive away from me. :D TAM used to be the best and biggest manufacturer of transport vehicles in the ex-Yugoslavia. Sadly it went to the toilet, thanks to idiots. Now they just make weak garbage like this under the old TAM name.

https://pic.armedcats.net/s/sc/schumacherm/2011/05/01/1_530.jpg

What used to be made, e.g. the previously mentioned venture, that had some durability. 1.000.000km on the clock was not unheard of from most of their models.
 
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Talking bout school buses..any of you Americans recognise this?

https://pic.armedcats.net/s/sc/schumacherm/2011/05/01/18.jpg

https://pic.armedcats.net/s/sc/schumacherm/2011/05/01/18g.jpg

https://pic.armedcats.net/s/sc/schumacherm/2011/05/01/18b.jpg

An attempt to make an american school bus. The factory where it was conceived is only about an hours drive away from me. :D TAM used to be the best and biggest manufacturer of transport vehicles in the ex-Yugoslavia. Sadly it went to the toilet, thanks to idiots. Now they just make weak garbage like this under the old TAM name.

https://pic.armedcats.net/s/sc/schumacherm/2011/05/01/1_530.jpg

What used to be made, e.g. the previously mentioned venture, that had some durability. 1.000.000km on the clock was not unheard of from most of their models.


Indeed, I've heard of them, but never saw one in the flesh. I don't think they were very popular. The School Bus market is very conservative, in both product and styling. People don't like change, and newcomers to the segment are notoriously scrutinized. It appears that they attempted to make inroads but never took off: http://www.schoolbusfleet.com/Forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6080

It'll be interesting if the Starcraft/Hino deal comes to fruition. Starcraft entered the school bus market in 08 with Type A models (the smallest buses built on a cutaway van chassis) and is now trying to move upward into Type C (Conventional) territory (think the Thomas C2, IC CE and FS-65 pics I posed earlier) with Hino as the chassis supplier. This is interesting for multiple reasons, one being that Starcraft has just gotten over a big recall issue with their current entries in the market, and another is that Hino, while a Toyota subsidiary, is all new to this sector. The conventional segment is very popular (think the US Mid-Size segment of the school bus world) and it'll be interesting to see if schools and transportation operators would be willing to take a look at a newcomer. Many say Starcraft might have a price advantage that could cause some to sway from Thomas, Blue-Bird, and IC.

http://www.schoolbusfleet.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=20384
 
Starcraft entered the school bus market in 08 with Type A models (the smallest buses built on a cutaway van chassis) and is now trying to move upward into Type C (Conventional) territory (think the Thomas C2, IC CE and FS-65 pics I posed earlier) with Hino as the chassis supplier.
I wonder if riding the Starcraft bus to school will turn the children into zerglings, or if they will be eaten by zerglings already in the bus! I also wonder how well the bus handles in a Blizzard.
 
I wonder if riding the Starcraft bus to school will turn the children into zerglings, or if they will be eaten by zerglings already in the bus! I also wonder how well the bus handles in a Blizzard.

i_see_what_you_did_there_RE_Anyone_else_see_it_RE_I_AM_NOT_DIXLESIC-s450x545-95526.jpg


:lol:
 
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I wonder if riding the Starcraft bus to school will turn the children into zerglings, or if they will be eaten by zerglings already in the bus! I also wonder how well the bus handles in a Blizzard.

Anyone who's ridden an American schoolbus with small children knows that the buses already in service already turn the kids into little zergling types. :p
 
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