Transbus Program
Plan to improve US transit bus design / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Transbus was announced in December 1970 as a United States Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA) program to develop improvements to existing transit bus design; at the time, the US bus market was dominated by the GM New Look and Flxible New Look buses, and bus ridership was declining. The improvements had been suggested earlier by the National Academy of Sciences in 1968 to improve operating costs, reduce pollution, and stimulate ridership, and included innovations such as a low floor for easier entry and seats cantilevered from the wall to expand passenger space.
Transbus | |
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Overview | |
Manufacturer | |
Body and chassis | |
Class | Transit bus |
Dimensions | |
Length | 41 ft (12 m) (over bumpers)[1]: 125 |
Width | 102 in (2,600 mm)[1]: 125 |
Height | 114 in (2,900 mm) (with A/C)[1]: 125 |
Curb weight | 27,500 to 28,500 lb (12,500 to 12,900 kg) (est.)[1]: 126 |
Chronology | |
Predecessor | |
Successor |
In 1971, Booz-Allen Applied Research won the contract to serve as the Systems Manager for the Transbus program. Three manufacturers[lower-alpha 1] were selected to participate in the Transbus program in 1972 and each produced prototypes for evaluation by late 1974; some were tested at a proving ground,[lower-alpha 2] others were subjected to crash testing, and the rest were placed into revenue service during a nationwide tour of four cities[lower-alpha 3] in 1974 and 1975 to gather rider feedback, which was subsequently incorporated into a specification developed between 1976 and 1978. However, none of the three prototype manufacturers submitted a bid in response to a joint procurement of 530 buses[lower-alpha 4] to the Transbus specification in 1979. Although no Transbuses were ever ordered, some of the program's goals were incorporated into the successor Advanced Design Buses introduced in the mid-1970s.