"Superbus" preliminary specifications New buses may be "most expensive" Out to manufacturers for review Residents in suburban areas of Indicating the increased costs of Preliminary specifications have gone seats, leg room and the feeling of Alameda and Contra Costa counties labor, materials and parts, Fresno out to American and European bus space, and comfortable temperature. who are receiving special bus ex­ Transit received an apparent low bid manufacturers for a high capacity bus All bus drivers polled liked the way tension service to BART stations may early this month from AM General offering more seats for riders while the bus handled and many felt its tur­ be riding in the most expensive Corp, of $66,895 per unit delivered, for holding down expenses and keeping ning response was superior to the 40- coaches in the urban transit industry. a standard 51-passenger bus with air fares stabilized. foot coach. Ease of steering also was Bids for 36 deluxe buses, opened this conditioning. General Motors, the only Seven transit properties are con­ mentioned, as were good acceleration, month, clearly showed how inflation other bidder, came in with $68,542 per sidering an initial joint order of ap­ braking and good curb pull-out. has hit coach manufacturers. bus delivered. The same bus a year ago proximately 160 articulated "Superbus" Nine year experiment Apparent low bidder was Flxible Co. had a unit price of $42,500. coaches for use in different areas of the AC Transit, which has experimented with a bid of $71 ,108 per bus delivered. Chicago Transit received a low bid country, with an articulated coach since 1966, General Motors, the only other bidder, on Dec. 6 of $64,768 for a standard bus Participating properties include: AC initiated the cooperative effort between entered a price of $75,144.85. with climate control. Twenty months Transit; Chicago Transit Authority; the transit industry and the Federal Award of a contract is based on final earlier, a similar bus was bid at Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and government in order to develop a approval of a Federal grant, which $42,000. Transportation District; the Port superbus for the American market. would pay 80 percent of costs. The In the spring of 1974, Golden Gate Authority of Allegheny County in Pitt­ U.S. firms asked to review and com­ other 20 percent would be paid from Transit took delivery of 30 buses at a sburgh; San Diego Transit; Southern ment on specifications include: sales taxes generated in the area. unit price of $56,000 and, last summer, California Rapid Transit District and General Motors; Flxible Co.; Crown The grant is expected to cover costs exercised an option for another 30 at a Sacramento Transit Authority. Coach Corp.; Eagle International, Inc,; of 30 shelters, 30 benches, signs, poles, "bargain" increase of only $2,000 per The public already indicated a strong McDonnell Douglas Corp. and Raad In­ fare boxes, radios and other items. bus. preference for an articulated bus as a ternational. Contract bus service AC Transit's last order for 120 stan­ result of demonstrations held in dif­ Other manufacturers who indicated ferent cities last year. BART has contracted with AC Tran­ dard, 40-foot buses, without air con­ interest include three from Germany, sit to operate bus service from train ditioning, went to Flxible on Feb. 27, Longer bus preferred two from Canada, Volvo of Sweden stations to Livermore-Pleasanton­ 1974, at a price of $42,372 per bus Rider surveys aboard the 54-foot-Iong and a firm in Belgium. Buses which Dublin; Alamo-Danville-San Ramon; delivered. Maschinenfabrik-Augsburg - Nurnberg bend in the middle have been in use in Pittsburg-Antioch-Oakley - Brentwood; As a result of the increasing number (M.A.N.) bus showed 91 percent Europe for a number of years. Martinez-Pleasant Hill and Pinole. of buses being purchased by American preferred the "bus that bends in the A Volvo bus also was demonstrated At BART's request, the buses are to transit properties, manufacturers are middle" to the regular, 40-foot-Iong in West Coast cities last Fall and be comfortable suburban types with a insisting on a maximum of 270 days to coach. The M.A.N. bus holds 64 seated similar passenger response surveys raised deck. All seats, the large, complete delivery without penalty. passengers and 80 standees. were taken. recliner type, will face forward. Floors Previously; specifications called for The highest degree of rider 65 passenger coach are to be carpeted and entry and exit is completion of delivery within 180 days. preference favored the larger windows The end product of the cooperative to be through the front door. and wider doors. Ninety-six percent effort will be a coach seating ap­ The 45-passenger coaches are to be preferred the bigger M.A.N. windows. proximately 65 passengers. similar to those operated by Golden Employees support Ninety-one percent preferred the 49- Specifications have been developed Gate Bridge, Highway and Trans­ United Crusade inch-wide doors which permit by the State of California Department portation District, with one major dif­ simultaneous boarding and unloading. of Transportation, after input from par­ ticipating transit systems and bus ference. Final figures from last Fall's United I Eighty-one percent thought the The new coaches are to have Bay Area Crusade (UBAC) indicate 4 M.A.N. bus was easier to board, man ufacturers. automatic temperature control systems that employees contributed $17,078. although three steps are involved and THE COVER- Photo shows more leg to keep temperatures within one Campaign Chairman Walter Martin the height of the bus floor at the front room available in new Flxible buses - degree of 68°, whether that requires air said the figure is "extraordinary, con­ door actually is 3-1/4 inches higher three inches more tban in standard GM conditioning, heat or outside ' ven­ sidering the two-month strike, our than current conventional U.S. models. models. Nearly all tbe 120 new coaches tilation. raging inflation and other economic A majority also preferred the ease of were expected to be in street service by The climate unit was developed by factors involved." He said the total is movement on the articulated bus, the first of March. The District's newest Chicago Transit Authority and Vapor approximately 70 percent more than smoothness of ride, noise level inside buses are 40 feet long, 102 inches wide Corp., and now is in use in Chicago. early projections. the bus, comfort, softness and width of and seat 48 passengers. 2 3 WHEELS AND THINGS-Anne Vicary, left, and Jane Powell, right, are enthusiastic about their new jobs, which include sweeping out buses and moving them around the yard. THEY TAKE THE CAKE-Mario "Poncho" Pan chione, left, and John Zorman, right, joined the select circle of drivers with 25 years of driving without a chargeable accident. They Maintenance women like their jobs became the fourth and fifth mem­ bers of the exclusive club when Take four lovely and charming women. Have them come to they were honored for their work at 8 p.m. Have them work until 4 a.m. Give them mid-week achievement recently. days off. Give them brooms and dust pans and cleaning rags. Dress them in jump suits and wrap bandanas around their heads. Send them out to clean buses in dark yards, pump fuel in the rain, change oil in the wind and cold. Then, ask how they like Oakland police commend District employees their jobs. The answer is - they love it. Isabel Dominguez, Jane Powell, Tomasita "Tommy" Tanuz and For cooperation in "Radio Alert" program Anne Vicary are women in AC Transit's maintenance depart­ AC Transit employees continue to least one suspect. ment performing work to keep equipment in order. receive plaudits from the Oakland Morris also witnessed a shooting and Jane, Tomasita and Anne are new to AC Transit. Isabel is the Police Department for the drivers' par­ was able to supply police with a veteran of the crew, with seniority dating back to the middle of ticipation in "Operation Radio Alert." description which led to the capture of World War II. Under Radio Alert, drivers of any the suspect in the case. Jane, 23, once worked as a mechanic, rebuilding transmissions, but left that job vehicle with on-board radios are asked Other employees whose actions were because it didn't pay enough. She took a job pumping gas until she was hired by to report crimes, accidents or other in­ noted by police in the department's AC Transit. Her ambition is to become a diesel mechanic. cidents which they may see in the mon thly bulletin were: When she's not working, Jane listens to music, practices her guitar, or works on course of driving on Oakland streets. Donald R. Cowden who reported a the engines of a truck and a car she owns. Bus drivers are an important part of shooting; William P. McGuinness, Anne, 29, began her liking for engines by racing motorcycles. She admits to the program and, during recent weeks, Daryl R. James and supervisor David finishing second or third several times, "And I even finished first, once!" have reported many incidents to police. D. Hightman, all of whom reported As a racer, she had to learn how to maintain engines so, when a friend offered Among drivers singled out by the possible burglaries in progress; and her a job building cylinder heads, it seemed natural to accept. Police Department were Dennis L. supervisor Sterling Stewart, who spot­ Later, she worked in an auto repair shop rebuilding motors, repairing brakes Treadaway and William C.