-MA-06-01 20-82-4 DEPARTMENT of transportation HE SC-UMTA-82-17 1 8. b .\37 JUL 1983 no. DOT- LIBRARY TSC- J :aT \- 8 ?- Technology of U.S. Department of Transportation Articulated Transit Buses Urban Mass Transportation Administration Office of Technical Assistance Prepared by: Office of Bus and Paratransit Systems Transportation Systems Center Washington DC 20590 Urban Systems Division October 1982 Final Report NOTICE This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The United States Govern- ment assumes no liability for its contents or use thereof. NOTICE The United States Government does not endorse prod- 1 ucts or manufacturers . Trade or manufacturers nam&s appear herein solely because they are con- sidered essential to the object of this report. 4 v 3 A2>7 ?? 7 - c c AST* Technical Report Page V ST‘ (* Documentation 1 . Report No. 2. Government A ccession No. 3. Recipient’s Catalog No. UMTA-MA-06-0 120-82- 4. Title and Subti tie ~6. Report Date October 1982 DEPARTMENT OF I TECHNOLOGY OF ARTICULATED TRANSIT BUSES TRANSPORTATION 6. Performing Organization Code TSC/DTS-6 j JUL 1983 8 . Performing Organization Report No. 7. Author's) DOT-TSC-UMTA-82-17 Richard G. Gundersen | t |kh a R 9. Performing Organization Name and Address jjo. Work Unit No. (TRAIS) U.S. Department of Transportation UM262/R2653 Research and Special Programs Administration 11. Contract or Grant No. Transportation Systems Center Cambridge MA 02142 13. Type of Report and Period Covered 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address U.S. Department of Transportation Final Report Urban Mass Transportation Administration Office of Technical Assistance Office of Bus and Paratransit Systems 14. Sponsoring Agency Code Washington DC 20590 URT-20 15. Supplementary Notes DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 16. Abstract I JUL 1983 s [ l LIBRARY This study assembles technical information to increase thfe transit community's awareness and understanding of the articuTated transit coach and its emerging role in urban transportation. The report is organized to provide information on: 1) status of deployment of articulated transit coaches in this country; 2) design and performance aspects of this type of vehicle; and 3) general experiences in the operation and maintenance of articulated buses. 17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement Articulated transit bus design, DOCUMENT IS AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC performance, O&M THROUGH THE N ATI ON A L TECHN I CAL INFORMATION SE R V I CE, SPR 1 NG F I E LD, VIRGINIA 22161 19. Security Clossif. (of this report) 20. Security Classif. (of this page) 21. No. of P ages 22. Price UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED 258 Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized PREFACE This study was conducted to assemble technical information to increase the transit communities’ awareness and understanding of the articulated transit coach and its emerging role in urban transportation. This study was initiated and sponsored by UMTA’s Office of Bus and Paratransit Systems. The report is organized to provide an understanding of: 1 ) status of deploy- ment of articulated transit coaches in this country; 2 ) design and performance aspects of this type of vehicle; and 3 ) general experiences in the operation and maintenance of articulated buses. The report was prepared by the Urban Systems Division of the Transportation Systems Center. Important contributions in the identification of foreign producers of articulated buses and the development of comparative specifica- tions (Appendix A & B) were made by Mr. Ted Hawkes, President of Transporta- tion Equipment Development Company. ill FACTORS CONVERSION METRIC IV REPORT OUTLINE Page 1 .0 INTRODUCTION 1 2.0 PURPOSE 5 3.0 OVERVIEW OF ARTICULATED TRANSIT BUS DEPLOYMENT 6 IN THE U.S. 3.1 Current Status of Articulated Bus Fleet 6 3.2 Future Trends in Articulated Bus Deployment 17 4.0 GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ARTICULATED BUS TECHNOLOGY 4.1 Brief Profile of U.S. Manufacturers 23 4.2 Manufacturing Techniques 25 4.3 Propulsion Configurations 27 4.4 Articulated Bus Capacity 29 4.5 Maneuverability and Handling 31 4.6 Braking and Weight Distribution 35 4.7 Articulated Joint 35 4.8 Miscellaneous Design Characteristics 40 5.0 OPERATIONAL AND MAINTENANCE CHARACTERISTICS 43 5.1 Operational Characteristics ..... 43 5.1.1 Fuel Economy . 44 5.1.2 Bus Scheduling Concerns 44 5.1.3 Stability in High Speed Operation 45 5.1.4 Rear Side "Swing-out" 46 5.1.5 Passenger Acceptance 47 5.1.6 Fare Collection 47 5.1.7 Institutional Concerns 48 5.2 Maintenance Characteristics 53 5.2.1 Servicing, Inspection and Storage 53 5.2.2 Transmission Reliability and Maintenance .... 54 . 5.2.3 Air Conditioning Reliability and Maintenance . , 55 5.2.4 Accessory Belt Drives 56 5.2.5 Parts Cost and Delivery 56 5.2.6 Body Repair 58 5.2.7 Brake and Tire Life 58 5.2.8 Articulated Joint 59 6.0 MISCELLANEOUS TECHNICAL INFORMATION 65 7.0 FINDINGS AND CONSIDERATIONS 73 V REPORT OUTLINE (CONTINUED) Page APPENDIX A - REPRESENTATIVE LIST OF NORTH AMERICAN AND A-l EUROPEAN ARTICULATED BUS MANUFACTURERS APPENDIX B - DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS OF B-l SELECTED ARTICULATED TRANSIT BUSES Vi 1 LIST OF FIGURES Figuie Page 1 Distribution of Domestic Fleet of Articulated 11 Transit Buses 2 Relative Contract Prices: Articulated and 15 Conventional Transit Coaches 3 Characteristics of the U.S. Articulated Bus 19 Market in the U.S. 4 Representative Bus Chassis 26 5 Propulsion Configurations 27 6 Relative Bus Sizes 32 7 Turning Envelope 32 8 Swing-Out with Steered Rear Axle 33 9 Swing-Out with Fixed Rear Axle 33 10 Articulated Bus Operation on Ramps 35 1 Relative Movement of Articulated Joint 36 12 M.A.N. Chassis 38 13 Renault Chassis 40 14 Neoplan Articulated Double Decker Bus 69 15 Maintenance of Articulated Bus Mechanism 72 Using Portable Lift Equipment Vll LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1 Chronology of Articulated Bus Experiences in the U.S. 3 2 Procurement History of U.S. Articulated Transit Buses 7 30 3 Comparison of Passenger Capability 4 Relative Capacities of Articulated and Conventional 31 Buses at Equal Passenger Comfort Levels 5 Representative Turning Radii 34 6 Summary of Operational Experiences of Articulated Buses 49 in the U.S. 7 Summary of Servicing and Maintenance Experiences 60 B Summary Design, Dimensional and Performance B-l Characteristics (Appendix B) vii i EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Since the first major demonstration of articulated buses in the mid 1970' s and the first purchase in late 1978, interest in articulated buses in U.S. transit service has remained strong. This interest is instigated by public transit agencies desire to increase passenger capacity, improve productivity and reduce or at least maintain operating costs. Further, the interest is evi- denced by the delivery and deployment of over 500 articulated buses to four- teen cities and a current backorder of about another 700 units for a total capital investment of over $300 million. This study was conducted to provide technical assistance to urban transit managers and state DOT'S for use in their analyses and decision-making related to new deployments of articulated transit buses. Operational and maintenance experiences were obtained from each U.S. property currently using these high capacity vehicles. In addition, technical design and performance information was obtained from U.S. producers and numerous foreign articulated bus manufac- turers. In general, this report provides status information on articulated bus technology and its performance, to date, in domestic service. Currently, there are three U.S. producers of articulated transit coaches, M.A.N., Truck and Bus Corp., Crown Coach Corp. , and Neoplan, USA. GMC Truck and Coach Division reportedly will enter the market in 1984. To date, only M.A.N. and Crown Coach have any buses on the street and all of these were produced as driveable "bus shells" in Europe and finished to buyer's specifi- cation in this country. Very shortly M.A.N. will fabricate the total bus in the U.S. at its new North Carolina manufacturing facility. There are many European producers of articulated vehicles; this report identi- fies more than 20 companies that are actively engaged in the fabrication of articulated bus chassis, bodies or the whole bus. Their production facilities and capacities vary widely. After a few early problems and adjustments, particularly in the air condition- ing, electrical system and the automatic transmission, and after special train- ing for mechanics and operators, the articulated coach has performed well in IX all U.S. transit environments. Although data and opinions vary from location- to-location, the performance of the articulated vehicle has improved to where, in general, its availability for and reliability in revenue service is as good as the newer segments of the U.S. fleet. The fuel economy (2. 5-3. 5 mpg) is relatively good on a per seat-mile basis, since passenger capacity, both seated and standing, is about 50 percent greater than a conventional, 40-foot coach. Except possibly for very hilly or very narrow routes, the articulated transit coach has been operated successfully on all types of urban and suburban runs. These high capacity vehicles are used during peak ridership hours in all locations on express runs, radial or crosstown routes with high passenger demand and, in many locations, during the off-peak periods as well for up to eighteen revenue service hours per day. Articulated vehicles typically have been assigned to runs to meet existing high demands or to increase ridership. To better realize and document the full potential of articulated buses in U.S. transit service, it is generally agreed that special planning and scheduling efforts are needed for each location and route.