Technology of Articulated Transit Buses

Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, Technical Reference Centerhttps://doi.org/10.21949/15270161982PDFTech ReportGundersen, Richard G.John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (U.S.)United States. Urban Mass Transportation AdministrationUnited States. Urban Mass Transportation AdministrationUnited StatesArticulated busesBusesDesignFlexibilityIndustriesMaintainabilityMaintenance managementMaintenance practicesOperationsPerformance evaluationsPlanningPublic transitReliabilityTechnology assessmentUrban areasVehicle designDOT-TSC-UMTA-82-17;UMTA-MA-06-0120-82-4Since the first major demonstration of articulated buses in the mid 1970s and the first purchase in late 1978, interest in articulated buses in U.S. transit service has remained strong. This interest has been stimulated by the desire of public transit agencies to increase passenger capacity, improve productivity, and reduce or at least maintain operating costs. Further, the interest is evidenced by the delivery and deployment of over 500 articulated buses to 14 cities and a current backorder of approximately 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 DOTs for use in their analyses and decision-making related to the deployment of articulated buses. Operational and maintenance experiences were obtained from each U.S. property currently using these vehicles. In addition, technical design and performance information was obtained from U.S. producers and numerous foreign articulated bus manufacturers. The information contained in this report addresses three major aspects of these high-capacity buses: (1) status of deployment of articulated transit coaches in this country; (2) a description of the design and technology of commercially-available articulated buses, both foreign and domestically produced; and (3) a general review of the current domestic operating and maintenance background of the articulated buses. In general, this report provides status information on articulated bus technology and its performance, to date, in domestic service.138