TECHNICAL AND ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF ARTICULATED BUSES

One answer to the increased need for high-capacity trams and buses is the articulated bus. This article describes several types of articulated buses currently in use and analyses the results of a survey of European bus companies which employ these vehicles. In general, the principal advantages of articulated buses were economic, i.e. their higher capacity lowered labor costs and operating costs per passenger. The disadvantages most cited were difficulties in maneuverability, especially on curves. It is concluded that, since articulated buses involve the lowest specific investment per passenger place offered on urban services (assuming a large of number of standing spaces) and (needing no infrastructure of their own, (e.g. rails or overhead lines) offer a particularly economical cost price per place-kilometer offered, they are thus advisable on heavily loaded routed, especially if they have the benefits of various traffic priorities (priority thorough fares, special bus lanes, control of traffic lights to give priority at crossings, etc.) an appendix which summarizes these provisions of United Nations Regulation 36 (Uniform Provisions concerning the construction of Public Service Vehicles) dealing with articulated motorbuses which, if approved by all countries, permit their use in countries whose statutory requirements currently preclude it (e.g. Great Britain) and alleviate difficulties in countries whose road traffic legislation does not take these vehicles into account, is included.