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ONE-MAN CONTROL OF THE BUS.

7th February 1928, Page 120
7th February 1928
Page 120
Page 121
Page 122
Page 120, 7th February 1928 — ONE-MAN CONTROL OF THE BUS.
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Economy in the Wage Item Makes Many Services Practicable. Features of Entrances, Door Operation and Seating for the One-man-controlled Vehicle.

S wages form by far the largest

item of the standing charges of any kind of passenger vehicle, the proprietor of the smaller type of bus naturally deSires to employ One man, rather than two to .control and to operate it. The single-decker solely under the charge of

the driver is seldom larger than a 20seater; usually it is a 14-seater.

A bus operated in this manner is of the front-entrance variety in the great majority of cases, because no rear entrance can be controlled efficiently from the driving seat, nor can fares be collected expeditiously unless every passenger has to pass the driver when entering or leaving the vehicle. The only circumstances under which a one-man. controlled bus may have a rear entrance is when most of the fares can be collected before starting and when very few passengers are likely to be picked up en route. Even, then the rear door should be fitted so that it can be locked and unlocked from the driving seat.

The typical one-man-controlled bus has, therefore, a front entrance, which is conveniently arranged on the near side, opposite the end occupied by the driving seat. The door is mechanically operated and shuts on the front edge of the lower step. The passenger, after mounting the steps, enters through an opening in the front bulkhead. The seats are arranged in pairs facing forward on both sides of a central gangway, but in the majority of recently built buses longitudinal seats are provided over the wheel-arches, because of their height. Incidentally, there is generally an emergency door at the rear.

Doors and Step Treads.

The mechanically operated door is hinged to the screen or front -pillar of the body and again in its middle, so that it can be folded in half. As the bottom of each half of the door swings over the tread of the step, the greater portion of the last-mentioned must be at least half as wide as the door. The main entrance is usually from 2 ft. 2 ins. to 2 ft. 4 ins, wide, consequently the effective width of the botttnn -tread is more likely to ensure a safe foothold than when the step can be designed independently of the door width.

The ideal chassis for mouuting the front-entrance body is one which is low enough to require only one tread before the floor level is reached. When a second tread has to be interposed this cannot always be set back to give the same amount of foothold as the lower one, because it would unduly restrict the area of the landing space at the top. A compromise is effected by making the second tread of roughly triangular shape, and the width of the lower tread is increased towards tho front as required, in order that the rear half of the door has room to travel until it comes to rest and conceals the other half. , Another factor which has to be kept in view when designing the steps is that the front edge of the landing must lie outside the chassis, or, in other words, the narrower the chassis the greater the scope for safe and convenient steps, especially if the sides of the body do not contract sharply between the back line of the door and the dash.

Separately Hinged Doors.

If each half of the mechanically operated door be separately hinged on each side of the entrance, then the tread of the step must be as wide as the half-door throughout its length. This kind of door is only suitable for a low chassis requiring a single step, and in this ease the operating mechanism has to be mounted above the top of the door or under the floor. Also, the right-band

half of the door, when open, covers the near-side portion of the bulkhead, consequently this part of the body is not available for the mounting of a very convenient commode handle, but it is necessary that a handle of this type be fixed to the outer pillar, or fastened outside the door. The bulkhead handle is better because it does not tempt anyone to use it for mounting while the vehicle is in motion with the door Ant.

The Single Door.

The simplest kind of mechanically operated door is of the single type. Owing to its width, it must operate at the floor level, so that, if a safety step be. required, this must fold down when the door is openea and resume the upright position with the shutting of the door. Another variety of single door is the private-car pattern which opens outwards. It is preferred for a vehicle which is used principally for private hire work because the appearance of the bus or coach is improved, owing to the fact that the general turn-under of the body can be maintained throughout. The mechanically operated door which hinges inwards must be flat and as thin as possible so that it occupies a minimum of space when it is open. Moreover, because it is flat it is not adopted for the coach, although from the point of view of safety it would be an advantage to use it on vehicles of that kind.

The private-car type of door not only has a turn-under, but it can be fitted with a drop window to improve the ventilation of the body. On the other hand, the flat door need not have fixed windows, as a sliding panel can easily be inserted without any appreciable increase in thickness being necessary. The door which opens outward should be fitted with a safety catch, so that it is not likely to fly open when improperly fastened. If it is to be controlled by the driver, operating rods can be attached to the door in conjunction with some form of stop action which prevents the door from opening beyond a dead centre.

, An ingenious form of shaped door is that invented by Duple Bodies and Motors, Ltd. This door is not hinged, but slides to the rear, and, as it travels from a datum line flush with the exterior surfaces of the body to a position outside that line, it is guided from one position to the other by means of a curved slot. Fare-collecting Doors and Partitions.

Many single-deckers built a few years ago had an open entrance to the front vestibule, a sliding or hinged door being provided in the front bulkhead. This kind of door may also-be adopted for the front exit of a rear-entrance bus. A hinged bulkhead door is also used for the one-man-controlled bus, because, when fitted with a pay whitlow and shelf, it can be used to facilitate the collection of fares. This hinged door, however, is not essential, especially when one considers that it is most nseful when it is being used as a screen or partition at the end of the driving seat. It is, therefore, suggested that the pay window should be insorted in a longitudinal partition, short enough, if desired, to allow the driver to negotiate it on the near side. If this be done, then the usual mechanically operated door can be mounted on the step. A 14 or 20-seater bus. having two doors to the front vestibule, one mechanically operated and the other controlled by hand, would appear to be unnecessarily complicated in this direction and would be apt to impede the passengers.

General Design.

, Even if the flat inward-opening &air be not considered as handsome as one having a turn-under flush with the main. panelling, there is plenty of opportunity for making the bus attractive. The front entrance is more easily harmonized with the other lines of the body than a re'er entrance, because there is no small hind portion beyond the rear side entrance, which so often tends to upset the general balance of the design. Moreover, that part beyond the rear entrance can seldom be used to the fullest extent.

The front-entrance bus, especially if it be a small one, has much the appearance of a large private •saloon with its Side and rear turn-unders and wellbalanced window openings. The distinction aid style of the body are also enhanced according to the way in which the windows next to the door are arranged and the settingout. adopted for the windscreen. The d o o r. a o matter how wide, will not extend the whole distance from the dash to the bulkhead, even after allowing for 1.be scuttle panel, so that there is a space to fill unless the bulkhead be disperiSed with.

Under normal conditions there is from 1 ft. to 1 ft. 6 ins available for the insertion of a small .window with a panel beneath it. This extra window is most suitably placed immediately behind the screen pillar, so that the back line of the door is flush with the • bulkhead, whilst the small n48 panel in front provides extra space for the folding of the door and its operating mechanism.

' The window forward of the door is now frequently used for lining up with a sloping screen, which gives the vehicle a smart and up-to-date appearance. The extension of the panels below the chassis level—another feature of the modern passenger vehicle—was probably first introduced on a front-entrance bus having doors reaching to the bottom step, be, cause the projection of the door surface below the usual base line of the body created a somewhat prominent gap, and the extension of the main panels was a. simple way of filling it up.

Emergency Doors.

The mechanism whereby the emergency door is opened has been improved so that the door can be opened either from inside or outside. Usually the depression of a lever operates simultaneously a top and a bottom bolt. Owing to its height, the outside handle may be considered inaccessible to the small boy who might tamper with it, but the inside one can be made reasonably safe if it be protected by a sliding glas% panel. In case the door should be opened either by ac-Cident or through someone's meddling with it, the seat which occupies the door space may have back rest which bars the opening, but which can be easily lifted out should an emergency arise. As an alternative, the rear end of the gangway can be left clear. There is no difficulty, as a rule, in doing this, because 14 seats are available on the normal length of chassis by having two rows of seats facing forwards in front and two long seats holding three each at the rear.

The best method is to provide the emergency door with mechanism, so that the driver has it under his control as well as the front one. By the movement of a lever the door can be definitely pushed open with less expenditure of time than is often necessary . to release the top and bottom bolts.

. Mechanically Operated Doors for Larger Buses.

Although it is usual to associate the meebanieally controlled door with the oneman-operated bus, the mechanism is also useful for larger bases having two entrances and carrying a conductor, because, by this means, a safety door is provided. When there is a front exit and the conductor is at the rear of the vehicle, or occupied in collecting fares, he cannot always be watching the forward door. Brea when the chassis has forward control. the front door can still be under,-the charge of the driver if it be fitted with suitable operating gear passing through the front bulkhead.

Commode Handles.

Well-arranged commode handles play an important part in ensuring the safety of the passenger. A large handle fastened in an oblique direction on the front of the near-side half of the bulkhead has already been mentioned. Sometimes another long handle is fastened to the forward pillar of the entrance way, but as this can be grasped when the door is shut it is better to place it on the inside of the rear half of the door.

Por the interior, it is the usual practice to fasten handles to the backs of the seats on the gangway side. The handle may be let into the seat back so that it does not project or stand above it.

The vertical hand or monkey pole forms the most convenient type of. safety device for steadying the passenger while he is proceeding to his seat when the vehiale is in motion.. These poles may be arranged in pairs or, alternatively on each side, usually in conjunction with seat-back handles in the non-pole positions, The pole is placed an inch or two from the end of the seat-back out of the central gangway, and is cranked to follow the shape of the back of the seat closely, so as to take up the minimum of space.

The horizontal roof rail is used where longitudinal seats are fitted.

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