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Vetter's conjuring trick

21st March 1981, Page 59
21st March 1981
Page 59
Page 59, 21st March 1981 — Vetter's conjuring trick
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Keywords : Buses

DOUBLE-DECK BUSES continue to exercise the imagination of Continental vehicle builders and operators though the more restrictive height limit (4m) usually results in a less tidy deck/seating configuration than in the UK.

Experience gained with Mercedes-Benz based double-deckers bodied and used in South Africa has now been applied in a new model introduced by Walter Vetter of Fellbach for service in Germany.

Powered by a rear underfloormounted OM 407 HA engine of 206kW, the new Vetter bus is 12m long and has a single-tyred trailing axle.

The air suspension of this axle allows the wheels to be raised when making very tight turns or top put more weight on the drive axle.

The vehicle has been laid out for a dual-purpose role —as a service and school bus during the week, and for private hire or party work at weekends. It has a toilet, galley, double-glazing and other facilities not normally found in a double-deck bus.

The operator can provide 102 seats and space for 17 standing passengers in the workaday role. Of this total, 57 seats are on the top deck. Of the 45 downstairs, 13 in the rear section, plus two (tipping) courier seats in the front entrance well, can be quickly removed to arrive at the alternative seating plan.

In this guise the rear section is turned into a baggage hold with a capacity of 13,3cum. Complying with the German Tempo 100 rules, the vehicle weighs 14,250kg unladen and has a gvw of 22,000kg.

The Vetter decker has doors at the front and just ahead of the rear bogie; the latter, 1,120mm wide, is the main "traffic" door and gives direct access to the seven-step staircase leading to the top.

This novel concept represents an unusual side of the Vetter psv programme. With a labour force of around 350 people, the company is now increasingly active in the artic bus sector and is currently working on an order for 30 such vehicles for use by a Dutch Railways-associated operator.

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