THE Kri IS REP
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OR PSV IBILITY
RELIABILITY is the key. That was one of the main conclusions reached by delegates at the Institute of Mechanical Engineers' Conference on the design construction and operation of public service vehicles. D. H. Glassborow and P. Wyke-Smith of the Natiot Bus Company seemed favour a return to the nu simple bus designs of t fifties.
J. C. Horsfield, of the City Cardiff pointed out th whatever design was int duced, reliability was the ke R. Freelove, of Grew Manchester PTE, and J. E. Gwyn, of the Tyne and W( PTE, suggested that legiE tion concerning noise lev and smoke emission was versely effecting reliability.
D. V. Jones, at the D replied that environmen considerations were now portant.
Manufacturers' price p( cies were attacked by K. liddleton, of Ulsterbus, who uggested that the public sctor of the psv industry was eing held to ransom.
John Cox, of Leyland, counsred that manufacturers' olicies were in line with rogress tied to necessary iodifications needed by legisition, social and environmenxi pressures and public exectations.
Mr Jones's paper on the .atutory technical controls of ublic service vehicles operaon prompted questions about ehicle maintenance stanards. Marty of his comments 7ere directed to the private sctor of the industry where iany small operators used utside maintenance.
Cases of negligence had een reported and coaches had een presented for re-examiation after PSV71 notices had een issued with more faults iat they had originally and ith faults still not rectified.
roblems B. J. Cox. of Leyland, asked Ir. Jones if vehicle maintenrice skills were keeping up rith design standards and if tanufacturers' instructions 'ere adequate. He answered at complicated modern veides were causing problems )1. engineers in country areas rid even their own examining agineers.
During discussions of psv ccident statistics and rearch methods, Mr. Glassbonv noted that psv's contriuted to pedestrian accidents lore than hgv's.
In reply to J. T. R. Lewis, of ondon Transport, Mr. Jones iid the LT maintenance !cord was bad when cornired with municipal bus sets.
On the final day in discuson on a paper by L. R. Slack it as agreed that braking ficiences achieved, at pre!nt, were as good as possible id that auxiliary brakes tould be connected to the ,ot-brake system.
Suspension also were raised in discussion after papers on air and hydraulic suspensions were presented. Costs were compared and systems explained. Interest was shown in Automotive Products' hydraulic suspension system similar to that in use by Citroen on luxury cars.
A London Transport Routemaster is soon to enter service equipped with this system.
Autokut, the bus research unit of the Ikarus bus organisation in Hungary, have carried out bus roll-over tests which produced lively discussion and suggestions regarding vehicle roll-over safety. Protection of passengers in psvs was also discussed as were developments and problems in designing and fitting seat belts for coach drivers and passengers.