Low floor buses are based on so called low floor technology, determining a vehicle design with extra low floors. Vehicles with low floor technology are prior used in short-range public transportation. Using low floor technology for instance helps disabled people, seniors, wheelchair users, young mothers with baby buggies or little children and others to have a barrier-free access to the particular vehicle and increases the travel comfort for users of the short-range public transportation.
Vehicles, equipped with low floor technology, need preferably compact drive units, or alternatively a different assembly of accessories and drive technology than used with other types of omnibuses. The engine of a low floor bus, for example, is implemented in the rear, crossways to the driving direction. Low floor buses additionally have the ability of pneumatic lowering at the side of entry and exit, enabling passengers a comfortable ground-level entrance and exit at the different bus stops with higher curbstones.?
The rapid rise and development of low floor buses started at 1987, when bus manufacturer Neoplan together with the public utility company of Munich developed and introduced a low floor bus for the short-range public transportation of the Bavarian provincial capital. Following, large vehicle manufacturers MAN and Mercedes Benz also relied on low floor technology and themselves developed their own low floor bus models. Until 1997 almost all low floor bus models were based on the so called standard public service vehicle II. But since then, manufacturer-specific solutions became prevalent. So the so called Low-Entry-Bus was designed. With this omnibus type, only the front-wagon has a low floor, while the rear-wagon can only be accessed by passengers by a ramp or a step.?? Besides, vehicle manufacturers developed another system with low floor technology. The Neoplan N 4114 DE had a consistent ground-level passenger compartment and did not have rear wheel houses. The engine of this low floor bus was placed in a driving module above the tractable rear axle. Also these low floor buses had an electrical drive, but that concept could not prevail, although Mercedes Benz developed and manufactured a similar omnibus.
Omnibuses with low floor technology are in Germany mostly used in short-range public transportation in larger cities. Low floor buses are seldom used as country buses and usually not used in long-range public transportation. The reason is that, compared to the other introduced types of omnibuses, low floor buses have less comfort and amenities. Also the higher position of the seats and the associated view is an indispensable criterion for the sophisticated passenger, not to mention the missing possibilities of luggage deposit in low floor buses in comparison to coaches.?
For the use of low floor buses in short-range public transportation there are many regulations and ordinances to take care of. So buses used in short-range public transportation have to have at least one place for wheelchair users or baby buggies, including the required safety belt, so nothing will happen to the passengers while driving and wheelchair or baby buggy are saved adequately. ?
Omnibuses are also converted appropriately and equipped with low floor technology as well as special facilities for disabled or invalid people. These facilities among others are loading ramps, hydraulic ramps or lifts, especially designed fastening systems for wheelchairs as well as belts for the fastening of wheelchairs.?
These entry and exit systems, disabled-friendly and strictly fitted tot he needs of invalid or care-dependent people, are prior installed into minibuses or cars with enough ceiling height. However, some certain coaches and city buses also use those devises for easy entry and exit. There are some companies that are specialized on manufacturing tools for the safe and comfortable transportation of disabled, invalid or care-dependent people in the omnibus technology sector. For the operation of so called ambulance service- or wheelchair-buses there are very strict directives and standards in Germany.
Most low floor buses made by the large bus manufacturers have a length of at least ten meters. In the area of mini- and midibuses on the contrary there is only a little selection of low floor buses. This fact, among other things, has it’s origins in the construction of mini- and midibuses, which are based on already existing chassis of commercial vehicles, in principle not made and not appropriate for use in the context of low floor technology. Therefore, to make a low floor bus out of a mini- or midibus would mean a massive intrusion to the original chassis for the vehicle manufacturer, which would not be economically profitable and also is a matter of the vehicle body warranty. Besides, this would be associated with enormous costs for development and homologation (approval).
Only a few bus manufacturers, despite all adverse circumstances, are backing on development and manufacturing of low floor buses in the field of mini- and midibuses. Belonging to those are the Austrian bus manufacturer “Kutsenitz” and the Dutch manufacturer “VDL-Kusters”.