An omnibus used for tourist traffic as well as long range public transport is called coach. According to the equipment, acquisition costs of a modern coach can amount between 250.000 up to 600.000 Euro. In terms of construction a coach is an omnibus, which exclusively has seats. By EU-policy 2001/85 from November 20th 2001 coaches are categorized as “vehicles, exclusively built for transportation of seated passengers.”
Modern coaches are usually driven by six or eight cylinders and diesel engines with one or two turbo chargers, engine size of up to 16 liters, top engine power of approximately 375kW and 8-, 12-, or 16-speed transmission. Additional they have ASR, ABS, wear-free additional brakes, a lane departure warning system as well as active cruise control. By now also seat belts for every single seat are required by law. ?
Compared to other kinds of omnibuses, coaches have additional constitutions, taking care of the comfort of passengers and bus driver. In detail, these are:
- Footboards and foldout tables on every seat
- Comfortable seats with armrest, headrest and adjustable seat back for every passenger
- Drink holder and ashtray on every seat
- Deposit for hand luggage above the seats
- Curtain and reading lamp on every single seat
- Small bar or bistro
- Mini kitchen with coffee machine and microwave
- Refrigerator
- Board microphone system
- Radio system for the whole interior area of the bus
- Television with DVD-player
- Safety devices for passengers (seat belts, retarder, ABS, EPS)
- Luggage rooms in the bottom part of the bus (underneath the seats, accessibly from outside)
- Mist-free double-glazed windows
- Seat next to the bus driver for tour guide or second bus driver
- Air conditioning system
- Engine-independent air heating system
- GPS-navigation system
Coaches are differenced into single-deck and double-deck buses. The higher design of the last-mentioned gives passengers a better outlook, making them very interesting for sightseeing tours and such like. Modern coaches have a passenger capacity of 30 up to 59 seats, double-deck buses can transport up to 70 passengers on board. Also in many team sports, such as soccer, ice hockey or handball, coaches with all their comfort are used as team buses.?
Quality community “Buskomfort e.V.” classified coaches after a five-star-concept, similar to hotels. The ranking depends on the seat spacing. ?
Coaches are classified as follows:?
- Five stars: deluxe coach with seat spacing of at least 81 cm (Luxus-Class)
- Four stars: long-distance coach with seat spacing of at least 74 cm (First-Class)
- Three stars: coach with seat spacing of at least 68 cm (Comfort-Class)
- Two stars: bus with seat spacing of at least 65 cm (Tourist-Class)
- One star: excursion bus with seat spacing of at least 65 cm (Standard-Class)