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72-497: The variety of styles available provided a wide selection to the public; this fact combined with the models' low initial cost and moderate operating costs caused the C4 to be fairly popular during its eight-year production run. The C4 chassis is a lengthened version (by 14 cm) of that of the Amilcar CC model. Coachwork for this vehicle was fabricated by subcontractors and delivered to

144-431: A tarpaulin stretched above the passenger seating. In 1915, International Harvester constructed its first school bus; today, its successor company Navistar still produces school bus cowled chassis. In 1919, the usage of school buses became funded in all 48 U.S. states. In 1927, Ford dealership owner A.L. Luce produced a bus body for a 1927 Ford Model T . The forerunner of the first Blue Bird school buses, steel

216-459: A bus to a rollover test in 1964, in 1969, Ward Body Works pointing that fasteners had a direct effect on joint quality (and that body manufacturers were using relatively few rivets and fasteners). In its own research, Wayne Corporation discovered that the body joints were the weak points themselves. In 1973, to reduce the risk of body panel separation, Wayne introduced the Wayne Lifeguard ,

288-430: A certain distance from home (particularly as students progressed into high school). In all but the most isolated areas, one-room schools from the turn of the century had become phased out in favor of multi-grade schools introduced in urban areas. In another change, school districts shifted bus operation from buses operated by single individuals to district-owned fleets (operated by district employees). From 1950 to 1982,

360-444: A chassis supplied by Spartan Motors , Lion produces conventional-style school buses, its design features several firsts for school bus production. Along with a 102-inch body width, to resist corrosion, Lion uses composite body panels in place of steel. In 2015, Lion introduced the eLion, the first mass-produced school bus with a fully electric powertrain. Small school buses have undergone few fundamental changes to their designs during

432-571: A consistent training level. In contrast to the 1970s focus on structural integrity, design advances during the 1980s and 1990s focused around the driver. In 1979 and 1980, International Harvester and Ford each introduced a new-generation bus chassis, with General Motors following suit in 1984. To increase driver visibility, updates in line with chassis redesigns shifted the bus driver upward, outward, and forward. To decrease driver distraction, interior controls were redesigned with improved ergonomics ; automatic transmissions came into wider use, preventing

504-423: A contract facilitated by Advanced Energy to IC Bus to produce the buses. Although the buses produced significant benefits, the buses were slowly discontinued when the hybrid system manufacture Enova faded into financial challenges. In 2011, Lion Bus (renamed Lion Electric Company) of Saint-Jérôme, Quebec was founded, marking the first entry into the segment in over 20 years by a full-size bus manufacturer. Using

576-594: A full-size bus. For this role, manufacturers initially began the use of yellow-painted utility vehicles such as the International Travelall and Chevrolet Suburban . As another alternative, manufacturers began use of passenger vans, such as the Chevrolet Van/GMC Handi-Van , Dodge A100 , and Ford Econoline ; along with yellow paint, these vehicles were fitted with red warning lights. While more maneuverable, automotive-based school buses did not offer

648-406: A heavy, rigid cabinet, while in other designs such as modern computer cases , lightweight covers or panels are attached to the chassis. The combination of chassis and outer covering is sometimes called an enclosure . In firearms, the chassis is a bedding frame on long guns such as rifles to replace the traditionally wooden stock , for the purpose of better accurizing the gun. The chassis

720-537: A large scale. Although school bus design had moved away from the wagon-style kid hacks of the generation before, there was not yet a recognized set of industry-wide standards for school buses. In 1939, rural education expert Dr. Frank W. Cyr organized a week-long conference at Teachers College, Columbia University that introduced new standards for the design of school buses. Funded by a $ 5,000 grant, Dr. Cyr invited transportation officials, representatives from body and chassis manufacturers, and paint companies. To reduce

792-636: A metal-on-metal bearing surface that has reduced shifting potential under the stress of recoil . A barreled action bedded into a metal chassis would theoretically operate more consistently during repeated firing, resulting in better precision . With the increasing availability of CNC machining , chassis have become more affordable and sophisticated as well as gained increasing popularity as these types of chassis can be expanded to accommodate customizable "furniture" ( buttstock , pistol grip , etc.) and rail interface systems that provide mounting points for various accessories. School bus A school bus

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864-604: A period of transition, with several ownership changes leading to joint ventures and alignments between body manufacturers and chassis suppliers. In 1986, with the signing of the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Act, school bus drivers across the United States became required to acquire a commercial driver's license (CDL) . While CDLs were issued by individual states, the federal CDL requirement ensured that drivers of all large vehicles (such as school buses) had

936-471: A school bus body with single-piece body side and roof stampings. While single-piece stampings seen in the Lifeguard had their own manufacturing challenges, school buses of today use relatively few side panels to minimize body joints. During the 1970s, school buses would undergo a number of design upgrades related to safety. While many changes were related to protecting passengers, others were intended to minimize

1008-410: A school bus is about to stop and unload/load students. Adopted by a number of states during the mid-1970s, amber warning lights became nearly universal equipment on new school buses by the end of the 1980s. To supplement the additional warning lights and to help prevent drivers from passing a stopped school bus, a stop arm was added to nearly all school buses; connected to the wiring of the warning lights,

1080-505: A smaller degree of transition. As International Harvester became Navistar International in 1986, the company released updated bus chassis for 1989; in 1996, it produced its first rear-engine bus chassis since 1973. In late 1996, Freightliner produced its first bus chassis, expanding to four manufacturers for the first time since the exit of Dodge in 1977. Ford and General Motors gradually exited out of cowled-chassis production with Ford producing its last chassis after 1998; General Motors exited

1152-467: A substantial improvement in safety performance. While many changes related to the 1977 safety standards were made under the body structure (to improve crashworthiness ), the most visible change was to passenger seating. In place of the metal-back passenger seats seen since the 1930s, the regulations introduced taller seats with thick padding on both the front and back, acting as a protective barrier. Further improvement has resulted from continuing efforts by

1224-430: A supplemental exit. Alongside safety, body and chassis manufacturers sought to advance fuel economy of school buses. During the 1980s, diesel engines came into wide use in conventional and small school buses, gradually replacing gasoline-fueled engines. In 1987, International became the first chassis manufacturer to offer diesel engines exclusively, with Ford following suit in 1990. While conventional-style buses remained

1296-474: A van cab with a purpose-built bus body, using the same construction as a full-size school bus. Within the same length as a passenger van, buses such as the Wayne Busette and Blue Bird Micro Bird offered additional seating capacity, wheelchair lifts, and the same body construction as larger school buses. For school bus manufacturers, the 1980s marked a period of struggle, following a combination of factors. As

1368-411: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Chassis A chassis ( US : / ˈ tʃ æ s i / , UK : / ˈ ʃ æ s i / ; plural chassis /- i z / from French châssis [ʃɑsi] ) is the load -bearing framework of a manufactured object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame ,

1440-419: Is any type of bus owned, leased, contracted to, or operated by a school or school district . It is regularly used to transport students to and from school or school-related activities, but not including a charter bus or transit bus . Various configurations of school buses are used worldwide ; the most iconic examples are the yellow school buses of the United States which are also found in other parts of

1512-454: Is over 70 times safer than riding to school by car. Many fatalities related to school buses are passengers of other vehicles and pedestrians (only 5% are bus occupants). Since the initial development of consistent school bus standards in 1939, many of the ensuing changes to school buses over the past eight decades have been safety related, particularly in response to more stringent regulations adopted by state and federal governments. Ever since

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1584-409: Is usually made from hard metallic material such as aluminium alloy (and less frequently stainless steel , titanium alloy or recently magnesium alloy ) due to metals having superior stiffness and compressive strength compared with wood or synthetic polymer , which are commonly used in conventional rifle stocks. The chassis essentially functions as a more extensive pillar bedding, providing

1656-594: The Crown Supercoach seated up to 76 passengers, the highest-capacity school bus of the time. As the 1930s progressed, flat-front school buses began to follow motorcoach design in styling as well as engineering, gradually adopting the term "transit-style" for their appearance. In 1940, the first mid-engined transit school bus was produced by Gillig in California. The custom-built nature of school buses created an inherent obstacle to their profitable mass production on

1728-572: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) , school buses are the safest type of road vehicle. Between 2013 and 2022, there were 976 fatal school bus accidents, resulting in 1,082 deaths and approximately 132,000 injuries. On average, five fatalities involve school-age children on a school bus each year; statistically, a school bus

1800-530: The baby boomer generation was either in elementary or high school, leading to a significant increase in student populations across North America; this would be a factor that would directly influence school bus production for over three decades. During the 1950s, as student populations began to grow, larger school buses began to enter production. To increase seating capacity (extra rows of seats), manufacturers began to produce bodies on heavier-duty truck chassis; transit-style school buses also grew in size. In 1954,

1872-405: The intermodal trucking industry, a chassis is a type of semi-trailer onto which a cargo container can be mounted for road transport. In an electronic device (such as a computer ), the chassis consists of a frame or other internal supporting structure on which the circuit boards and other electronics are mounted. In some designs, such as older ENIAC sets, the chassis is mounted inside

1944-515: The 1939 conference have been modified or updated, one part of its legacy remains a key part of every school bus in North America today: the adoption of a standard paint color for all school buses. While technically named "National School Bus Glossy Yellow", school bus yellow was adopted for use since it was considered easiest to see in dawn and dusk, and it contrasted well with black lettering. While not universally used worldwide, yellow has become

2016-582: The 1990s, small school buses shifted further away from their van-conversion roots. In 1991, Girardin launched the MB-II, combining a single rear-wheel van chassis with a full cutaway bus body. Following the 1992 redesign of the Ford E-Series and the 1997 launch of Chevrolet Express/GMC Savana cutaway chassis, manufacturers followed suit, developing bodies to optimize loading-zone visibility. As manufacturers universally adopted cutaway bodies for single rear-wheel buses,

2088-561: The 19th century, many rural areas of the United States and Canada were served by one-room schools . For those students who lived beyond practical walking distance from school, transportation was facilitated in the form of the kid hack ; at the time, " hack " was a term referring to certain types of horse-drawn carriages. Essentially re-purposed farm wagons, kid hacks were open to the elements, with little to no weather protection. In 1892, Indiana-based Wayne Works (later Wayne Corporation ) produced its first "school car" A purpose-built design,

2160-645: The 2000s, though the Type B configuration has largely been retired from production. Following the 1998 sale of the General Motors P-chassis to Navistar subsidiary Workhorse , the design began to be phased out in favor of higher-capacity Type A buses. In 2006, IC introduced the BE200 as its first small school bus; a fully cowled Type B, the BE200 shared much of its body with the CE (on a lower-profile chassis). In 2010, IC introduced

2232-752: The AE-series, a cutaway-cab school bus (derived from the International TerraStar ). In 2015, the Ford Transit cutaway chassis was introduced (alongside the long-running E350/450); initially sold with a Micro Bird body, the Transit has been offered through several manufacturers. In 2018, the first bus derived from the Ram ProMaster cutaway chassis was introduced; Collins Bus introduced the Collins Low Floor,

Amilcar C4 - Misplaced Pages Continue

2304-558: The Amilcar for final assembly. Power for the C4 was provided by the same unit used in the CS, a 1003 cc four-cylinder engine (two valves per cylinder) with a 58.0 millimetres (2.3 in) bore, a 95.0 millimetres (3.7 in) stroke, a magneto ignition AND Solex carburetor; it was rated at 22 KW at 2800 rpm. The vehicle transmission (which was also used in the CC and CS models, the only difference being

2376-427: The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Transport Canada , as well as by the bus industry and various safety advocates. As of 2020 production, all of these standards remain in effect. As manufacturers sought to develop safer school buses, small school buses underwent a transition away from automotive-based vehicles. The introduction of cutaway van chassis allowed bus manufacturers to mate

2448-541: The U.S. defines the design standards of chassis and body conversions. An armoured fighting vehicle 's hull serves as the chassis and comprises the bottom part of the AFV that includes the tracks , engine, driver's seat, and crew compartment. This describes the lower hull, although common usage might include the upper hull to mean the AFV without the turret . The hull serves as a basis for platforms on tanks , armoured personnel carriers , combat engineering vehicles , etc. In

2520-606: The Vision utilized a proprietary chassis (rather than a design from a medium-duty truck). In 2004, Thomas introduced the Saf-T-Liner C2 (derived from the Freightliner M2 ), with the body designed alongside its chassis (allowing the use of the production Freightliner dashboard). A trait of both the Vision and C2 (over their predecessors) is improved loading-zone visibility; both vehicles adopted highly sloped hoods and extra glass around

2592-508: The Ward brand name in 1993. In 1992, Blue Bird would change hands for the first of several times. In 1998, Carpenter was acquired by Spartan Motors and Thomas Built Buses was sold to Freightliner; the latter was the final major school bus manufacturer operating under family control. Alongside the 1981 introduction of Mid Bus, Corbeil commenced production in Canada and the United States in 1985. Following

2664-520: The West Coast). From 1980 to 2001, all eight bus manufacturers would undergo periods of struggle and ownership changes. In 1980, Ward filed for bankruptcy, reorganizing as AmTran in 1981. The same year, Superior was liquidated by its parent company, closing its doors. Under its company management, Superior was split into two manufacturers, with Mid Bus introducing small buses in 1981 and a reorganized Superior producing full-size buses from 1982 to 1985. At

2736-402: The adoption of yellow as a standard color in 1939, school buses deliberately integrate the concept of conspicuity into their design. When making student dropoffs or pickups, traffic law gives school buses priority over other vehicles; in order to stop traffic, they are equipped with flashing lights and a stop sign. As a consequence of their size, school buses have a number of blind spots around

2808-418: The aspect of customer choice was largely ended (as a result of corporate ownership and supply agreements), decreased complexity paved the way for new product innovations previously thought impossible. During the 2010s, while diesel engines have remained the primary source of power, manufacturers expanded the availability of alternative-fuel vehicles, including CNG, propane, gasoline, and electric-power buses. At

2880-477: The beginning of the 2000s, manufacturers introduced a new generation of conventional-style school buses, coinciding with the redesign of several medium-duty truck lines. While Ford and General Motors shifted bus production to cutaway chassis, Freightliner and International released new cowled chassis in 2004 and 2005, respectively. In 2003, Blue Bird introduced the Vision conventional; in line with its transit-style buses,

2952-422: The chances of traffic collisions . To decrease confusion over traffic priority (increasing safety around school bus stops), federal and state regulations were amended, requiring for many states/provinces to add amber warning lamps inboard of the red warning lamps. Similar to a yellow traffic light, the amber lights are activated before stopping (at 100–300 feet (30.5–91.4 m) distance), indicating to drivers that

Amilcar C4 - Misplaced Pages Continue

3024-414: The complexity of school bus production and increase safety, a set of 44 standards were agreed upon and adopted by the attendees (such as interior and exterior dimensions and the forward-facing seating configuration). To allow for large-scale production of school buses among body manufacturers, adoption of these standards allowed for greater consistency among body manufacturers. While many of the standards of

3096-423: The decade began, the end of the baby-boom generation had finished high school; with a decrease in student population growth, school bus manufacturing was left with a degree of overcapacity. Coupled with the recession economy of the early 1980s, the decline in demand for school bus production left several manufacturers in financial ruin. To better secure their future, during the 1990s, school bus manufacturers underwent

3168-424: The deployable stop arm extended during a bus stop with its own set of red flashing lights. In the 1970s, school busing expanded further, under controversial reasons; a number of larger cities began to bus students in an effort to racially integrate schools . Out of necessity, the additional usage created further demand for bus production. From 1939 to 1973, school bus production was largely self-regulated. In 1973,

3240-404: The deployment of the exterior stop arms. Onboard GPS tracking devices have taken on a dual role of fleet management and location tracking, allowing for internal management of costs and also to alert waiting parents and students of the real-time location of their bus. Seatbelts in school buses underwent a redesign, with lap-type seatbelts phased out in favor of 3-point seatbelts . According to

3312-657: The end of 1989, Carpenter would file for bankruptcy, emerging from it in 1990. In 1991, Crown Coach would close its doors forever; Gillig produced its last school bus in 1993. Following several ownership changes, Wayne Corporation was liquidated in 1992; successor Wayne Wheeled Vehicles was closed in 1995. In 2001, Carpenter closed its doors. During the 1990s, as body manufacturers secured their future, family-owned businesses were replaced by subsidiaries as manufacturers underwent mergers, joint ventures, and acquisitions with major chassis suppliers. In 1991, Navistar began its acquisition of AmTran (fully acquiring it in 1995), phasing out

3384-564: The entry door. In 2005, IC introduced a redesigned CE-series to fit the International 3300 chassis; to improve visibility, the windshield was redesigned (eliminating the center post). Between 2004 and 2008, Advanced Energy, an NC based non-profit created by the NC Utilities Commission begun an effort to move to plug-in hybrid school buses . A business and technical feasibility proved the benefits, and in 2006, 20 districts awarded

3456-581: The first Canadian-brand full-size buses sold in the United States). During the 2010s, Collins retired the Mid Bus and Corbeil brands (in 2013 and 2016, respectively). During the 2000s, school bus safety adopted a number of evolutionary advances. To further improve visibility for other drivers, manufacturers began to replace incandescent lights with LEDs for running lights, turn signals, brake lights, and warning lamps. School bus crossing arms , first introduced in

3528-511: The first decade of the 20th century, several developments would affect the design of the school bus and student transport. As vehicles evolved from horse-drawn to "horseless" propulsion on a wider basis, the wagon bodies of kid hacks and school cars were adapted to truck frames. While transitioning into purpose-built designs, a number of features from wagons were retained, including wood construction, perimeter bench seating, and rear entry doors. Weather protection remained minimal; some designs adopted

3600-558: The first diesel-engined school bus was introduced, with the first tandem-axle school bus in 1955 (a Crown Supercoach, expanding seating to 91 passengers). To improve accessibility , at the end of the 1950s, manufacturers developed a curbside wheelchair lift option to transport wheelchair-using passengers. In modified form, the design remains in use today. During the 1950s and 1960s, manufacturers also began to develop designs for small school buses, optimized for urban routes with crowded, narrow streets along with rural routes too isolated for

3672-453: The first federal regulations governing school buses went into effect, as FMVSS 217 was required for school buses; the regulation governed specifications of rear emergency exit doors/windows. Following the focus on school bus structural integrity, NHTSA introduced the four Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for School Buses, applied on April 1, 1977, bringing significant change to the design, engineering, and construction of school buses and

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3744-466: The first low-floor school bus (of any configuration). Following the 2001 closure of Carpenter, the manufacturing segment has seen a much lower degree of contraction (with the exception of the 2005 failure of startup manufacturer Liberty Bus ). Following the bankruptcy of Corbeil, the company was acquired at the end of 2007 by Collins, reorganizing it as a subsidiary (alongside Mid Bus) and shifting production to its Kansas facilities. The same year, U.S. Bus

3816-450: The frames near the end of the line. An underbody (sometimes referred to as " coachwork "), which is usually not necessary for the integrity of the structure, is built on the chassis to complete the vehicle. For commercial vehicles , a rolling chassis consists of an assembly of all the essential parts of a truck without the body to be ready for operation on the road. A car chassis will be different from one for commercial vehicles because of

3888-408: The front curbside, becoming a door operated by the driver (to ease loading passengers and improve forward visibility). The rear entry door of the kid hacks were re-purposed (as an emergency exit). Following the introduction of the steel-paneled 1927 Luce bus, school bus manufacturing began to transition towards all-steel construction. In 1930, both Superior and Wayne introduced all-steel school buses;

3960-435: The hand-lever operation employed in both the CS and CC automobiles. Standard equipment was ample for the period, consisting of a speedometer with recording odometer, an ammeter, and the dashboard incorporating lighting. The horn initially was a classical trumpet with rubber bulb; this was replaced by an electric horn beginning in 1925. This article about classic and vintage automobiles produced between 1915 and 1930

4032-415: The heavier loads and constant work use. Commercial vehicle manufacturers sell "chassis only", "cowl and chassis", as well as " chassis cab " versions that can be outfitted with specialized bodies. These include motor homes , fire engines , ambulances , box trucks , etc. In particular applications, such as school buses , a government agency like National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in

4104-403: The late 1990s, came into wider use. Electronics took on a new role in school bus operation. To increase child safety and security, alarm systems have been developed to prevent children from being left on unattended school buses overnight. To track drivers who illegally pass school buses loading and unloading students, in the 2010s, some school buses began to adopt exterior cameras synchronized with

4176-411: The latter introduced safety glass windows for its bus body. As school bus design paralleled the design of light to medium-duty commercial trucks of the time, the advent of forward-control trucks would have their own influence on school bus design. In an effort to gain extra seating capacity and visibility, Crown Coach built its own cabover school bus design from the ground up. Introduced in 1932,

4248-548: The longer length of the gearshift levers, necessitated by the longer chassis) provided three speeds, with power being sent to the rear wheels (a differential was not used on the rear-wheel power distribution scheme until the 1925 model, however). The suspension used semi-elliptic leaf springs in both the front and rear as well as fitted friction type dampers . Brakes were only provided on the rear wheels. The drum-type brakes were 220 mm diameter (increased to 225 mm in 1928), and were operated by foot-pedal, which differed from

4320-553: The most widely produced full-size school bus, interest in forward visibility, higher seating capacity, and shorter turning radius led to a major expansion of market share of the transit-style configuration, coinciding with several design introductions in the late 1980s. Following the 1986 introduction of the Wayne Lifestar , the AmTran Genesis, Blue Bird TC/2000 , and Thomas Saf-T-Liner MVP would prove far more successful. During

4392-432: The outside of the vehicle which can endanger passengers disembarking a bus or pedestrians standing or walking nearby. To address this safety challenge, a key point of school bus design is focused on exterior visibility, improving the design of bus windows, mirrors, and the windshield to optimize visibility for the driver. In the case of a collision, the body structure of a school bus is designed with an integral roll cage ; as

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4464-432: The reinforced passenger compartment of a full-size school bus. During the 1960s, as with standard passenger cars, concerns began to arise for passenger protection in catastrophic traffic collisions. At the time, the weak point of the body structure was the body joints; where panels and pieces were riveted together, joints could break apart in major accidents, with the bus body causing harm to passengers. After subjecting

4536-590: The risk of stalling (in hazardous places such as intersections or railroad crossings). Initially introduced during the late 1960s, crossview mirrors came into universal use, improving the view of the blind spots in front of the bus while loading or unloading. To supplement the rear emergency door in an evacuation, manufacturers introduced additional emergency exits during the 1980s, including roof-mounted escape hatches and outward-opening exit windows. Side-mounted exit doors (originally introduced on rear-engine buses), became offered on front-engine and conventional-body buses as

4608-504: The school car was constructed with perimeter-mounted wooden bench seats and a roof (the sides remained open). As a horse-drawn wagon, the school car was fitted with a rear entrance door (intended to avoid startling the horses while loading or unloading passengers); over a century later, the design remains in use (as an emergency exit). In 1869, Massachusetts became the first state to add transportation to public education; by 1900, 16 other states would transport students to school. Following

4680-557: The second (and final) closure of Superior in 1986, New Bus Company acquired the rights to its body design, producing buses from 1988 to 1989. In 1991, TAM-USA was a joint venture to produce the TAM 252 A 121. Assembled in Slovenia with final assembly in California, the TAM vehicle was to be the first American-market school bus imported from Europe. In comparison to body manufacturers, chassis suppliers saw

4752-416: The segment after 2003. Both Ford and GM continue production today, concentrating on cutaway-van chassis. The beginning of the 21st century would introduce extensive changes to the production of school buses. Though vehicle assembly saw few direct changes, manufacturer consolidation and industry contraction effectively ended the practice of customers selecting body and chassis manufacturers independently. While

4824-576: The shade most commonly associated with school buses both in North America and abroad. During WWII school bus manufacturers converted to military production, manufacturing buses and license-built trucks for the military. Following the war, school bus operation would see a number of changes, following developments within education systems. Following WWII and the rise of suburban growth in North America , demand for school busing increased outside of rural areas; in suburbs and larger urban areas, community design often made walking to school impractical beyond

4896-570: The underpart of a motor vehicle , on which the body is mounted; if the running gear such as wheels and transmission, and sometimes even the driver's seat, are included, then the assembly is described as a rolling chassis . In the case of vehicles, the term rolling chassis means the frame plus the "running gear " like engine , transmission , drive shaft , differential , and suspension . The "rolling chassis" description originated from assembly production when an integrated chassis "rolled on its own tires" just before truck bodies were bolted to

4968-916: The use of the Dodge Ram Van chassis was phased out. By 2005 the United States government banned the use of 15-passenger vans for student transport, leading to the introduction of Multi-Function School Activity Buses (MFSAB). To better protect passengers, MFSABs share the body structure and compartmentalized seating layout of school buses. Not intended (nor allowed) for uses requiring traffic priority, they are not fitted with school bus warning lights or stop arms (nor are they painted school bus yellow). In 1980, school buses were manufactured by six body manufacturers (Blue Bird, Carpenter, Superior, Thomas, Ward, Wayne) and three chassis manufacturers (Ford, General Motors, and International Harvester); in California, two manufacturers (Crown and Gillig) manufactured transit-style school buses using proprietary chassis (sold primarily across

5040-410: The world. In North America, school buses are purpose-built vehicles distinguished from other types of buses by design characteristics mandated by federal and state/provincial regulations. In addition to their distinct paint color ( National School Bus Glossy Yellow ), school buses are fitted with exterior warning lights (to give them traffic priority) and multiple safety devices. In the second half of

5112-473: Was reorganized as Trans Tech . In 2008, Starcraft Bus entered the segment, producing school buses on cutaway chassis (a 2011 prototype using a Hino chassis was never produced). In 2009, Blue Bird and Girardin entered into a joint venture, named Micro Bird; Girardin develops and produces the Blue Bird small-bus product line in Canada. The 2011 founding of Lion Bus marked the return of bus production to Canada (with

5184-456: Was used to panel and frame the bus body; wood was relegated to a secondary material. While fitted with a roof, the primary weather protection of the Luce bus design included roll-up canvas side curtains. During the 1930s, school buses saw advances in their design and production that remain in use to this day. To better adapt automotive chassis design, school bus entry doors were moved from the rear to

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