Guided bus

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A Mercedes-Benz O305 bus on the O-Bahn Busway route in Adelaide, Australia Mercedes-Benz O 305 on guided busway in Adelaide.jpg
A Mercedes-Benz O305 bus on the O-Bahn Busway route in Adelaide, Australia

Guided buses are buses capable of being steered by external means, usually on a dedicated track or roll way that excludes other traffic, permitting the maintenance of schedules even during rush hours. Unlike railbus, trolleybuses or rubber-tyred trams, for part of their routes guided buses are able to share road space with general traffic along conventional roads, or with conventional buses on standard bus lanes.

Contents

Guidance systems can be physical, such as kerbs or guide bars, or remote, such as optical or radio guidance.

Guided buses may be articulated, allowing more passengers, but not as many as light rail or trams, which are not constrained to a regulated maximum size in order to freely navigate public roads.

History

Precursors

The kerb-guided bus (KGB) guidance mechanism is a development of the early flangeways, pre-dating railways. The Gloucester and Cheltenham Tramroad [1] of 1809 therefore has a claim to be the earliest guided busway. There were earlier flangeways, but they did not carry passengers. [2] [3]

Modern examples

There are a few examples of guided buses around the world constructed since 1980.

The first modern guided busway system was opened in 1980 in Essen, Germany. This was initially a demonstration track, but it was periodically expanded and is still in operation as of 2019. [4]

The first guided busway in the United Kingdom was in Birmingham, the Tracline 65, 1,968 feet (600 m) long, experimentally in 1984. [5] It closed in 1987. [6]

Based on the experience in Essen, in 1986 the Government of South Australia opened the O-Bahn Busway in Adelaide. [7] [8] This is a 12-kilometre guided busway. [9]

In Mannheim, Germany, from May 1992 to September 2005 a guided busway shared the tram alignment for a few hundred metres, which allowed buses to avoid a congested stretch of road where there was no space for an extra traffic lane. It was discontinued, as the majority of buses fitted with guide wheels were withdrawn for age reasons. There are no plans to convert newer buses. [10]

The Nagoya Guideway Bus in Nagoya, opened in March 2001 and is the only guided bus line in Japan.

The Cambridgeshire Guided Busway between Cambridge and St Ives, at 25 kilometres (16 miles), is the world's longest guided busway. [11]

Between 2004 and 2008, a 1 mile (1.5 km) section of guided busway was in operation between Stenhouse and Broomhouse in the west of Edinburgh.The route was later converted for use by Edinburgh trams. [12] [13]

Rubber-tyred trams

Guided buses are to be distinguished from rubber-tyred systems that cannot run other than along a dedicated trackway, or under fixed overhead power lines.

Guidance systems

Optical guidance

An optical guidance device on TEOR bus in Rouen. Guidage optique Agora L.JPG
An optical guidance device on TEOR bus in Rouen.
Irisbus Crealis Neo, an optically guided TEOR bus in Rouen Rouen bus T2 I.jpg
Irisbus Crealis Neo, an optically guided TEOR bus in Rouen

Optical guidance relies on the principles of image processing. A camera in the front of the vehicle scans the bands of paint on the ground representing the reference path. The signals obtained by the camera are sent to an onboard computer, which combines them with dynamic parameters of the vehicle (speed, yaw rate, wheel angle). The calculator transmits commands to the guidance motor located on the steering column of the vehicle to control its path in line with that of the reference.

Optical guidance is a means of approaching light rail performance with a fast and economical set-up. It enables buses to have precision-docking capabilities as efficient as those of light rail and reduces dwell times, making it possible to drive the vehicle to a precise point on a platform according to an accurate and reliable trajectory. The distance between the door steps and the platform is optimized not to exceed 5 centimetres (2 in). Level boarding is then possible, and there is no need to use a mobile ramp for people with mobility impairments.

The Optiguide system, an optical guidance device developed by Siemens Transportation Systems, has been in revenue service since 2001 in Rouen and Nîmes (only at stations), France, and has been fitted to trolleybuses in Castellon (Spain) since June 2008.

Another system was introduced in 2017. Called Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit (ART) and developed by CRRC, it uses optical systems to follow markers on a roadway. The ART system is frequently referred to as a "trackless tram" and occasionally as an "optically-guided bus". [14]

Magnetic guidance

Other experimental systems have non-mechanical guidance, such as sensors or magnets buried in the roadway. [15] [16] In 2004, Stagecoach Group signed a deal with Siemens to develop an optical guidance system for use in the United Kingdom. [17]

Phileas bus Phileas-bus-Eindhoven.jpg
Phileas bus

Two bus lines in Eindhoven, Netherlands, are used by Phileas vehicles. Line 401 from Eindhoven station to Eindhoven Airport is 9 km (5.6 mi) long, consists largely of concrete bus lanes and has about 30 Phileas stop platforms. Line 402 from Eindhoven station to Veldhoven branches off from line 401 and adds another 6 km (3.7 mi) of bus lanes and about 13 stops. [18]

Some years ago, the regional authority for urban transport in the Eindhoven region (SRE) decided to discontinue the use of magnetic guidance system. In 2014 the manufacturer, APTS, was declared bankrupt.

The Douai region in France is developing a public transport network with dedicated infrastructure. The length of the lines will be 34 km (21 mi). The first stage is a line of 12 km (7.5 mi) from Douai via Guesnain to Lewarde, passing close to Waziers, Sin-le-Noble, Dechy and Lambres-lez-Douai. 39 stop platforms will be provided with an average distance between the stops of 400 m (440 yd). A number of stops will be placed on the right-hand side of each lane. Central stops between both lanes will be placed at locations with limited space at the right side. This requires vehicle to have doors on both sides.

On 3 November 2005, a licence and technology transfer agreement was signed between Advanced Public Transport Systems (APTS) and the Korea Railroad Research Institute (KRRI). KRRI was to develop the Korean version of Phileas vehicle by May 2011. [19]

Since June 2013, 3 miles (1.5 miles each way) of the Emerald Express (EmX) BRT in Eugene, Oregon, has used magnetic guidance in revenue service on an especially curvy section of the route that also entails small radius S-curves required for docking. The driver controls braking and acceleration. [20]

Kerb guidance

Kerb-guided track and adjacent multi-user path along a disused rail line, on the Leigh-Salford-Manchester Bus Rapid Transit BusAt-CoolingLane-KerbGuidedBusStop-Leigh-P1400511.jpg
Kerb-guided track and adjacent multi-user path along a disused rail line, on the Leigh-Salford-Manchester Bus Rapid Transit
Cross-sectional diagram of the parallel direction curbs of the bus lane in Essen, Germany Guided Bus - Essen.png
Cross-sectional diagram of the parallel direction curbs of the bus lane in Essen, Germany

On kerb-guided buses (KGB) small guide wheels attached to the bus engage vertical kerbs on either side of the guideway. These guide wheels push the steering mechanism of the bus, keeping it centralised on the track. Away from the guideway, the bus is steered in the normal way. The start of the guideway is funnelled from a wide track to guideway width. This system permits high-speed operation on a narrow guideway and precise positioning at boarding platforms, facilitating access for the elderly and disabled. As guide wheels can be inexpensively attached to, and removed from, almost any standard model of bus, kerb guided busway systems are not tied to particular specialised vehicles or equipment suppliers. Characteristically, operators contracted to run services on kerb-guided busways will purchase or lease the vehicles, as second-hand vehicles (with guide wheels removed) have a ready resale market.

The kerb-guided system maintains a narrow track while still enabling buses to pass one another at speed. Consequently, kerb-guided track can be fitted into former double-track rail alignments without the requirement for additional land-take that might have been necessary were a disused railway to be converted into a public highway. Examples include the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway and Leigh-Salford-Manchester Bus Rapid Transit; in both schemes, it has proved possible to provide space for a wide multi-user path for leisure use alongside the kerb-guided double track, all within the boundaries of the disused railway route. Both the Cambridgeshire and Leigh-Salford-Manchester schemes have reported greatly increased levels of patronage (both on the buses themselves and the adjacent paths), high levels of modal transfer of travellers from private car use, and high levels of passenger satisfaction. [21] [22]

Examples of guided busways

Tram-like guided busways (rubber-tyred trams) include:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rubber-tyred metro</span> Form of rapid transit

A rubber-tyred metro or rubber-tired metro is a form of rapid transit system that uses a mix of road and rail technology. The vehicles have wheels with rubber tires that run on rolling pads inside guide bars for traction, as well as traditional railway steel wheels with deep flanges on steel tracks for guidance through conventional switches as well as guidance in case a tyre fails. Most rubber-tyred trains are purpose-built and designed for the system on which they operate. Guided buses are sometimes referred to as 'trams on tyres', and compared to rubber-tyred metros.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bus rapid transit</span> Public transport system

Bus rapid transit (BRT), also referred to as a busway or transitway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to have much more capacity, reliability and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes roadways that are dedicated to buses, and gives priority to buses at intersections where buses may interact with other traffic; alongside design features to reduce delays caused by passengers boarding or leaving buses, or paying fares. BRT aims to combine the capacity and speed of a light rail transit (LRT) or mass rapid transit (MRT) system with the flexibility, lower cost and simplicity of a bus system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Automated guideway transit</span> Fully automated transit system

An automated guideway transit (AGT) or automated fixed-guideway transit or automatic guideway transit system is a type of fixed guideway transit infrastructure with a riding or suspension track that supports and physically guides one or more driverless vehicles along its length. The vehicles are often rubber tired or steel wheeled, but other traction systems including air cushion, suspended monorail and maglev have been implemented. The guideway provides both physical support, like a road, as well as the guidance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">O-Bahn Busway</span> Guided busway in Adelaide, South Australia

The O-Bahn Busway is a guided busway that is part of the bus rapid transit system servicing the northeastern suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia. The O-Bahn system was conceived by Daimler-Benz to enable buses to avoid traffic congestion by sharing tram tunnels in the German city of Essen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Urban rail transit</span> Train service intended for city-dwellers

Urban rail transit is a wide term for various types of local rail systems providing passenger service within and around urban or suburban areas. The set of urban rail systems can be roughly subdivided into the following categories, which sometimes overlap because some systems or lines have aspects of multiple types.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dual-mode vehicle</span> Transportation system in which vehicles operate on both public roads and on a guideway

A dual-mode vehicle (DMV) is a vehicle that can operate on conventional road surfaces as well as a railway track or a dedicated track known as a guideway. The development of these vehicles started together with personal rapid transport systems in the 1950s or even earlier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bombardier Guided Light Transit</span> Guided bus technology and associated infrastructure

Guided Light Transit was the name of guided bus technology and associated infrastructure designed and manufactured by Bombardier Transportation. It was installed in two French cities: Nancy and Caen. The Caen system was closed in 2017 and replaced by conventional trams, while the Nancy system was closed in March 2023 and is to be replaced by trolleybuses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Translohr</span> Rubber-tyred tramway (or guided bus) system

Translohr is a rubber-tyred tramway system, originally developed by Lohr Industrie of France and now run by a consortium of Alstom Transport and Fonds stratégique d'investissement (FSI) as newTL, which took over from Lohr in 2012. It is used in Paris and Clermont-Ferrand, France; Medellín, Colombia; and Venice-Mestre and Padua in Italy. In June 2012, Alstom Group and the Strategic Investment Fund acquired Translohr for €35 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phileas (public transport)</span> Bus rapid transit developed by Samenwerkingsverband Regio Eindhoven (SRE)

Phileas is a bus rapid transit, developed by Samenwerkingsverband Regio Eindhoven (SRE), Netherlands, along with other companies for the Cooperation Foundation Eindhoven Region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metrobus (Istanbul)</span> Bus rapid transit route in Istanbul, Turkey

The Metrobus is a 52 km (32.3 mi) bus rapid transit route in Istanbul, Turkey. The system has 44 stations that follow the city's ring road via Avcılar, Zincirlikuyu and the Bosphorus Bridge to Söğütlüçeşme using dedicated bus lanes for almost the entire length of the route.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TEDA Modern Guided Rail Tram</span>

TEDA Modern Guided Rail Tram was a Translohr Light Rail line in Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA). It was a modern, high-speed rubber-tyred tram line, the first in both China and Asia. The line was considered as part of the Tianjin Metro system. It was run by Tianjin Binhai Mass Transit Development Co., Ltd, which has been a subsidiary of Tianjin Rail Transit Group Corporation since 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rubber-tyred tram</span> Development of the guided bus

A rubber-tyred tram is a development of the guided bus in which a vehicle is guided by a fixed rail in the road surface and draws current from overhead electric wires.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trams in France</span>

Trams in France date from 1837 when a 15 km steam tram line connected Montrond-les-Bains and Montbrison in the Loire. With the development of electric trams at the end of the 19th century, networks proliferated in French cities over a period of 15 years. Although nearly all of the country's tram systems were replaced by bus services in the 1930s or shortly after the Second World War, France is now in the forefront of the revival of tramways and light rail systems around the globe. Only tram lines in Lille and Saint-Étienne have operated continuously since the 19th century; the Marseille tramway system ran continuously until 2004 and only closed then for 3 years for extensive refurbishment into a modern tram network. Since the opening of the Nantes tramway in 1985, more than twenty towns and cities across France have built new tram lines. As of 2024, there are 28 operational tram networks in France, with 3 more planned. France is also home to Alstom, a leading tram manufacturer.

A guide rail is a device or mechanism to direct products, vehicles or other objects through a channel, conveyor, roadway or rail system.

A roll way or running pad is the pad placed on a concrete slab or on the ties on the outside of the 1,435 mm conventional track along both running rails of a rubber-tyred metro or along the unconventional track of a tram. The rubber-tyred wheels roll directly on the roll ways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trams in Padua</span>

The Padua Tramway serves Padova, a city in Veneto. In operation since 2007, it is 10.3-kilometre (6.4 mi) long, and comprises one line, linking the north with the south calling at the main station and then passing the historic city centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit</span> Guided articulated bus system

Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit (ART) is a lidar guided articulated bus system for urban passenger transport. Developed and manufactured by CRRC through CRRC Zhuzhou Institute Co Ltd, it was unveiled in Zhuzhou in the Hunan province on June 2, 2017. ART has been described as a combination between a bus and a tram. Its exterior is composed of individual fixed sections joined by articulated gangways, resembling a rubber-tyred tram.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to public transport:

References

  1. ↑ Bick, D. E. (1968). The Gloucester and Cheltenham Railway and the Leckhampton Quarry Tramroads. Oakwood Press.
  2. ↑ Schofield, R. B. (2000). Benjamin Outram 1764–1805: an engineering biography. Cardiff: Merton Priory. ISBN   1-898937-42-7.
  3. ↑ Wagonway Research Circle (20 May 2010). "Plateways/tramways – overview and list of some available resources". Island Publishing.
  4. ↑ "Bus Priority Systems (Bus Rapid Transit) – Special Feature on Kerb Guided Buses (O-Bahn)".
  5. ↑ Tracline 65 Buses issue 357 December 1984 page 538
  6. ↑ Back on Track Bus & Coach Preservation December 2019 pages 12–14
  7. ↑ O-Bahn is open for business Truck & Bus Transportation March 1986 pages 40–43
  8. ↑ Adelaide's O-Bahn Australian Bus Panorama issue 1/5 May 1986 pages 3–8
  9. ↑ The Adelaide O-Bahn Busway Australian Bus issue 32 March 2009 pages 23–27
  10. ↑ Smiler, Simon (20 January 1998). "Special Feature On Kerb Guided Buses (O-Bahn)". Bus Priority Systems (Bus Rapid Transit). Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  11. ↑ "Cambridgeshire guided busway opens to passengers". BBC News . 7 August 2011.
  12. ↑ "£10.5m bus project comes on track". BBC News. 2 December 2004. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  13. ↑ "Edinburgh Western Corridor Busway (Fastlink)". Alan Howes Associates. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  14. ↑ "Debunking the myths around the optically-guided bus (trackless trams)". The University of Sydney Business School. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  15. ↑ Simon Smiler. "New Era Hi-tech Buses". citytransport.info. Retrieved 21 May 2010.
  16. ↑ "University of Berkley PATH Magnetic Guidance System – used on Snowploughs with trials including Transit Bus running and docking". Path.berkeley.edu. Archived from the original on 13 June 2010. Retrieved 21 May 2010.
  17. ↑ "Stagecoach signs deal with Siemens to develop new bus optical guidance system". Stagecoach Group. 8 December 2004. Archived from the original on 10 November 2006. Retrieved 28 July 2006.
  18. ↑ APTS Phileas
  19. ↑ "Bimodal Transportation Research Center(Korea)". Bimodaltram.com. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2010.
  20. ↑ Han-Shue Tan and Jihua Huang (4 June 2014). "The Design and Implementation of an Automated Bus In Revenue Service on a Bus Rapid Transit Line" (PDF).[ permanent dead link ]
  21. ↑ Alan Brett (2013), Cambridgeshire Guided Busway – Usage Research, Cambridgeshire County Council , retrieved 16 May 2017
  22. ↑ Presentation to BRT UK (PDF), Transport for Greater Manchester, 16 September 2016, retrieved 27 March 2017
  23. ↑ "Cambridgeshire County Council – Guided Busway homepage". Cambridgeshire.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 16 April 2009. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
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