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A bus is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for charter purposes, or through private ownership. Although the average bus carries between 30 and 100 passengers, some buses have a capacity of up to 300 passengers. The most common type is the single-deck rigid bus, with double-decker and articulated buses carrying larger loads, and midibuses and minibuses carrying smaller loads. Coaches are used for longer-distance services. Many types of buses, such as city transit buses and inter-city coaches, charge a fare. Other types, such as elementary or secondary school buses or shuttle buses within a post-secondary education campus, are free. In many jurisdictions, bus drivers require a special large vehicle licence above and beyond a regular driving licence.
A minibus, microbus, minicoach, or commuter is a passenger-carrying motor vehicle that is designed to carry more people than a multi-purpose vehicle or minivan, but fewer people than a full-size bus. In the United Kingdom, the word "minibus" is used to describe any full-sized passenger-carrying van or panel truck. Minibuses have a seating capacity of between 12 and 30 seats. Larger minibuses may be called midibuses. Minibuses are typically front engine step-in vehicles, although low floor minibuses are particularly common in Japan.
A low-floor bus is a bus or trolleybus that has no steps between the ground and the floor of the bus at one or more entrances, and low floor for part or all of the passenger cabin. A bus with a partial low floor may also be referred to as a low-entry bus or seldom a flat-floor bus in some locations.
Switch Mobility is an English bus manufacturer based in Sherburn-in-Elmet, North Yorkshire. It is a subsidiary of Indian company Ashok Leyland. The company would be responsible for the EV operations of the group with Ashok Leyland focusing on its core business of diesel-powered vehicles as well as work on alternative fuels like compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG) and hydrogen.
Marshrutka or marshrutne taksi or routed taxicab, are share taxis found in Eastern Europe and the republics of the former Soviet Union. Usually vans, they drive along set routes, depart only when all seats are filled, and may have higher fares than buses. Passengers can board a marshrutka anywhere along its route if there are seats available.
The Optare Solo is a low-floor minibus/midibus with one or two doors manufactured by Optare in the United Kingdom since 1998. The Solo name is a play on its low-floor status, the manufacturer marketing its vehicle as having an entrance that is "so low" from the floor, namely 200 mm (8 in) with kneeling suspension. In January 2012 Optare announced the end of production for the original Solo design with a modified Solo SR taking over.
Cutaway van chassis are used by second stage manufacturers for a wide range of completed motor vehicles. Especially popular in the United States, they are usually based upon incomplete vans to be bigger or smaller than pickup trucks and SUVs made by manufacturers such as Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors which are generally equipped with heavier duty components than most of their complete products. To these incomplete vehicles, a second stage manufacturer adds specific equipment and completes the vehicle. Common applications of this type of vehicle design and manufacturing includes small trucks, school buses, recreational vehicles, minibuses, and ambulances. The term "cutaway" can be somewhat of a misnomer in most of the vehicle's context since it refers to truck bodies for heavy-duty commercial-grade applications sharing a common truck chassis.
The Optare Alero is a low-floor GRP monocoque minibus that was built by Optare between 2001 and 2008. It was built as an alternative to van-derived buses such as the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter.
Reeve Burgess was a bus body manufacturer based in Pilsley, North East Derbyshire in the United Kingdom. It was a subsidiary of Plaxton from 1980 until its closure in 1991.
National Welsh Omnibus Services was a bus company which operated in south-east Wales and in the Forest of Dean area of Gloucestershire from 1978 to 1992. It used the trading name National Welsh and its Welsh equivalent Cymru Cenedlaethol.
The Marshall Capital was a single-decker bus body built originally by Marshall Bus between 1996 and 2002, and later by MCV Bus & Coach between 2002 and 2003. Initially launched on the step-entrance MAN 11.220 and then Iveco Eurorider chassis, the Capital found greater success after being launched on the low-floor Dennis Dart SLF chassis from 1997. Marshall also produced a related, integral midibus, known as the Marshall Minibus, between 1996 and 1998.
The Iveco Daily is a large light commercial van produced by the Italian automaker Iveco since 1978; it was also sold as the Fiat Daily by Fiat until 1983. Unlike the more car-like unibody Fiat Ducato, the Daily uses a separate ladder frame typical of heavier commercial vehicles. The Iveco Daily is produced at the Iveco Suzzara plant, near Mantova in Italy, where Iveco has recently made substantial investments to renew the production lines.
The public light bus or minibus is a public transport service in Hong Kong. It uses minibuses to provide quicker transport and to serve areas that standard Hong Kong bus lines cannot reach as efficiently. The vehicles are colloquially known by the code-switch Van仔 literally "van-ette".
The Mellor Tucana is a small wheelchair-accessible minibus manufactured by Mellor Coachcraft in England.
Mellor Coachcraft, known simply as Mellor or Mellor Bus, is a British bus manufacturer based in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. Founded in the 1960s, Mellor has primarily produced bodywork for various different minibus chassis throughout its history. Mellor is owned by parent company, Woodall Nicholson Group, alongside Treka Bus.
The Mellor Strata is a minibus body manufactured by Mellor Coachcraft since 2016 on Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis. It is available as the Mellor Strata HF 16, a step-entrance version aimed at the access bus market, so named for its maximum seated passenger capacity of sixteen; or as the Mellor Strata LF, a low-floor variant targeting the service bus market, with a capacity of up to 21 seated passengers.
The Mellor Sigma is a bus manufactured by Mellor Coachcraft since 2021. It is available in various lengths, from 6.99 – 11.97 metres, with the shortest being marketed as the Mellor Sigma 7, and the longest as the Mellor Sigma 12.
The Mellor Orion is a minibus body manufactured on Fiat Ducato chassis since 2011, introduced by Bluebird Vehicles and subsequently built by Mellor Coachcraft since 2014. Several variants are produced, including the long-wheelbase Orion Plus and the fully electric Orion E. In 2021, Mellor launched an updated version known as the Orion Evolution.
MOBIpeople is a bus and coach manufacturer based in Coimbra, Portugal. The company was founded in 2008 and primarily produces minibuses, midibuses and their coach equivalents. MOBIpeople is the second largest Portuguese bus manufacturer after Caetano.
References
- ↑ "Maxima is a midi milestone from Mellor". Route One Magazine. 20 April 2016. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
- ↑ "Specialist Bus Brochure" (PDF). Mellor Coachcraft. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
- 1 2 "Presenting the new Mellor Maxima". Mellor Coachcraft. 29 January 2016. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
- ↑ Randall, Chris (3 June 2021). "Mellor expands electric bus range by two new models". Electrive. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
- ↑ "Dumfries and Galloway Council's two Maximas". Route One Magazine. 9 March 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
- ↑ Williams, Mark (23 March 2022). "Light heavyweight contender". Bus & Coach Buyer. Retrieved 12 June 2022.