This content is not included in
your SAE MOBILUS subscription, or you are not logged in.
A Survey of the History of Transit Buses in the United States
Annotation ability available
Sector:
Language:
English
Abstract
The paper traces the development of transit bus technology from its origins to the present day. In addition to covering technical issues such as methods of chassis and body construction, types of power plants and other components used, and general design features, the paper addresses the political, economic, and social influences that have affected the actions of bus manufacturers through the decades.
Recommended Content
Technical Paper | Neway Height Control Valve for Air Suspensions Systems |
Journal Article | Locating Wire Short Fault for In-Vehicle Controller Area Network with Resistance Estimation Approach |
Technical Paper | Overview of Computer Technology |
Authors
Topic
Citation
Mandell, S., Andrew, S., and Ross, B., "A Survey of the History of Transit Buses in the United States," SAE Technical Paper 892517, 1989, https://doi.org/10.4271/892517.Also In
References
- Daniels C. J. An Overview of Bus Technology Research, Development, and Deployment. A special report prepared at the request of the Urban Mass Transportation Administration January 1980
- Prytula G. “New Transit Buses For The 80's.” SAE Technical Paper Series : 800908 Society of Automotive Engineers Pennsylvania August 1980
- Bingham A. L. “The Aftermath of Transbus.” Background for presentation by A. L. Bingham to APTA Annual Meeting October 1976
- Graham Stuckey “Get Rid of the Bugs.” Bus Transportation 407 410 15 October 1935
- David Young “A World of Buses: Their Problems and Possibilities.” Mass Transit 7 12 6 9 52 56 December 1980
- Kustin A. “Transbus and the Advanced Design Bus: The Struggle for an Innovative Bus.” Washington Internships for Students of Engineering August 1983
- Urban Mass Transportation Administration Entry and Competition in the United States Transit Bus Manufacturing. Industry A special report prepared for the Urban Mass Transportation Administration by Transportation Systems Center-Energy and Environment Office March 1982
- Urban Mass Transportation Administration Transit Bus Manufacturer Profiles. A special report prepared for the Urban Mass Transportation Administration by the Transportation Systems Center-Energy and Environment Office March 1982
- Fageol Frank R. “The Trend of Motorcoach Design.” SAE Journal 27 1 18 21 July 1930
- Fageol Frank R. “Safety in Body Design Through Chassisless Construction.” SAE Journal 39 6 480 483 December 1936
- “Passenger Comfort and Handling Improved in Latest Body Developments.” Bus Transportation 6 10 561 565 October 1927
- Eli Bail Personal communication to authors September 1989
- Georgano G. N. Naul G. M. The Complete Encyclopedia of Commercial Vehicles Krause Publications 1979
- Montville J. B. “The Mack Bus.” Motor Coach Age 26 3 4 March-April 1974
- Montville J. B. Mack. Haessner Publishing Co. 1973
- Stauss The Bus World Encyclopedia of Buses. Stauss Publications Woodland Hills, CA 1988
- Green G. A. “Problems of Motorcoach Design and Manufacture.” SAE Journal 24 2 166 172 183 February 1929
- APTA Research & Statistics Department 1987 Transit Fact Book . American Public Transit Association Washington, D.C 1987
- Linder B. “Fifth Avenue Coach Co.” Motor Coach Age 23 7-8 July-August 1971
- Hendrickson E. D. “History of Truck Suspension-Tandem Suspension.” SAE Paper 690069 1969
- Schramm J. E. “Detroit Motorbus Co.” Motor Coach Age 40 9 September 1988
- The Six-Wheel Co. Safeway Motor Transportation and Six-Wheel Coaches. 1923
- Plimpton R. E. “Road Equipment Steps Ahead in 1924.” Bus Transportation 4 2 55 61 February 1925
- “Advantages of Gasoline-Electric Drive Discussed.” Bus Transportation 4 2 95 96 February 1925
- “New York Railways Develops Front-Drive Single Decker.” Bus Transportation 4 9 442 443 September
- Plimpton R. E. “The Twelve Months in Vehicle Development.” Bus Transportation 5 2 57 62 February 1926
- “A Special Report: The Suit Against GM and What it Means to the Bus Industry.” Bus Transportation 35 42 49 August 1956
- “Advance Styles in Equipment to Be Seen at A.E.R.A. Show.” Bus Transportation 5 10 527 533 October 1926
- “New Chassis Refinements to Make Bow at Cleveland.” Bus Transportation 5 10 533 536 October 1926
- “New Ideas in the Field of Fittings and Accessories.” Bus Transportation 5 10 533 536 October 1926
- Versare Corporation. Trackless Transportation Albany, N.Y. 1925
- Twin Coach Corporation. Twin Coach. 1927
- Heldt P. M. “Rear and Under-Chassis Mounted Engines Increasingly Popular in Motor Bus Field.” Automotive Industries 634 638 11 May 1935
- “Today's Transit Bus Design Originated 60 Years Ago with the Model 40 Twin Coach.” Bus Ride 23 5 136 138 September 1987
- “Bus Designs Through the Years.” Bus Ride 21 1 90 94 February 1985
- Theisinger Earl F. “Graphic Review of Bus Chassis Developments Since 1922.” Bus Transportation 6 2 66 71 February 1927
- Theisinger Earl F. “25 New Bus Models Come Through Since First of Year.” Bus Transportation 435 441 October 1932
- “What's New in the Bus Market: White's City Coach.” Bus Transportation 476 478 November 1932
- Theisinger Earl F. “New Competition Ahead for the Bus.” Bus Transportation 466 472 December 1933
- Graham Stuckey “Today's New Buses… Tomorrow's Maintenance Problem.” Bus Transportation 214 216 June 1935
- “GMC Buses with Rear Engine Drive.” Automotive Industries 245 246 22 August 1936
- “This Bus Business.” Bus Transportation 1 4 January 1937
- “What's New in Buses.” Bus Transportation 29 5 54 56 141 142 May 1950
- Meier A. “Yellow Coach and GM Buses: The General and Corporate History.” Motor Coach Age 41 7-8 July-August 1989
- Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Engineers “Versare Coach Performance Data.” One-page preliminary summary of tests conducted July 27 August 3 1925
- Office of Defense Transportation Production Statistics. 1944
- American Transit Association. ‘69-‘70 Transit Fact Book American Transit Association. Washington, D.C. 1969
- “Workshop 5: Vehicle Design, Acceptance Testing, and Maintenance Support Services.” Special Report 198: Bus Maintenance Improvement. Proceedings of the Bus Maintenance Improvement Workshop April 14-16 1982 Conducted by the Transportation Research Board and sponsored by the Urban Mass Transportation Administration 1983
- Rix George A. “Hydraulic Power Brakes.” Bus Transportation 23 44 45 August 1944
- “Buses of the Future Discussed...” Bus Transportation 23 60 61 December 1944
- Rensselaer Research Corporation. Bus Design: Concepts and Evaluation. (Report prepared at the request of the Urban Mass Transportation Administration.) Rensselaer Research Corporation. Troy, New York. 1970
- General Motors Corporation. The New Line of GM Transit Coaches. Product brochure of GMC Truck & Coach Division. 1959
- U.S. Department of Transportation. New Standard Bus Equipment . An information bulletin of the transportation task force of the Urban Consortium for Technology Initiatives Washington, D.C. 1976
- Office of Technology Assessment. An Analysis of Urban Transit Vehicle Development and Demonstration Programs. (A report prepared at the request of the Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Transportation, of the House of Representatives.) July 1978
- National Research Council. Design and Performance Criteria for Improved Nonrail Urban Mass Transit Vehicles and Related Urban Transportation Systems . (Report prepared for the National Academy of Engineering.) Washington, D.C. May 1968
- National Research Council. NRC Transbus Study . (Report prepared at the request of the Department of Transportation.) Washington, D.C. National Research Council August 1979
- U.S. Congress. House. Committee on Public Works and Transportation Subcommittee on Oversight and Review. Urban Mass Transportation Administration's Technology Development and Equipment Procurement Programs (Bus and Rail Rolling Stock) “Do We Know What We're Trying To Do?” 96th Cong., 2d sess. Committee Print 96-34 Washington, D;C. GPO 1980
- Mason W. F. Milner J. L Wood P. Zobrak M. J. Transbus: An Overview of Technical, Operational, and Economic Characteristics Prepared for the Department of Transportation by the MITRE Corporation Virginia July 1979
- Wing John F. “Transbus-A New Generation of Mass Transit Coaches.” Mass Transit 2 4 10 12 20 April 1975
- Simpson & Curtin Transportation Engineers. Transbus Public Testing and Evaluation Program: Final Report Report prepared for Booz, Allen Applied Research and the Department of Transportation. January 1976
- Simpson & Curtin Transportation Engineers. Report on Development of Specification for Design and Performance of 40-FL Transit Buses. A report prepared at the request of the Department of Transportation. November 1971
- New York City Transbus Demonstration Project-Schedule of Activities December 1974 January 1975
- Booz Allen, & Hamilton, Inc. Transbus Program. The final report on the Transbus program by Booz, Allen & Hamilton to the Department of Transportation. June 1978
- Jim Winsor “Transbus: Commuter Bus of the ‘80s.” Commercial Car Journal 128 6 87 91 February 1975
- General Motors Corporation, Truck and Coach Division. The General Motors Transbus: Volume 3. Final report 3 3 prepared for Booz, Allen Applied Research, Inc. Pontiac, Michigan. May 1975
- Allen Booz Hamilton Transbus Engineering Test Plan. (Report prepared for the Urban Mass Transportation Administration as part of the Transbus program.) February 1973
- Stedfeld R. “How to build a better bus.” Materials Engineering October 1978
- Groom J. J. Shkolnikov M. B. “Advanced Bus Remanufacturing Structural Testing.” Society of Automotive Engineers SAE 841689 1984
- Forte T. Tsay C Scott P. Ghadiali N. Eiber R. “Study of Grumman Flxible 870 Advanced Design Bus Structural Failures.” Final Report-Phase II-to Regional Transportation Authority Chicago, Illinois Battelle Columbus Laboratories. Columbus Ohio August 1983
- Mogi T. Sugiura K. “Development of joint technology of bus body structures.” International Journal of Vehicle Design 5 6 672 692 1984
- Urban Mass Transportation Administration. American Public Transportation Association. Baseline Advanced Design Transit Coach Specifications 1977
- Adams B. “Decision of Brock Adams, Secretary of Transportation, to Mandate Transbus.” May 19 1977
- Leo Abruzzese “Transbus and the Aftermath.” Commercial Car Journal 138 2 95 98 February 1981
- Urban Mass Transportation Administration. Technology of Articulated Transit Buses. Final report prepared for the Office of Technical Assistance by UMTA's Transportation Systems Center, Urban Systems Division. Washington, D.C. October 1982
- Allen Booz Hamilton Low-Floor Articulated Bus Demonstration Final report prepared for the U.S. Department of Transportation Washington, D.C. September 1979
- Van Wilkins “Success with a Twist.” Bus World 8 3 6 13 Spring 1986
- Vlk F. “Design Trends of Articulated Buses.” International Journal of Vehicle Design 4 6 646 658 1983
- Cambridge Systematics, Inc Articulated Bus Report. Final report prepared for UMTA's Transportation Systems Center Cambridge, MA July 1982
- Roddewig Gil F. “Improvised Testers Put Vehicle Parts Through Paces.” SAE Journal 61 3 20 26 March 1953
- Metro Magazine. 1987-88 Annual Fact Book
- SG Associates, Inc. Listing of New Bus Technology Applications. Report prepared for the Urban Mass Transportation Administration Washington, D.C. December 1983
- Metro Magazine 55 September/October 1986
- David Young “Bus Design: A Mixed Bag.” Mass Transit 9 24 32 July 1982
- Short, Mac. “Possibilities of Aircraft Structures in Ground Vehicles.” SAE Journal 53 1 1 9 January 1945
- Felicetti Jacqueline M. “New Life for Old Buses.” American City & County 100 9 90 91 September 1985
- Varma P. K. “Transit Bus Remanufacturing for a Second Life… Analysis and Results.” SAE Technical Paper Series, number 821278 Warrendale, PA 1982
- Kaye Michael C. Noise Reduction Retrofit for a “New Look” GMC Transit Bus Prepared for the Urban Mass Transportation Administration by the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon Portland, Oregon November 1981
- Saunders John J. “Back to Basics-with Today's Technology.” Bus Ride 23 6 44 47 October 1987
- “Truck and Bus Aerodynamics Investigated.” Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc. SAE Journal 88 11 1980
- Lajos T. Preszler L Finta L. “Styling and Aerodynamics of Buses.” International Journal of Vehicle Design 9 1 1 15 1988
- Meier A. E. Hoschek J. P. Over the Road: A History of Intercity Bus Transportation in the United States. Motor Bus Society Inc. 1975
- Bus Ride 8 July 1988
- “Motor Testing with Illuminating Gas as Fuel.” Bus Transportation 5 2 100 February 1926
- “Test Methods Developed for Gasoline-Electric Equipment.” Bus Transportation 5 4 206 April 1926
- “Major Testing by Electricity.” Bus Transportation 6 4 191 194 April 1927
- “Dynamometer Measures Power on Four Wheels.” Bus Transportation 6 8 451 453 August 1927
- “Bus-Miles or Motor-Miles.” Bus Transportation 15 230 232 June 1936
- Scragg George H. “Motorcoach Frame and Body Coordination.” SAE Journal 30 181 April 1932
- Maple Frank H. “Vest-Pocket Proving Ground.” Bus Transportation 23 48 49 August 1944
- “Let ‘Dynah’ Do It.” Bus Transportation 26 55 57 June 1947
- Gay Errol J. Mueller Henry T. “Chassis Dynamometer impels Fleet Operating Economies.” SAE Journal 36 39 October 1947
- Richardson Earl B. “A Better Tool-The Dynamometer.” Bus Transportation 26 67 December 1947
- Clifford Smith “Plaster Mock-Ups Reduce Engineering Problems in Bus Body Design.” Product Engineering 437 439 June 1946
- Fageol L. J. “Post-War Bus Design for City Transportation.” SAE Journal (Transactions) 53 7 432 436 July 1945
- Fox H. E. “Strength Aspects of Bus Shell Design.” SAE Journal 40 41 53 May 1947
- Rice W. E. Ellerby R. O. “Determination of Dynamic Loads in Coach Structures.” Automotive Industries 98 49 15 April 1948
- “Large Dust Tunnel Tests All Types of Vehicles.” Automotive Industries 101 33 90 15 November 1949
- Madden M. B. “Road Simulator Testing of Large Vehicles.” Society of Automotive Engineers SAE 700455 New York, N.Y 1970
- Fuchs H. O. Stephens R. I. Metal Fatigue in Engineering John Wiley & Sons New York 1980
- “Testing and Checking Engine Ignition Performance on a TV Screen.” Bus Transportation 34 52 55 116 June 1955
- Kamal M. M. Wolf J. A. Jr. Modern Automotive Structural Analysis Van Nostrand Reinhold Company New York 1982
- Tidbury G. H. “The Structural Design of Bus Bodies.” Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers 1969-70 184
- Murphy R. W. “Endurance Testing of Heavy Duty Vehicles.” SAE 820001
- Harris M. N. Nawrocki P. E. “Design analysis for heavy duty vehicles-Today and tomorrow.” International Journal of Vehicle Design 5 1/2 1984
- Tidbury G. H. “Vehicle Structural Analysis: A Survey.” International Journal of Vehicle Design 1 2 1980
- Austin M. D. Moore G. G. “Finite element modelling of vehicle bodies using substructuring methods.” Proceedings of the International Conference on Vehicle Structures (C160/84) international Mechanical Engineering Conference Publications 1984-7 London, England 1984
- Matolcsy M. “The use of fracture mechanics in the Hungarian bus industry.” The Bus ‘86. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers 161 169 London September 1986
- Charles Michaels “Pressure Testing for Leakage.” Bus Transportation 23 62 64 August 1944