On 8 Jul 2004, Robin May wrote:

Tom Anderson wrote the following in:


On Thu, 8 Jul 2004, Joe wrote:

Tom Anderson wrote:

Why are bendy-buses not double-decker?

Incidentally, i am not the first person to think of this:

I'd thought of it too. And also, the bus in the film "The Big Bus" is a
double decker bendy bus (and nuclear powered too!).

Of course! I can't believe i forgot that.

- Nuclear cigarette lighter?
- Main dashboard, top right
- THERE IS NO NUCLEAR CIGARETTE LIGHTER!

Genius. Terrible film, but genius nonetheless.

Because Bendy-Buses can accommodate more people

Hang on - how does a single-decker bendy accommodate more people
than a double-decker bendy? I'd have thought the double-decker
version would accomodate roughly twice as many!

I think everyone who has replied has interpreted what you said as
meaning "Why not use double deckers instead of bendy buses?".

Then they should learn english!

The idea of a double decker bendy bus obviously seems quite strange!
Personally, I'd like to see one, although whether I'd like to travel in
it is another matter!

I take your point. I understand that in some places, they have
double-decked trams and trains, too. Seems like an easy and general way to
increase capacity (obviously not very practical for tube lines, though).

tom

--
What's the secret to our success? Shouting Robots! People love it when robots yell at them!

On Fri, 9 Jul 2004, John Rowland wrote:

On Thu, 8 Jul 2004 17:49:53 +0100, Tom Anderson
wrote:

Why are bendy-buses not double-decker?

You couldn't have a continuous floor upstairs

Why not? I've heard this said elsewhere, so i assume it's true, but what's
the problem?

tom

--
What's the secret to our success? Shouting Robots! People love it when robots yell at them!

On Fri, 9 Jul 2004, Nigel Pendse wrote:

"John Rowland" wrote in
message
"Marc Brett" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 8 Jul 2004 17:49:53 +0100, Tom Anderson
wrote:

Why are bendy-buses not double-decker?

You couldn't have a continuous floor upstairs, but I don't see why
the front half and the back half couldn't have self-contained
upstairs sections.

Wouldn't it waste space to have two sets of stairs?

You say it wastes space, i say it makes boarding faster. It's a tradeoff.

I think the solution would be three sets of stairs, one at each door,
possibly with the middle door-stair set reserved for boarding, and the
ends for alighting, to eliminate conflicting movements. The middle set
might have to be extra-wide or something.

tom

--
What's the secret to our success? Shouting Robots! People love it when robots yell at them!

On Thu, 8 Jul 2004 at 19:18:23, Marratxi
wrote:


"Annabel Smyth" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 8 Jul 2004 at 17:49:53, Tom Anderson
wrote:
Why are bendy-buses not double-decker?
Because wheelchair users can't climb stairs.
Annabel Smyth
Surely they could be accomodated on the lower deck ?
You would have thought..... but maybe it would be seen as being Unfair
to people with disabilities to have areas of the bus where they can't
go?
--
Annabel Smyth
http://www.amsmyth.demon.co.uk/index.html
Website updated 6 June 2004

Spyke wrote in message ...
In message , John Rowland
writes
"Marc Brett" wrote in message
.. .
On Thu, 8 Jul 2004 17:49:53 +0100, Tom Anderson
wrote:

Why are bendy-buses not double-decker?

Because the passengers on the top deck
would get barbequed every other month?

You couldn't have a continuous floor upstairs, but I don't see why the front
half and the back half couldn't have self-contained upstairs sections.

I presume that the simple answer is that double-deckers are big,
lumbering and difficult to manoeuvre, bendy-buses are long, bendy and
difficult to manoeuvre, so combining the two would be a recipe for
trouble.

The Neoplan Jumbocruiser was an double deck articulated coach, which
was available in both 'tractor and trailer' and 'pusher' versions. The
'pusher' version was apparently unstable, which is surprising given
that it's the more common arrangement for bendies these days.

These sites describe the vehicle:
http://www.atlantic-coast.com/neoplan/jumbocruiser.htm
http://jumbocruiser.mysite.wanadoo-m....uk/page7.html

Dominic

Annabel Smyth wrote the following in:


On Thu, 8 Jul 2004 at 19:18:23, Marratxi
wrote:


"Annabel Smyth" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 8 Jul 2004 at 17:49:53, Tom Anderson
wrote:
Why are bendy-buses not double-decker?
Because wheelchair users can't climb stairs.
Annabel Smyth
Surely they could be accomodated on the lower deck ?
You would have thought..... but maybe it would be seen as being
Unfair to people with disabilities to have areas of the bus where
they can't go?

No it's not. I don't know where you got that idea from. Low floor
double deckers with wheelchair ramps are considered fully accessible
for wheelchair users. The fact that a wheelchair user could not get
upstairs in a double decker bendy bus is most certainly *not* the
reason that bendy buses are not double decker.

In light of the number of misinterpretations of the original question
("Why are there no double decker bendy buses?" being interpreted as
"Why use bendy buses instead of double deckers?"), I will add that
wheelchair users not being able to travel upstairs in a double decker
is not the reason that bendy buses are used. They are used because they
have a higher capacity than double deckers and because when used in
conjunction with pay before you board and all door boarding, they spend
less time at stops (in theory). There are probably other reasons that
other people know more about than I do.

--
message by Robin May-Silk and his close friend, Robert Kilroy-Kotton
"GIVE IN! IT'S TIME TO GO!" - The NHS offers a high standard of care.

Would you take the office of relief?:
http://robinmay.fotopic.net/p4600200.html

On 9 Jul 2004, Dominic wrote:

Spyke wrote in message ...

On Thu, 8 Jul 2004 17:49:53 +0100, Tom Anderson
wrote:

Why are bendy-buses not double-decker?

The Neoplan Jumbocruiser was an double deck articulated coach, which
was available in both 'tractor and trailer' and 'pusher' versions.

That's more like it! Hunting around a bit, it (when fitted out as a coach
rather than a rock transport) seems to have a capacity of 144 passengers;
that's only 4 more than a Citaro G, but then i assume that since it's a
coach, they're all seated, and seated with a reasonable amount of leg
room. I'd make a SWAG that it could hold at least 50% more if fitted out
as a bus.

Good grief! This appears to have *three* decks:

http://www.rotel.de/rotel-tours/de/index.php

Although the bit that does is a trailer rather than a real back half, i
think.

tom

--
so if you hear a chaffinch out on the pull attempting a severely off-key version of "Sabotage" by the Beastie Boys then you're not actually going mad.

On Fri, 9 Jul 2004 at 12:27:10, Robin May
wrote:
No it's not. I don't know where you got that idea from. Low floor
double deckers with wheelchair ramps are considered fully accessible
for wheelchair users. The fact that a wheelchair user could not get
upstairs in a double decker bendy bus is most certainly *not* the
reason that bendy buses are not double decker.

Er - ever heard of sarcasm? Modern buses are certainly accessible to
wheelchair users in a way that the Routemasters were not, but they are
far less accessible to people with other disabilities - the elderly, for
instance, who appreciate a helpful arm getting on and off, or those who
are able to stand and walk a little, but who now have to walk quite a
long
way down the bus to find a seat. If they can.

I think that although accessible buses have their advantages, the
disappearance of conductors actually raises more problems than it
solves.
--
Annabel Smyth
http://www.amsmyth.demon.co.uk/index.html
Website updated 6 June 2004

Tom Anderson wrote:
Then they should learn english!

The subject 'Decks vs Hinges' surely means why hinges not decks rather
than why not decks and hinges.
--
To reply direct, remove NOSPAM and replace with railwaysonline
For railway information, news and photos see
http://www.railways-online.co.uk

On Fri, 9 Jul 2004, Joe wrote:

Tom Anderson wrote:

Then they should learn english!

My tongue may not have been far enough into my cheek to be visible at this
point; sorry if that was the case.

The subject 'Decks vs Hinges' surely means why hinges not decks rather
than why not decks and hinges.

It is indeed a badly-chosen subject line, and i apologise unreservedly for
it.

I was trying to ask if there was any conflict between decks and hinges,
rather than which would win in a fight. I spent a while trying to come up
with a title along the lines of "Decks, hinges, and things that roll", but
couldn't think of anything not lame enough, so dashed that off instead.

tom

--
so if you hear a chaffinch out on the pull attempting a severely off-key version of "Sabotage" by the Beastie Boys then you're not actually going mad.