BUS TRANSPORT
 School BusesFor the 1988 model year, Blue Bird supplemented the All American school bus line with the TC/2000 transit-style school bus. Unlike the premium All American, the TC/2000 was priced lower (nearly in line with the Conventional) in an effort to secure bids from larger fleet operators. Coinciding with the introduction of the TC/2000 was most extensive redesign of the All American for the first time since the late 1950s; it was introduced for 1989. In 1999, the All American was given a further redesign.
In 2003, the company introduced an all-new conventional-style bus. In a major break from precedent, Blue Bird did not use a truck manufacturer for the chassis, instead developing its own from the ground up. While using the same bus body as the preceding model, engineering changes were made to optimize forward visibility. In 1992, in an effort to supplement its product line, Blue Bird entered into a supply agreement with its Canadian distributor and bus manufacturer Girardin Minibus to supply dealers in the United States with the newly designed MB-II/MB-IV cutaway van (branded as Blue Birds). While similar to the Micro Bird, the Blue Bird MB-II/IV by Girardin allowed Blue Bird to offer an updated body design along with a configuration based on a single rear-wheel van chassis; at the time, Girardin was the only school bus manufacturer that built a full cutaway body for a single rear-wheel chassis.
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 A school bus (also called schoolbus) in North America is a type of bus specifically designed and manufactured for student transport: carrying students to and from school and school events. School buses provide an estimated 10 billion student trips every year; over half of the USA's student population is transported by school bus. Each school day in 2013, nearly 468,000 school buses transported 28.8 million children to and from school and school-related activities; over half of the United States K-12 student population is transported by school bus. School buses in North America are distinguished from other bus types by design characteristics mandated by federal and state regulations. Federal safety standards in the United States and Canada require school buses to be painted school bus yellow and to be equipped with specific warning and safety devices. Outside North America, the term is applied to any bus used for a dedicated school student transport service; it may be a bus used for this purpose typically at the start and end of the school day, or an older bus or coach retrofitted as a dedicated school bus. |
 Malta's bus system is impressing. The transport network covers the whole island with Valletta being the main connection station. Some direct connection for example from Bugibba to Cirkewwa or to the 3 Cities have recently been established, but the vast majority of routes still start at Valletta. The main transport provider ATP publishes a timetable for all routes, but exact times are only stated for the starting point of the route. For later stops, passengers have to calculate and guess. However this is no problem on the main routes where busses are operated frequently (every 5 to 10 minutes). The bus ride itself is kind of an adventure. The ancient busses do not have a door, the modern ones don't close it during the drive. This may seam to be odd, but you will learn to appreciate it since the busses don't have an air-conditioning... Another weird thing is the notification bell to get off the bus. In the ancient busses you will have to pull one of the strings that are spanned under the ceiling. Simple, but effective! One of the most important things for you to remember is to have sufficient change (coins) for the fare. No matter how much you plead, how much you threaten the bus driver, he will not allow you to pay with a banknote (or ride for free). This is probably because he would soon run out of change because most fares range between 15 and 20 cents and the smallest banknote is 2 Lira. As the times and bus numbers are said to change from season to season, you may want to get a current bus timetable at the tourist office in the airport (in the arrival terminal behind the Bank of Valletta). |
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In 1936, GM’s Yellow Coach Division set the template for the modern American intercity bus with its Model 719 Super Coach: forward control, high floor with ample luggage space below, semi-monocoque construction including the use of aluminum alloys, air conditioning, and a rear-mounted engine (gasoline, at that stage). At the time there were many small independent bus manufacturers, and with the Model 719, GM began its climb to dominance in the field. |
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 Over 90% of all Londoners place the iconic image of the classic Routemaster bus as one of the most memorable images of the Capital. The buses are synonymous with history, fun and style. From the moment you enquire, to when you are picked up and dropped off to your final destination you are in a 'safe pair of hands'.
Our fleet of 1960's, 64 and 72 seater double decker Routemasters are in pristine condition, all recently restored and refurbished to their original specification and fit for any occasion.
For Redbuses4u service and delivery are paramount - whether it is for a wedding, guided sight-seeing tour, celebration, day at the races, hen or stag party. Our friendly staff, conductors, guides and drivers will aim to make your experience unforgetable; one that will be etched in your memory forever.
All our prices are bespoke based on your requirements. The buses are available for hire in advance 24/7 every day of the year. Once you are booked up you will receive a 'live' on the day telephone number for any last minute changes or alterations to the proceedings you may have, giving you complete peace of mind.
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 The Johannesburg Transport Department was known as Johannesburg Municipal Tramways until 1961, when the trams stopped running. The last tram routes were Yeoville and Observatory, which became the Yeoville and Bellevue East trolley bus routes, and Newlands, Bez Valley, Kensington and Malvern, which were converted to diesel bus routes.
 The system had electric trams from 1906 to 1961. Trolley buses were introduced in the 1930s, and reached their maximum extent in the 1960s and early 1970s. They were removed from service in the early 1980s after a few experiments with some new types of bus for an urban transport research project. The experimental buses included the first single-decker trolleybuses to be tried in Johannesburg, but they were only inservice for a short time. There were single-decker oil buses, but at first they were only used for one-man operation in outlying suburbs, while services within the municipal area had two-man operated double deckers.
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 When the trams stopped, the bus routes were renumbered to the scheme above - starting with North at 12 o'clock, and going clockwise round the map from the centre of town. All routes ran from the centre to the suburbs, there was no through running, which was one of the reasons the bus service lost money then, and still loses it now - the buses don't go where people want to go. Apartheid also made it very expensive, but that's not an excuse any more. So Routes 1 & 2 were north (and 79 was just west of them, and joined at a circle, which was also the terminus for 79A - Parktown North via Zoo Lake). Several routes had an A at the end - these were for buses that ran mainly in peak periods, and followed the same route, but did not go as far. The Parktown North circle was the bane of learner drivers, who usually spent a couple of days practising on it. Eventually it was replaced by an easier layout, which also had the advantage of getting the buses off the street. Routes 10-20 were north east. 11 and 12 were diesel feeder buses, which ran from the Highlands North Terminus to Bramley and Lyndhurst respectively - the only buses that had transfer tickets. Routes 44 to 50 were the southern suburbs, and were converted to trolley bus from diesel. Less frequent routes, like 45 (The Hill) and 48 (Linnmeyer) stayed diesel. The Forest Hill (49) routes had some experimental sections of semi-catenary overhead wires. They were suspended from the insulators by two short wires, about a foot long. I don't know if the experiment proved anything, but they were not extended to other parts of the system. Routes 60, 66 and 67 went west, and 66 and 67 were among the last trolleybus routes to operate in the 1980s. .
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Johannesburg trolley bus fleet
When I worked in the Johannesburg Transport Department in the 1960s, the fleet consisted of Sunbeam four wheelers and BUT Series 1 6-wheelers, 1940s vintage. They had classy body work, with fully opening windows (very nice when stuck in a traffic jam in summer).
Then there were BUT Series II 6-wheelers, added to the fleet in about 1956, along with some AEC Mk V diesels. The bodies were all metal, and were a little wider than the older buses, but the seats were closer together, sith less leg room, so they were not as comfortable for passengers. The bodies were all built by Bus Bodies of Port Elizabeth, with the exception of some of the Series I BUTs, which had rebuilt bodies by a Germiston firm, and were contemptuously called "bokwa" (goat cart) by the running staff. Conductors, especially, didn't like them, because they had to scrabble on the floor upstairs to change the destination blinds. You can find the story of an attempt to preserve a BUT Series I at
In 1959/60 there were some Alfa-Romeo/Ansaldo 6-wheelers, added, which took over 100 passengers, with compressed air power steering. At the same time there were some Sunbeams, also big. They had hydraulic power steering, and there were some diesel Guys built on the same chassis at the same time. They had a horrible handbrake, which required several pulls of a ratchet, but which would let go everything at the touch of a button. In the early 1980s there were a few experimental buses, used just before the system closed. They ran on the Hillbrow and Parkhurst routes, and possibly others. I have no more information about them. I'm not a dedicated bus or train spotter, so I don't have the details about the fleet that such people would like - fleet numbers, technical specifications and the like. But if anyone does have that information, and would like to pass it on to me, I'll be happy to make it available here. Also, if anyone spots any inaccuracies, please let me know, so I can correct them. The nicest ones to drive were the Sunbeam Series 3 four-wheelers. They ran mainly on the Homestead Park (60) and Mayfair (60A) routes, and also on Greenside (77). They were small, and only held 60 seated passengers. The Mayfair-Homestead Park route was short and very busy, so the conductor would not have time to collect the fares on a bigger bus. Greenside was longer, but a very quiet route, especially at night. They had a long power pedal that was easier to control than most of the others, and it had nine power notches. Late at night, when they did not have a heavy load, they could be quite frisky, and handled almost like a car.
The first series BUT was similar to the Sunbeam, but a bit longer and heavier, a six-wheeler. It was also somewhat heavier to handle. The second series BUT was bigger and heavier still, and had an automatic power control. Quite a light touch on the power pedal could make it run up about four notches, and if the bus was heavily loaded it could trip the overload switches, easing off on the power pedal would make it run back two or three notches, so there was always a clatter in the cab. It didn't allow the precise control of the older buses.
The Alfa-Romeo-Ansaldo and Sunbeam Series 4 buses were the biggest of the lot. They were introduced in 1959, and could take 110 seated passengers. In spite of having power steering, they were harder to drive. Unlike the older buses, they had the handbrake on the left rather than the right, and the Sunbeams needed 3-4 strokes with the ratchet before the handbrake took. As a result a lot of drivers took power frogs too fast, and the big Sunbeams suffered many dewirements. On the Alfa Romeos the driver was seated much lower, or the sides of the bus were higher, making it more difficult to see the traffic, and one had to be extra careful about cyclists. |
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I was born in Durban, and till the age of 7 lived in a small town nearby, called Westville, which was served by an occasional single-decker diesel bus belonging to Durban Corporation. On the way in to town, from Westville, however, the route went through Mayville, which was the terminus of a trolley bus route, and there would often be a trolley bus waiting there, and others were to be seen running up and down Berea Road. My interest in trolley buses began then, and I hoped that one day the wires would be extended to reach Westville.
That hope was never realised. We moved away when I was nearly 7, and only returned for occasional visits. Apartheid came, and the suburbs around Mayville were ethnically cleansed, and the trolley bus route was shortened to end at Tollgate, at the top of Berea Road, and eventually they were taken off in 1968. When we lived in Westville, the Durban Corporation fleet was painted grey, but it later became multicoloured. Many buses were painted by the advertisers, as the picture shows. "Non-Europeans only" buses were painted green. During the apartheid years the trolley buses had some seats reserved for "Europeans" and others for "non-Euopeans", and there were coloured lights on the front of the bus to tell you which they were. On the bus in the picture the light can be seen just next to the destrination blind. The Durban trolley buses also had racks on the back to hold fishing rods. Two routes ran down West Street to the beach, where one went along the Marine Parade to the North Beach, while the other went past the South Beach to Addington Hospital, On those routes one usually saw three or four fishing rods in the racks.                        |
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By Randy Sallis
Moscow in 1995, buses and trams, which is a good and reasonably cheap way to see the city, provided that one travels in off-peak hours. What makes bus and tram hopping fun in Moscow is that the public transport network is pretty good, and one doesn't have to backtrack. The routes criss-cross each other, so that when one bus reaches the end of the line, there is usually another going somewhere else. The trolley buses seem to run mostly in the centre, while the trams run a little further out, and diesel buses serve the outlying suburbs. In quite a number of places the trolley buses run under catenary witring, which probably allows them to run faster with less danger of dewirements. There seemed to be two main types - short four-wheelers, similar to the older ones in Athens, and the long articulared ones. That's about all I know of the composition of the fleet. One thing that interested me was that the trams had pantograph collectors, not trolleys, but they didn't seem to have any problems crossing the trolley bus wires
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