Low floor bus
In public transportation, low-floor is a term describing vehicles such as buses, trolleybuses, and trams whose passenger compartment has a floor which is considerably lower than that of traditional models. A recent development in the transport industry, vehicles of this type have a stepless entry and usually have an area without seating next to at least one of the doors where wheelchairs and perambulators can be parked. In addition to improving accessibility, low floors also allow fully-mobile passengers to board more quickly, and in some cases can produce improvements in overall speeds.
The low floor may extend over the complete length of the vehicle, or some parts may be higher with ramps or steps inside the passenger compartment to allow for under-floor components. If the vehicle is entirely low-floor, there is no place for bogies or even axles connecting corresponding left and right wheels (they would be at a higher level than the floor). This is solved with single-wheel drives, motors integrated into the wheels, and (in case of trams) short carbody sections, as the axleless design constrains bogie movement, which in turn affects the minimum radius of the curve that can be negotiated. Enthusiasts frequently see these designs as a step "backwards."
Typical floor heights
To put things into perspective, here are some typical floor height for public transport vehicles, old and new:
- Ultra Low Floor tram - 180 mm
- Low-floor tram - 300mm to 350 mm
- High-floor tram - more than 600 mm
- Train - 800 mm to 1200 mm
Low-floor Busse manufacture:
DAF/VDL, Daewoo Bus, DAB, Dennis Specialist Vehicles/TransBus/Alexander Dennis, EBL, Gillig, Heuliez, Hino Motors, Hungarobusz, Hyundai Motors, IkarBus, Ikarus, Irisbus, Isuzu, Iveco, Jelcz, Kravtex, MAN, MAZ, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Neoplan, Neoplan USA, New Flyer Industries, Nissan Diesel, North American Bus Industries, Nova Bus LFS, Orion Bus Industries, Optare, Renault Agora, Scania, Setra, Solaris, Solbus, SOR, Thomas Built Buses, Van Hool, Volgren, Volvo.
