Bus Eireann Hydraulics - Inter city buses

danjo-xx

Whats the idea of the front of the bus being lowered down slightly before opening the luggage compartment door.

The luggage area is pretty low as it is, I just don't get it.

Beer Assistant

For elderly people with bad legs to step off/on the coach safely.

Vic_08

danjo-xx wrote: »

Whats the idea of the front of the bus being lowered down slightly before opening the luggage compartment door.

The luggage area is pretty low as it is, I just don't get it.

There would be no point to that, only reason to lower is to give a lower step to passengers exiting/entering the door. Is it possible that an elderly person was about to exit at the same time? I will sometimes not lower the front if able bodied people are exiting and the step is not too high, often because they are piling out before I get a chance to operate it. If an old dear is climbing down behind them I would then lower it as much as possible.

It is also possible it is just the movement created by numerous people exiting the coach, most coaches have self-adjusting mechanisms and they will move as the weight shifts. Some have the annoying habit of constantly adjusting every time the coach is stopped, it can give a slight seasick feeling.

And for the inevitable "my granny broke her back because the ***** bus driver didn't lower the bus" post I should point out that different types will drop to different heights and some refuse to drop at all.

Just to point out that they are air suspension systems not hydraulics. Many of them are far from 100% sealed so if sitting unused for long enough the air will eventually leak out.

danjo-xx

Vic_08 wrote: »

There would be no point to that, only reason to lower is to give a lower step to passengers exiting/entering the door. Is it possible that an elderly person was about to exit at the same time? I will sometimes not lower the front if able bodied people are exiting and the step is not too high, often because they are piling out before I get a chance to operate it. If an old dear is climbing down behind them I would then lower it as much as possible.

It is also possible it is just the movement created by numerous people exiting the coach, most coaches have self-adjusting mechanisms and they will move as the weight shifts. Some have the annoying habit of constantly adjusting every time the coach is stopped, it can give a slight seasick feeling.

And for the inevitable "my granny broke her back because the ***** bus driver didn't lower the bus" post I should point out that different types will drop to different heights and some refuse to drop at all.

Just to point out that they are air suspension systems not hydraulics. Many of them are far from 100% sealed so if sitting unused for long enough the air will eventually leak out.

thanks for the info...

I was trying to figure this out this when coming back from Cork to Waterford today and while I can't be certain but it seemed to me that
it was only lowered when the luggage door needed to be opened.

It makes more sense that it is for passengers entering and exiting the bus.

I like the video screen that shows the road ahead... great if there is a long traffic delay and you can see whats happening.

The overhead air controls, is the black switch that looks like a lamp symbol really a bell as I saw a young fellow pressing it a few times as if to stop the bus before he got off.

Vic_08

danjo-xx wrote: »

thanks for the info...

I was trying to figure this out this when coming back from Cork to Waterford today and while I can't be certain but it seemed to me that
it was only lowered when the luggage door needed to be opened.

It makes more sense that it is for passengers entering and exiting the bus.

I like the video screen that shows the road ahead... great if there is a long traffic delay and you can see whats happening.

The overhead air controls, is the black switch that looks like a lamp symbol really a bell as I saw a young fellow pressing it a few times as if to stop the bus before he got off.

It differs from make to make but usually there are three switches one for each seat's reading light and a bell in the middle, the bell switch is usually red. They can on some coaches be turned off or if one has been pressed any further presses will not ring the bell/buzzer until it has been reset by the door opening/closing. People often press it by mistake when reaching for the light or air controls so it can be hit and miss if it will work for people stopping.