Van

Van
A van is a type of vehicle. A van is usually bigger than the regular sized car and is meant usually to seat many people, sometimes up to a total of 15. Certain vans, known as panel vans, are used for deliveries. These usually have less windows. A van usually seats three people in each row of seats, or two, depending on the van's type.

Many manufacturers make vans. Examples are Chevrolet, Daihatsu, Dodge, Fiat, Ford, GMC, honda, Hyundai, Isuzu, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, Suzuki, Toyota, Vauxhall and Volkswagen.

Vehicle

Vehicle
(An automobile is a type of vehicle)
A vehicle is a form of transport to move persons from one place to another. It is not alive; a horse can bring a person from place to place, but it is not a vehicle. A vehicle carries things too.

Most vehicles have wheels, but not all do. Ships and airplanes are vehicles, but they do not use wheels to move.

Some vehicles may be petrol or diesel driven with a steering wheel. Usually vehicles have four wheels but some three or two wheeled vehicles do exist, such as motorcycles. Some vehicles are
powered by humans like bicycles. Some vehicles are pulled by animals like chariots.

Disadvantages Of Cars

Disadvantages Of Cars

Buying and running a car needs a lot of money, even more for a good quality one that is not too old. There are a lot of things to pay for - the car itself, fuel, parts (for example, tires/tyres), maintenance, repairs, insurance to cover the cost of crashes or theft, parking charges and road tolls and/or any tax or licensing fees charged by government.

If two cars crash they can hurt the people inside or around them. Traffic jams happen when there are too many cars trying to go the same way. They can cause pollution if too many are used in a small area like a city, and the combined pollution of the world's cars is thought to be partly to blame for climate change. Many places where lots of people live have public transportation (or mass transit) such as buses, trains, trams and subways. These can help many people get to different places very quickly, often faster and less expensive than by car when traffic jams are a problem. Some of these problems can be fixed, for example, by carpooling, which is putting many people who may not normally travel together in one car to share costs, use less fuel, and create less pollution and traffic.

If many cars try to travel around an older, or badly built town, that was not designed for cars, this can make these problems worse, and cause danger to other road users, for example people riding bicycles or walking. But, designing a town layout where everything is made for cars as the main transport can cause other problems. These include even more pollution and traffic, as everyone has to drive. Communities are divided up and separated with roads. People walking are in danger by expressways with too few foot bridges, small road bridges or other crossings. Designers now understand these problems and try to build more balanced systems.

Advantages Of Cars

Advantages Of Cars

Cars are faster than walking or riding a bike if you are going a long way, can carry more than one person, and a large amount of luggage. Depending on local public transport quality, they can also be faster and far more convenient than using buses, trams or trains, and can often go where public transport cannot. 4-wheel drive "offroad" vehicles are particularly good at reaching places difficult for any other wheeled transport, allowing provision of goods, emergency services, transport of disabled or infirm passengers, and faster and safer journeys for able-bodied passengers over long distances and harsh terrain where this may otherwise have been impossible.

Another good thing is that if it's raining heavily it is better to use a car than a bicycle or motorcycle, or walking, because driving a car in these conditions can be less dangerous, and keeps passengers and possessions dry as most cars are enclosed (they have a roof, doors and windows). Modern cars are often safer in accidents in any conditions, as they have added safety features such as seat belts, airbags, crumple zones and side-impact protection that would be expensive or impossible on two-wheeled or light 3-wheeled vehicles, or most buses.

History of Cars

History of Cars

The earliest automobiles recorded were actually steam engines attached to wagons. This was invented by Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot in the late 1700's. The steam engines were heavy and therefore the wagon was very slow and hard to control. Cugnot was the very first person to get into a motor vehicle accident when he crashed his wagon into a wall!

Also, there were in the 1830's that were powered by electricity, but these were also very slow and heavy so they were eventually left behind.

The internal combustion engine changed the way automobiles were to be powered. The engine used either gasoline, diesel, or kerosene to work. When the gas is exploded in a cylinder it pushes the piston down and turns the wheel.

Although many people tried to make a good car that would work well and sell well, people say that Karl Benz invented the modern automobile. He used a four-stroke type of internal combustion engine to power his "car". He began to sell his production vehicles in 1888.
Benz may have invented the first modern car, but Henry Ford is the man who sold the most cars to the most people. In 1910 he began making and selling his Model T, which was a huge success. Many people could afford this car, not just the rich. Ford mass produced his Model T, meaning he made a lot of them in a short time in a factory. People say that the Model T is the car that "put America on wheels". The Model T was the most popular car of the time because it was so cheap but it was still a good quality car that everyone could own.

Since then, many different kinds of cars have been designed and built, from minivans to sports cars.

Car And its Structure

Car
A car (also called an automobile) is a machine used for travel (a vehicle). Cars are different from motorcycles, and bicycles because they have four wheels.

Structure
A car has an engine to move it, put together with three or more wheels (almost always four), a purpose-built body frame, and controls such as a steering wheel and brakes. They usually have a seat for the driver and at least one other seat for a passenger, and most have a total of 4 to 8. Some small "city" cars carry only two people, and/or have very little luggage space; other types are able to carry many passengers or heavy loads. For example, family station wagons carry from 6 to 9 people, or fewer people with lots of luggage. A van or pickup truck is a car-like vehicle made for carrying medium sized loads, for example of goods for delivery or plumber's and builder's tools and materials.

In order for a car to work, it must have fuel, most often petrol, which is sometimes called gasoline, or can run on diesel. Other less common fuels are natural gas, or electricity. Many car-making companies are also now trying to build vehicles that run successfully using hydrogen fuel cells, which are as convenient as petrol or diesel fuelled cars but do not give out any polluting exhaust gases (but making hydrogen may at first still need electricity made by a powerplant that burns similar fossil fuels).

Uses of Buses

Special Uses of Buses

Airport operators make use of special airside airport buses for crew and passenger transport in the secure airside parts of an airport. Some public authorities, police forces and military forces make use of armoured buses where there is a special need to provide increased passenger protection. Police departments make use of police buses for a variety of reasons, such as prisoner transport, officer transport, temporary detention facilities and as command and control vehicles. Many are drawn from retired school or service buses.

Tourism

Buses play a major part in the tourism industry. Tour buses around the world allow tourists to view local attractions or scenery. These are often open-top buses, but can also be by regular bus or coach.
In local sightseeing, City Sightseeing is the largest operator of local tour buses, operating on a franchised basis all over the world. Specialist tour buses are also often owned and operated by safari parks and other theme parks or resorts. Longer distance tours are also carried out by bus, either on a turn up and go basis or through a tour operator, and usually allow disembarkation from the bus to allow touring of sites of interest on foot. These may be day trips or longer excursions incorporating hotel stays. Tour buses will often carry a tour guide, although the driver or a pre-recorded audio commentary may also perform this function. The tour operator may itself be a subsidiary of a bus operating company that operates buses and coaches for other uses, or an independent company that charters buses or coaches. Commuter transport operators may also use their coaches to conduct tours within the target city between the morning and evening commuter transport journey.
Buses and coaches are also a common component of the wider package holiday industry, providing private airport transfers (in addition to general airport buses) and organised tours and day trips for holidaymakers on the package.
Public long distance coach networks are also often used as a low-cost method of travel by students or young people travelling the world. Some companies such as Topdeck Travel were set up to specifically use buses to drive the hippie trail or travel to places like north Africa.
In many tourist or travel destinations, a bus is part of the tourist attraction, such as the North American tourist trolleys, London’s Routemaster heritage routes, or the customised buses of Malta, Asia and the Americas.