Designs of Buses

Designs of Buses

Since motorisation, the traditional configuration of a bus was an engine in the front and an entrance at the rear. Since the 1960s, with the transition to one-man operation, buses in the developed world have taken the form of mid or rear-engined designs, with a single door at the front, or multiple doors. Front-engined buses still persist for niche markets such as American school buses, some minibuses, and buses in less developed countries, which may be derived from truck chassis, rather than purpose-built bus designs.A bus may have an open platform so that passengers can board and alight without the driver opening a door, but this is dangerous and is discouraged or illegal.[citation needed] On the other hand, in some countries bus use is so heavy that passengers will cling to the outside of the vehicle if it is full.[citation needed]Buses often have a legal maximum passenger capacity.Most buses have two axles. Articulated buses have three. Buses with additional axles support greater weight or length.