Bus
The first bus, like the first taxicab, originated in Paris, when Blaise Pascal inaugurated a short-lived free bus service in 1662. Its popularity declined once a fare was charged, however, bringing public transportation to a halt. In 1827, Colonel Stanislas Baudry, another Frenchman, owned a bathhouse in the suburbs of Paris and needed to ferry his customers to and from the city. He realized if he adapted the long-distance stagecoach for shorter runs, he could improve his business. Baudry's coaches carried fifteen passengers and a conductor. In that same year Sir Goldsworthy Gurney (1793-1875), an Engish inventor, developed an 18-passenger carriage powered by a steam engine that could travel at 15 miles (24 km) per hour. Within four years he had other carriages running a 9-mile (14 km) suburban route around London. In 1829 George Shilibeer, a coach maker, established urban bus service in London with his 22-seat buses that were drawn by three horses. The conductors wore naval midshipmen's uniforms to add a touch of class. Shilibeer called his new transportation an omnibus, a Latin word that means "for everyone." The idea spread, and models of Shilibeer's buses soon appeared in other major cities.
Walter Hancock, another Englishman, designed steam carriages that could travel as fast as 20 miles (32 km) per hour; they logged 4,000 miles (6,436 km) in suburban London. One of them, the Enterprise, began passenger routes in 1833. Modern buses arose from the growth of the automobile and interstate highway system. Until 1920, buses were little more than long cars set on a truck chassis. By 1931, the Greyhound Bus Company in the United States had built a 40,000-mile (65,000 km) bus network that linked cities throughout America, Mexico, and Canada and offered reasonably- priced, comfortable transportation. Today's buses are large and powerful, driven by diesel engine s. Most are air-conditioned, with comfortable seats, air suspension systems, and plenty of room for cargo.
Designed from the beginning as buses rather than trucks in disguise, the new buses of the 1990s are aerodynamically crafted and have wide windows with shaded glass. Using air pressure to open and shut doors, many city buses can "kneel" for handicapped access or lower their steps for wheelchair or walker access. Others are articulated or separated into sections. In the late 1990s, a prototype city transit bus was produced by Northrop Grumman that used laminated fiberglass and weighed tons less than its metal cousin. Combining this light but strong frame with a hybrid propulsion system in which a compressed natural gas engine drives an electric generator that in turn, powers two electric motors, this new 72-passenger bus reduces assembly time, eliminates corrosion problems, slashes fuel costs by 20 percent, and extends its useful life to 25 years, all without compromising safety.
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