The topic of American buses is, of course, endless, but we will try to fit in one story – from the first American bus to one of the last. But first, let’s clarify what is considered a bus, because disputes around this issue are ongoing today. Some believe that these are crews with more than six seats. But today there are a number of limousines that take much more passengers. Others talk about mandatory fares, but since the beginning of the last century, there have been multi-seat hotel carriages, where the cost of travel to the station and back was included in the cost of living in a room. So the reader himself will have to figure out what a bus is … But the fact that it is designed to carry a large number of passengers is beyond doubt.
The first bus in North America in our understanding was released in 1900 by Mack and was called the Touring Coach. It was equipped with a 4-cylinder engine, which allowed it to accelerate to 30 km / h, and a 3-speed gearbox. The bus had 27 seats, i.e. it was far from tiny. By the way, we will meet with the name of this company more than once. In general, its bus products, as well as heavy trucks, have always had an avant-garde design and a very original appearance. The first bus in excellent condition has survived to this day and is on display at the factory museum in Allentown.
Mack, 1900
In 1903, Fischer signed a contract with the London Bus Company to supply several buses for the English capital. Perhaps this fact would not have deserved our attention in the “American context”, but the design of the car was such that it was simply impossible not to dwell on it. The bus had a hybrid drive – this is at the beginning of the last century! The rear wheels were driven by a 10-horsepower electric motor (each), which was powered by a 15 kW generator. That, in turn, was driven by a 20-horsepower 4-cylinder internal combustion engine, and the batteries connected to the network between the generator and the traction motors served as an energy storage device. Due to the complexity of the design, the bus did not perform well and was returned to the United States.
The year 1910 has come. Buick, known today for its luxurious cars, has released Motor Bus – mind you, a wagon layout. Two-cylinder boxer engine with 22 hp. located in front and allowed a small bus to accelerate to 40 km / h. This 12-seat car was mainly used by hotels and train stations. But as the reader sees, she has already laid the foundation for the wagon layout.
Buick Bus, 1910
The transport company Greyhound was soon founded (1914), which today successfully competes with rail passenger transport. With the massive construction of highways on the North American continent, the possibility of transcontinental road passenger flights immediately arose, and routes were laid in such a way as to cover almost all states from East to West and from North to South. Comfortable multi-seat buses appeared with special low-frame chassis and special pneumatic shock absorbers, which provide a smooth ride much greater than rail transport could offer. Europe did not have to participate in such a competitive struggle, and America began its victorious march on wheels on asphalt. In addition, bus stations, scattered in the most unexpected places,
Modern Motor Coaches, 1927
Interestingly, Greyhound not only operated buses, but also made investments in the development of new rolling stock that met its requirements. Almost all American bus and truck manufacturers of that time participated in these developments, until the circle narrowed down to a few companies, and the emblem of the manufacturer himself, as a rule, was absent – it was replaced by the image of a greyhound. An example is the 1927 Modern Motor Coaches 26-seat bus. The buses of those years have pneumatic shock absorbers, purely American horns, routes written on the sides and, of course, a clearly visible image of the legendary greyhound.
Around the same time, buses with a stepped roof appeared in the USA (the European name “hohdecker” does not fit here). The 1925 ACF bus was one of the first such vehicles in the New World. Although the European company Gebruder Ludewig credits itself with the invention of such a body after the end (!) of the Second World War.
ACF, 1925
In the 1930s, small luxury buses on an extended passenger car chassis became popular. One of them is a 12-seater Fitzjohn Sedan-Bus built on a Chevrolet chassis for a transport company. Despite their small size, these bus-cars traveled through Alaska, the United States and Mexico. And even with such a small passenger capacity, trips across North America were very profitable and convenient. Please note that the favorite chrome and polished aluminum trim of most buses is not yet available.
Fitzjohn Sedan-Bus, 1930s
And a few more words about pre-war buses. Or rather, their design. It’s not about the original coloring, but about the sculpture of the object. Here, for example, Fitzjohn 1939. It is easy to see that the character of some surfaces was influenced by a passenger car. Yes, yes, it is light. Pay attention to the front fenders. One gets the impression that they were purely mechanically transferred to the bus body from a passenger car, and a real sculpture “appeared”. Quite a few American bus companies used this technique at that time, but this period passed rather quickly. Most likely, it was just a tribute to fashion.
Fitzjohn, 1939
A few words about the city bus. In the United States in the 20s and 30s, double-decker buses were quite common on the streets of large cities. Some firms produced them before the start of World War II. But, by and large, in the presence of a huge fleet of private cars and a rather weak development of public urban transport, the need for such cars has disappeared by itself. By the way, many American cities still do not have a developed public transport infrastructure. But, nevertheless, the most interesting designs of the city bus appeared from time to time.
New York Double Decker
For example, the articulated Twin-Coach of 1938. I would say “conditionally articulated”, since the semi-trailer of this bus did not move to the right or left in the turn, as we are used to, but only followed the terrain, swaying in a vertical plane. The life of this “misunderstanding” due to an ill-conceived concept was short-lived.
Twin Coach, 1938
The post-war GM, nicknamed the New Look, which appeared in 1960, was a purely city car, although it was often used on transit flights. The main differences of the bus were: a multi-section windshield, twin headlights, a moderate amount of polished aluminum and stainless steel, and a pair of sloping side windows between the doors. The engine was located at the rear, but experiments were carried out with a gas turbine and even with a steam engine. The bus was produced for several decades with minor changes.
GM New Look, 1960
In 1956, the Mack company, already known to us, manufactured an experimental ADS-1 city bus based on sketches by designer Alex de Szachnowski. The bus has been called “the transport of the future”. Today it is quite difficult to look at this creation without a smile, but then he made a considerable impression on the viewer. Smooth curves organized unfamiliar surfaces, bold glass patterns betrayed the originality of the designer’s thinking. In a word, ADS-1 became an event not only in the American, but also in the world bus industry. Unfortunately, the only copy built died in a fire.