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m winters
New Member
2 Posts |
 Posted - 01/29/2002 : 07:50:41 AM
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I am a landscape architect who frequently works on new/remodeled school sites where we design parking lots and bus drop-off areas. Recently I heard from someone that a school district in our state (MI) has begun using 70' long buses! Is this possibly true? A 70' bus? We typically plan for a full size bus to be 40'+/- long. I have heard that a new 45' bus is soon to be on the market though. Any info on this topic would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
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Buskid
Top Member
USA
3368 Posts |
Posted - 01/29/2002 : 08:51:50 AM
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quote:
I am a landscape architect who frequently works on new/remodeled school sites where we design parking lots and bus drop-off areas. Recently I heard from someone that a school district in our state (MI) has begun using 70' long buses! Is this possibly true? A 70' bus? We typically plan for a full size bus to be 40'+/- long. I have heard that a new 45' bus is soon to be on the market though. Any info on this topic would be greatly appreciated.
Our largest school buses at work are our tandem axle 40-foot Crowns and our Blue Bird & Thomas transits. I've never seen a school bus that is over 40-feet long. We have some articulated city buses that are 60-some-feet long, but most full-sized school buses are between 35-40'. So unless they're using the city buses to take students to school, I don't think there would ever be a 70-foot long bus in that parking lot. 
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UncleNeal
Senior Member
USA
153 Posts |
Posted - 01/29/2002 : 09:33:35 AM
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School buses do not come any larger than approximately 40 feet long (give or take a few inches). However, there are tour / motorcoach buses which could be up to 45 feet long. As Buskid stated, city buses could be very long, especially if they are articulated.
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Jared
Top Member
USA
1865 Posts |
Posted - 01/29/2002 : 10:17:32 AM
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just think about how long 70'is. I mean, tractor trailers arent even that long. the longest single trailer I have seen ( standard size made ) is 53'. However I did hear about states upgrading standards to 45' with in the next few years, and I dont agree with it at all.
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BusladyofSoCal
Advanced Member
USA
366 Posts |
Posted - 01/29/2002 : 10:42:39 AM
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That is so funny...hey yea a 70 footer! hahahahaaaa!
the longest bus around is 60' and articulated. Thaose are usualy transits and some coaches.
Schoobuses are usually up to 40'. There may be 45' footers coming soon. I like my 38' just fine.
Buslady
Long Live Crown Coach Corp! Detroit Diesel rules!
Crown Coach Archive
http://crowncoach.tripod.com
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Phil4747
Top Member
USA
695 Posts |
Posted - 01/29/2002 : 11:11:47 AM
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You won't find any school buses longer than 40' right now, altho they recently updated the federal standards to allow a max length of 45'. Other dimensions you may find useful are that the buses are 8' wide, and usually have an outside curb turning radius up to about 40' on a 49' conventional.
If you want to plan the site for coach buses (a good idea for field trips, even if coaches only get used once in a while), they're a bit bigger, up to 45' long and 8'6" wide, with a slightly larger turning radius (47' for an MCI 45' bus, maybe larger on other models).
—Phil
Crown, Blue Bird, Thomas, Gillig, Corbeil, Superior, Amtran...all excellent products of an excellent industry. |
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Steven A.Rosenow
Top Member
USA
1926 Posts |
Posted - 01/29/2002 : 2:58:19 PM
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quote:
Just think about how long 70'is. I mean, tractor trailers arent even that long. the longest single trailer I have seen ( standard size made ) is 53'. However I did hear about states upgrading standards to 45' with in the next few years, and I dont agree with it at all.
I'd have to disagree Jared. Tractor-Trailer combinations can VERY WELL exceed 70 ft in length, and with triples, the estimated length on a triple trailer load (not allowed here in WA) is over 85 ft in lentgh.
My uncle owns two KW W900 log haulers and the trailer he uses when fully extended is 53 feet, and adding to that is the 20+ feet of the truck FORWARD of the trailer, making the total length longer than 70 feet. The Tacoma Narrows Bridge is 60 ft wide main cable to main cable center diameter, and I've seen tractor trailer combos jacknife closing all four lanes of it.
And I think there's no problem with 45 ft being the maximum length of school buses. If an articulated 60 ft transit can make a tight corner in downtown Seattle near the Space Needle, I think a 45 ft school bus could do the same.
And the 70 ft school bus, I remember seeing one on the old version of Old School Buses, either a Wayne or a Ward, that was 77 ft long and non-articulated. I think it was a troop transport or something.
Gillig - The "DURACELL" of School Buses. http://www.geocities.com/gilligcoaches |
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Phil4747
Top Member
USA
695 Posts |
Posted - 01/29/2002 : 3:37:19 PM
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First, Jared meant only a single trailer, combos are obviously longer. However, when planning a driveway, you need to consider the turning radius, which is determined by the length/wheelbase of one unit, not the whole combination.
For the same reason, a 60 ft articulated bus could probably turn in a tighter circle than a 45 ft coach, b/c articulated buses are usually split up 40/20, and the widest-swinging part is the front.
Also, the 77 ft Wayne was a trailer for a tractor trailer bus, and yes, it was used to carry troops by the military.
—Phil
Crown, Blue Bird, Thomas, Gillig, Corbeil, Superior, Amtran...all excellent products of an excellent industry. |
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Silas J.
Top Member
USA
938 Posts |
Posted - 01/30/2002 : 1:33:49 PM
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Steven,I think that another really long bus was used to transport oil workers in Saudi Arabia,if I'm not mistaken. It's on the regular bus version of SBX.
Silas J.
97-12 It will outrun your bus.
Unicoi County Schools~Working For Children
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PCW
Senior Member
USA
171 Posts |
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Rich
Top Member
United States
5768 Posts |
Posted - 10/21/2008 : 01:45:40 AM
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IC has made some 90 passenger REs in the past from what I have heard, and I believe they are 42-43 feet. IC cannot do a 40 foot 90 pass because of their excessively large entrance door, and excessively large engine compartment.
That is an impressive vehicle, I hope they had the brains to put a DT engine in that instead of Laidlaw's usual T444E! I wonder if First Student still has the bus. |
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78fordwayne
Top Member
USA
2868 Posts |
Posted - 10/21/2008 : 03:02:16 AM
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| IC still offers a 90 Passenger RE over 40 feet long. For some reason IC doesn't show it on there web site, but I have seen them this past Summer. |
Robert B.
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BusFreak
Top Member
USA
798 Posts |
Posted - 10/21/2008 : 04:35:10 AM
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| Broward County Florida has some of the 90 passenger IC REs. They look even longer without the extended skirting! |
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SuperiorGMC1963
Top Member
USA
1079 Posts |
Posted - 10/22/2008 : 2:38:13 PM
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| Interesting that this topic has just reappeared. Last week I was at the local outlet mall and lo and behold a 2008 or '09 IC RE (similar to the one photographed above) pulls up. Of course, as usual, I didn't have my camera. I kept staring at it thinking it was unusually long and I started to count the windows...15!! The one I saw was all white and I'm not sure if it was local or just travelling down I-95. |
Ted
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Nick
Advanced Member
USA
333 Posts |
Posted - 10/22/2008 : 2:58:36 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Rich
That is an impressive vehicle, I hope they had the brains to put a DT engine in that instead of Laidlaw's usual T444E! I wonder if First Student still has the bus.
Heh, imagine a 444 or a 365 trying to push that thing! Especially with that interior... |
IC the future, and it is bright. |
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busgeek++
Advanced Member
United States
253 Posts |
Posted - 10/22/2008 : 4:12:36 PM
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| Yeah. The 444 would do it, but slowly. Ours have always felt short on power. However, the 365s are another story (when they're running). They sprint good and fast empty, but once loaded down with people, etc. they fall flat. |
Buses are not a way of life, they are life |
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Admin
Administrator
USA
1662 Posts |
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School Bus Dimensions (70' long?)
