Technology

Updated 14.11.04

	Büssing Büssing was one of the largest German bus manufactures before World War 2 and until about 1970. Büssing was an innovative manufacturer, and was the first (or at least among the first) with underfloor enginer (in the 30ies), air suspesnion (in the50'ies) and frameless construction. MAN was a competitor, but with smaller bus production volumes. But as Büssing had financial problems, MAN eventually (1971) took over. For a few years, buses wre manuafactured as MAN Büssing. Gradually the name Büssing disappeared, but the old Büssing lion still remains as a logo underneath the MAN-name.
Air suspension Buses with air suspension provide a smoother ride than buses with steel springs. Most people find this naturally, since "air is soft". This is not the real cause, the reason is simply that as a suspension medium air is easy to control and adjust, according to the load of the bus. Steel springs have to be dimensioned for maximum load, and as such they provide a "smooth" comfortable road when the bus is filled with passengers. When the bus is empty, the ride is stiff and uncomfortable. Using air suspension, it is easy to adjust for maximum compliance and smoothness at any load.
Technology at Line 37

New technolgy is being installed to increase efficiency of public transportation in Oslo. For the passengers, the result appears in the information boards showing when the next line 37-bus is expected. Line 37 is a test site for the new system called SIS. Each bus will signal its position to the system via GPS. This information is used to give trafiic light priority and is helpful for the central traffic controller at the main depot.

The illustration shows the basic operation. Each bus is localized by satelite based navigation (GPS) with an accuracy of a few meters. This information is used to calculate expected arrival times at various stops and to inform traffic lights about when to give a green signal for the bus.

This is the display of the bus computer with all information needed for the driver. The information is about next stops, information and messages from the traffic controller. It also controls destinations signs and loudspeaker signals about next stop. The system has been developed by Inut AG in Karlsruhe, Germany.

Ths shows the graphic displays at the traffic control centre at the main bus depot Alnabru.