Minibus
- "Microbus" redirects here. For the Volkswagen Microbus, see Volkswagen Type 2.
A minibus or minicoach is a passenger carrying motor vehicle that is designed to carry more people than a minivan, but fewer people than a full-size bus. Minibuses have a seating capacity of between 8 and 30 seats. Larger minibuses may be called midibuses or light buses. Minibuses are typically front-engined step entrance vehicles, although low floor minibuses do exist.
Usage
Minibuses are used for a variety of reasons. In a public transport role, they can be used as fixed route transit buses, airport buses, fexible demand responsive transport vehicles, share taxis or large taxicabs. Accessible minibuses can also be used for paratransit type services, by local authorities, transit operators, hospitals or charities. Private uses of minibuses can include corporate transport, charter buses, tour buses. Schools, sports clubs, community groups and charities may also use minibuses for private transport. Individual owners may use reduced seating minibuses as cheap recreational vehicles.
Types
There are many different types and configurations of minibuses, due to historical and local differences, and usage. Minibus designs can be classified in three main groups, with a general increase in seating capacity with each type:
- Van Converions. simple, optional extras
- Body builds
- Purpose built
Van conversions
Van conversion minibuses, sometimes called 'factory models', are minibuses created simply by modifying an existing van design. As such, van conversions are often performed by the van manufacturer. Van conversions involve adding windows to the bodywork, and seating to the cargo area. Van conversion minibuses outwardly look the same shape as the parent van, and the driver and front passenger cabin remains unchanged, retaining the driver and passenger doors. Access to the former cargo area for passengers is through the standard van side sliding door, or the rear doors. These may be fitted with step equipment to make boarding easier. Optional extras to van converted minibuses can include the addition of a rollsign for transit work, and/or a full height walk-in door, for passenger access to the former cargo area. For public transport use, this door may be an automatic concertina type. For other uses, this may be a simple plug style coach door.
Examples of van conversion minibuses are:
- Ford Transit
- Mercedes Sprinter
- Toyota Hiace
- Volkswagen Crafter
Body builds
Another method of building a minibus is for a second stage manufacturer to build a specific body for fitting to a semi-completed van product. These can produce a higher seating capacity than simple van conversions. Often the second stage manufacturer is a bus manufacturer.
In a cutaway type minibus, a large passenger cabin body with a full height access door is fitted to a cutaway van chassis. In these designs, as with van conversions, the driver and front passenger cabin remains unchanged.
In a van-derived minibus, a cabin body is applied to a van chassis encompassing the drivers area. These designs can either still retain some outward signs of the original van, such as the bonnet and grille. Other designs are visually a complete bus design, and it is merely the chassis underneath that is from the van design.
The van derived approach can give the advantage of higher seating capacity or more room for passenger comfort, through a larger cabin area. There is also the advantage of being able to have the drivers seat positioned in a small cubicle, next to the main passenger entrance, allowing the driver to collect fares in a transit bus role. Some next generation minibus designs with their origins in the cutaway chassis body build method, or the van conversion method, have been extended whereby parts of the driver cabin and exterior panels are custom built for the minibus model, further altering the visual appearance of the original van bodywork.
Examples of body built minibuses are:
- Busette (cut away chassis)
- Plaxton Beaver (van derived)
- Ford Transit
- Freight Rover
- Optare CityPacer (visually complete bus based on a van chassis)
- Isuzu Elf locally built as the NQR bus
Purpose built
A next generation approach to the van-derived or cutaway chassis approach, is for manufacturers to produce an integral design, where the whole vehicle is purposely designed and built for use as a minibus. This is usually done by an integral bus manufacturer, although large automotive groups also produce their own models. These designs are often available in long high capacity versions, and may attract different designations, such as midibus, or light bus.
Examples of purpose built minibuses are:
- Hino Liesse
- Isuzu Journey
- MCW Metrorider (also termed a midibus)
- Nissan Diesel RN
- Nissan Civilian
- Mitsubishi Fuso Rosa
- Toyota Coaster
Low floor minibuses
Following the invention of low-floor technology, some low-floor purpose built minibuses have been created. Some offer a low floor access through a centre door. Some short versions of low floor midibuses are sometimes also called minibuses.
- Mitsubisi Fuso Aero Midi ME
- Optare Solo (termed a midibus)
- Optare Alero
- Hino Poncho (1st generation front engined, 2nd rear engined)
- Nissan Diesel RN (some models have a low floor middle entrance)
- Bluebird Tucana (full length low flat floor from Bluebird Vehicles Ltd)
- Bluebird Auriga] (tri-axle design)
Driving license
Some countries may require an additional class of driving license over a normal private car license, and some may require a full commercial driver's license. The need for such a license may depend on:
- Vehicle weight or size
- Seating capacity
- Driver age
- Intended usage
- Additional training (such as the Minibus Driver Awareness Scheme in the UK)
Gallery
 Van converted minibuses with sliding access doors |
 A next generation cutaway chassis design, with more integrated bodywork |
 Step equipped van converted minibus |
 Van converted minibuses as light transit buses |
 Optare Alero integral low floor minibus |
 Van conversion minibus with full height entrance door |
 Hino Poncho front engined low floor minibus |
 Optare Solo low floor midibuses |
 Optare MetroRider integral minibus |
 Mitsubishi Fuso Aero Midi ME low floor minibus |
 Isuzu body built minibus |
 Nissan Diesel RN partially low floor light bus |
See also
- Public light buses - minibuses in Hong Kong
- Short bus - school buses smaller than full-size buses
- Marshrutka - routed taxicab running in the former-Soviet country.
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Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; from the article "Minibus". Image Credit.
