The Wright StreetCar is an articulated bus developed by Wrightbus and Volvo Buses for FirstGroup. It consists of an adapted Volvo B7LA (to be replaced by Volvo B9LA) chassis, featuring a separate driver compartment at the front, resembling to some extent similar designs in continental Europe.
They feature air-conditioning and a wrap-around seating arrangement at the rear. They're designed to mimic trams in their appearance and in the UK, the Wright StreetCar buses are used on First Group's ftr services since its launch in May 2006, with high frequencies and dedicated stops to further enforce the impression of a premium service. They have also gained the nickname of "understeer streetcar" with some drivers, owing to a tendency to understeer negotiating roundabouts.
In 2006, Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada in the United States placed an order for 50 StreetCar Rapid Transit Vehicles for delivery in late 2000s. Developed from the Wright StreetCar, these will be hybrid-powered vehicles with chassis built by Carrosserie Hess of Switzerland. On December 24, 2008, RTC StreetCar A016 arrived on property appropriately on Christmas Eve.
In 2007, North East England bus operator Go North East ran a StreetCar trial on its popular X66 CentreLink service (currently operated by Wright Solar Fusions) between Gateshead Interchange and MetroCentre. The StreetCar was loaned from First Group.
FTR is an example of bus rapid transit, currently in operation in Great Britain in York in North Yorkshire, Leeds in West Yorkshire, Luton in Bedfordshire and in Swansea in South Wales. FTR has been introduced by First Group, using Wright StreetCar articulated buses in conjunction with infrastructure upgrades by local authorities. The vehicles are branded as the future of travel, the operator stating that "ftr" is SMS shorthand for "future"
Vehicles
Each 'StreetCar' vehicle costs over £300,000, and has a separate driver ('pilot') compartment at the front, resembling to some extent similar designs in continental Europe. Otherwise the vehicle itself is a modified conventional bus, with styling similar to contemporary trams and greater distances between axles in order to maximise the low-floor area for easily-accessible seating. The vehicles are air-conditioned and have tinted windows to enhance the on-board ambience along with ergonomic seating although the seats themselves are more like modern tram seats with arguably less padding than ordinary bus seats. On-board information is provided using an "infotainment" screen which displays the next FTR stop (in a similar fashion to Transport for London's i-Bus system) and related information to that stop including local attractions/facilities and connecting bus/train routes, the screen also displays adverts for local businesses.
[edit]Ticketing system
The main fundamental difference to conventional bus services is the method of fare collection. This initially involved payment of cash fares to a self-service ticket machine or to a conductor known as a "Customer Service Host" rather than to the driver, who is not intended to have any contact with passengers. This feature was promoted as helping to reduce journey times. On the FTR Route 4 in Leeds, all METRO bus passes and permits are issued and accepted on the bus. Ironically, in York issues with ticketing machines mean the FTR buses have now gone back to having dedicated conductors to collect tickets, some of the only buses to do so.
What's the name of this map?
TheCarismaGT 2 months ago
@TheCarismaGT Polish Road City
pmame32 2 months ago