Neil Williams wrote:
On Wed, 21 Nov 2007 22:01:43 +0000, Paul Corfield
wrote:

That rule has been superceded by the one permitting entry via the centre
doors. With certain vehicles - e.g. the Dennis Darts used on route 212 -
the very narrow aisle means the majority of buggies end up using the
centre doors rather than the front.

Which makes far more sense, as if (like most German buses) you design
around anything other than people boarding at the centre, you can fit
in more seats forward of the centre doors which are more practical for
those who can walk but not far. You can also reinstate the centre
handrail, which makes it far easier for such people to board, and
allows both alighting and boarding at the front, while avoiding the
long walk past wheelchair/buggy areas that is present on the
all-too-common[1] UK single-doored full-size bus.

The German Merc O405 and Citaro layout (similar to the layout used on
the RV1 non-bendy Citaros, except that those don't have the centre
pole at the front like most German ones do) is about as practical as
it gets.

[1] In the UK outside London, that is. Funnily enough, no other
country I can think of has copied that particular nonsense.

Restricting boarding to the front doors only is the standard mode of
operation in all places I have visited in the US and Canada. When I
first visited continental Europe (I grew up variously in Canada and the
UK), I found the idea of boarding a bus other than at the front an odd
concept at first. I can see the logic of it, though, it just felt odd.

Robin