A double decker bus where the driving position is at the front of the upper deck.
This has numerous advantages:
1. Lower deck space- the lower deck has more area available for wheelchairs, pushchairs, etc.
2. The driver has a superior viewpoint, particularly if the cab projects forward slightly. Windscreens at floor level allow the driver to see vertically down, similar to a helicopter pilot. The forward view is greatly improved, and the risk of driving into bridges, canopies etc. greatly reduced.
3. The driver's cab can be efficiently partitioned off from the passenger space, giving improved safety and security for the driver.-- 8th of 7, Oct 09 2012 Drivers of GM's Futurliner reported that going under bridges scared the crap out of them . . . [+]-- FlyingToaster, Oct 09 2012 So, are you suggesting that all passengers have to climb to the top deck in order to buy a ticket, or are you advocating the return of the clippy?-- MaxwellBuchanan, Oct 09 2012 Neither. There is a pay terminal on the lower deck where passengers can pay by card, cash, or bus pass.-- 8th of 7, Oct 09 2012 I slightly misread the title and assumed this was an idea for a top-deck-only bus, with wheels on long stalks which would fit either side of cars, allowing the bus to travel fast through rush-hour traffic composed of reasonably low vehicles.-- hippo, Oct 09 2012 Ah, you're thinking of our other bus development based on the PzKW VIII "Maus" chassis … it can easily make its way throigh streets crowded with traffic, but not quite they way you envisage …-- 8th of 7, Oct 09 2012 //There is a pay terminal on the lower deck where passengers can pay by card, cash, or bus pass.//
Ah yes, of course. Given the excellent state of public transport in the UK; the vast subsidies which are available to it to keep fares so low; the progressive nature of British public services; and the abundance of toothed ducks, I think this idea stands every chance of not failing to be unsuccessful.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Oct 09 2012 But how will the driver look for cats, jackass?-- 4and20, Oct 09 2012 The driver doesn't look for cats, stupid - that's the weapons operator's job. He has thermal imaging (FLIR), image intensifier goggles, a head-up display, 3D LIDAR tactical display, and can deploy any one of a number of stores at the click of a button. The bus and its weapons systems have all-weather capability, and there is provision for a rear turret to engage targets of opportunity.
A Stealth version is under development.-- 8th of 7, Oct 09 2012 You have very funny moments, I'll give you that, but much of the time, you come across as a pretend (we hope) bully, who picks on defenseless animals, as many psychos start out, but then needs all those weapons to defend himself against cats. Still dumber people than you may take your comments at face value instead of some kind of mentally ill humour.-- 4and20, Oct 09 2012 Cats are not defenceless.
And please don't insult [8th] - there's a queue.-- MaxwellBuchanan, Oct 09 2012 // dumber people than you may take your comments at face value //
We enjoy it so much when that happens ...
// mentally ill humour //
Who ya callin' funny ? You lookin' at us ?-- 8th of 7, Oct 09 2012 //Still dumber people than you may take your comments at face value//
Shirley there's nobody out there dumb enough to take any comments on THIS site at face value.-- ytk, Oct 09 2012 "In a cavern, in a canyon, in the far backwoods of Maine, Lurks HalfBaker [Alterother], and he's dumb enough, we claim… "-- 8th of 7, Oct 09 2012 //Shirley there's nobody out there dumb enough// "Shirley, thinks she might be"
Ahh the PzKW VIII "Maus" another fine bit of German engineering designed for UK On/Off roading.
Lets have a quick vote Cat person vs Dog person <Dog person>-- PainOCommonSense, Oct 10 2012 // designed for UK On/Off roading //
Actually, by 1943 Adolf H. was thinking more of Russia than the UK. For a start, the cross- channel ferries would not be keen on transporting a 200 tonne tracked vehicle …-- 8th of 7, Oct 10 2012 //the weapons operator's job.// Hey - I recognize that bathtub!-- lurch, Oct 10 2012 ^^wasn't that they "weren't keen", just that AH didn't want to pony up proper fare is all.-- FlyingToaster, Oct 10 2012 Sounds like a Herkimer Battle Jitney to me...-- normzone, Oct 12 2012 random, halfbakery