The increased stringency of the requirements of the UN ECE R66.02 concerning superstructure strength does not just affect coaches, it also applies to Class II transit buses, i.e. intercity buses. From now on, all city buses at MAN Truck & Bus will be equipped with increased rollover resistance, including Class I city buses. “We want to be able to offer the highest degree of safety for the passengers travelling on our transit buses, regardless of the vehicle class,” stated Rudi Kuchta, Head of Bus Sales at MAN Truck & Bus.
A key element of the regulation, which will apply to all newly-registered Class II and III buses with effect from 09 November 2017, is the definition of a survival space in the event of a rollover. In the event of such an incident, the structure must be able to absorb a substantially increased amount of energy in order to maintain the survival space for passengers. In order to satisfy the legal requirements, MAN is incorporating components manufactured from high-strength steel into the vehicle skeleton. These produce the necessary superstructure strength and play a major part in ensuring that the energy resulting from a vehicle crash can be optimally absorbed. This has minor impact on the interior fittings.
MAN also attaches a great deal of importance to safety while driving. For that reason, ABS is also included as standard for transit buses, and the following are available as options: ESP in solo vehicles, automatic lights and wipers and tyre pressure monitoring (TPM).
