Not a failure, just a dead end in design terms. They were clearly well built and reliable enough and did the job well enough to keep going for twenty years despite being only a small class of vehicles. The fact that two out of twelve survive shows the quality that they had.
As a HGV driver, I’m aware of how useful being high above the ground is, and able to see the road ahead and being aware of up and coming traffic, and situations. Also being a normal bus driver, I do miss being able to see problems way before they happen!! At the end of the day, buses are large vehicles, and some roads are very much a challenge to get around!
@@rickvandusen9271 Very good point, with now the importance of easy access for the elderly and disabled, all UK buses have wheelchair ramps and now “kneel” at the front! Also all buses are one man operated, driver needs to be on the same level as boarding passengers.
What an extraordinary bus! Bus designers in Switzerland must be insane! Another addition to the library of wonderful and interesting videos by Jeffrey.
On the topic of the driver's shoes, a boarding passenger would not see these first. The system at the time on both buses and trams was that the rear set of doors was for boarding, and if you look at the seat plan, you see next to that set of doors is a seat for a conductor to sell tickets and a standing area so that the bus could get under way while tickets were being sold. The middle and front doors were for alighting only.
Thanks for the clarification! The website of the FBW museum had the info about seeing shoes when boarding this bus, so that's the source of my info. Maybe they're wrong, LOL. Thanks very much for watching!!
It’s impressive to see that these vehicles seem to be used without conductors in its later days, at least on the airport route (note the eye symbol over the right-hand front lamp in the photo at 3:14!). I ask myself if the vehicle was especially bad or especially well suited for this type of operation with the high position of the driver - Idk 🤷🏻 …or if they still were operated with a conductor but under the ticketing regulations of “Fahrgastselbstkontrolle”, where passengers could board and alight at all doors (seeing the neatly polished shoes), this being done in order to speed up operations. Maybe some Swiss bus fans around here could clarify? Nevertheless, these giants ran for 20 years, what’s not only a sign for quality of the builders but also for the qualities of the VBZ workshops doing the daily service to these behemoths.
I was born in 1973 and can remember seeing a few of those buses, living near one of the final stops of the Oerlikon line. I was always fascinated by them, but only rode them a couple of times. Back then, there were no more ticket inspectors, so boarding was allowed from any door, although it was customary to only board at the front if you were elderly or handicapped, as these doors could stay open longer if you needed more time to board. Same for exiting, especially in winter.
Thanks for this Video! When I was a child in the 1970's, I saw some of these buses in operation. I only knew them as the "Airport Bus". They were used to connect Zürich main station with the airport. I thought they had this unique shape because the airport travellers had so much luggage and needed more space. 🙂
I travelled on one of them about 18 years ago when the new tram museum was opened. The name "Giraff" isn't an English nickname for the bus, that's just what it's called in our local dialect, with different pronunciation of course.
Great to hear you actually rode one! Yes, I did not use the English spelling of Giraffe and left off the silent 'e' as I have seen that's how the Swiss described it! Thanks very much for watching!!!
I don't know about Swiss buses much but this literally is one of the most unique buses design I've ever seen, even though there are few buses in the US here had such similar concept in 40 or 50's, this giraffe bus for sure has a better view for the driver but I think that's all of good about it.
It's certainly one of a kind, but not very practical for everyday use as you say! And yes, Greyhound had some concept buses that had the driver up high! Thanks very much for watching again!
Glad you liked the video! Mack-built buses in the US had those types of wheels...but not too popular and not used by any other manufacturer. Thanks very much for watching again!!
Switzerland had Trilex wheels on almost all trucks and buses until the 90s. This was due to the fact that many roads were limited to 2,30m width, where normal trucks and buses with 2,55m weren‘t allowed. Most major european truck manufacturers had to adapt their trucks for switzerland, Volvo even specifically named a Truck „CH 230“. To achieve the 2,30m width, they used trilex wheels, since they don‘t stick out over the edge of the tire. Today, there are still some narrow roads in the mountain regions with the 2,30m limit. Some older trucks with trilex still exist there, and new 2,30m ones too (without trilex). Nowadays, only a few manufacturers offer their trucks in 2,30m width: Renault, MAN (adapted by Toni Maurer), Mercedes Benz and Iveco.
What a weird idea. As soon as I saw it I wondered about tram wires . Not only were clean shoes important but I'd have added fresh underwear and a ban on consumption of spicy food the night before a shift😂 Excellent video Jeffrey keep them coming, Russ
Reminds me of a batch of now retired trains that used to run in my home town of Adelaide, South Australia. They had the driving cab above the passenger compartment. they were officially a 2000 class rail car, but had the nickname of 'Jumbo' due to the raised drivers cab.
Many thanks - very enjoyable and informative video! It brought me a strange recollection: as a child I sometimes had a bad dream of driving a double-decker bus which had the drivers position on the top-deck, but the steering linkage was so complicated it didn't really work, and the brakes only came on several seconds after you pressed the pedal ... and the main street which I had to drive it along was down-hill.
The D90 is definitely an experiment, and not that outlandish. When you ride an American made Prevost, every passenger feels like they are on Amtrak. This is the reverse. In USA, this bus would have needed cable cutter bars, because the tallest machine on the road is what plows through all the branches. When we have an ice storm, forget it. Cable TV is the lowest utility, but phone service can also droop. Nowadays, there are few ladders, but plenty of boom and bucket trucks and even bucket trailers.
Wow! Near the end of the film "The Third Man" Harry Lime- played by Orson Welles mentions Switzerland's claim to fame being the invention of the cuckoo clock. This bus is a worthy rival to this claim but was nearly 15 years after the film was shot. So, the logical next phase was to make one into a giraffe house at the zoo was not followed up.
A new one on me! Thanks! Strikes me as a bit pointless actually. Raising the drivers position only seems to create a little extra passenger space (say 1 or 2 seats), given that part of the room they created is taken up by the driver's access stairs. So its a lot of hassle and expense for not a lot. The flippant side of me says it must have been hard for the driver to take the money and issue tickets if they were One Man Operated! But presumably in those days they had conductors or some off-bus ticketing arrangements.
3 дні тому
The Swiss have a different way of thinking. Look at the Swiss-designed camera, the Alpa.
Oh yes, I was thinking that myself, but there was no info I can find on fare paying. And yes, you only gain a couple of seats at most, and that was the aim of the bus in the design concept, incredibly! Thanks very much for watching!!
Your videos about rare and interesting buses get more fascinating with every video. With this one, I can`t really imagine driving a Leyland Atlantean from the top deck and I`ve driven some odd buses in my time "On the buses".
Thank you so much!!! I appreciate that you really like my videos! Thanks very much for watching!!
3 дні тому+1
Very interesting story of a bus I'd never heard of. I always admire companies who show independent thinking and dare to be different even if their ideas don't meet with success. I wonder what the drivers thought of this bus and what special challenges the control linkages (steering etc.) must have presented. I loved your choice of music at the beginning of the video.
Do a video on Seattle’s Breda Dual-Mode buses. They ran in a tunnel under downtown as a trolleybus and on streets and freeways as a diesel bus. They were in service from 1990-2005.
This bus is such an oddball. Jeff you have to look at the English and European designs that were used and modified for local conditions in Australia and Africa ...oh that's right we used American chassis as well.
Oh yes, I really like Australian buses....need to do more on those!! Unfortunately, info on buses in Africa is hard to find... Thanks very much for watching again!!!
The Plaxton Elite i takes the opposite approach! Although looking conventional, it has the driver in the normal location, with a very high passenger compartment, which extends above the driver's cab. They are taller than the "Giraff" at 3.96 metres (13.0 ft). When our local operator, Stagecoach, introduced them, there were many complaints about the layout of these buses. This largely concerned there suitability for elderly or disabled passengers. Although they are fitted with excellent accessible entrances, the main passenger compartment is then reached by a number of stairs, with only two seats, located directly behind the driver, being available for anyone who would be unable to manage the stairs!
Very interesting and informative Jeffery. Certainly something a little bit different this time. Even though I know that disc type wheels have pretty much all of the advantages that have for all practical purposes the end of the cast spoke wheels. But darn it, I think those are neat.
And of course this bus could have run anywhere that had double deckers, such as West Berlin. For a while (quite a long one, actually), West Berlin only had double-deckers and regular 12-metre singe-deckers, so the Hochlenker buses might have been an option for medium-capacity routes. But then again, West Berliners loved their double-deckers with their high seats-to-standing-room ration, so maybe not.
When I heard this post, I always thought, what is he talking about VBC, then I looked and discovered VBZ, but the expression VBC always annoyed me, then I remembered a visit to LA, where and an invitation to a family where one of the children asked me if I knew the English ABC. I then said the ABC up to the last letter, as I had learned it and it was English and not American, so A to Zet. So I have to assume that it is a US American who said this amount
What a thoroughly mad idea. There's no earthly way the small gain in passenger capacity was ever going to compensate for the additional cost of creating such a complicated layout. Apart from anything else, it means the bus could only operate with a conductor or a system of prepaid fares, because it's impossible for passengers to interact with the driver.
I like your vids. I'd personally prefer no music or sound effects unless it's original period correct in the ads or stuff the company may have used. But way to much sound effects and way to loud. If anything something way lower volume and not distracting that plays continuously would be preferable
How interesting from a psychological perspective. Subsequently, the driver position has sunk considerably to the point where, in the deregulation madness era, such as the swamping of routes with minibuses resulted in the driver being very much looked down upon. I refer in particular to the sixteen seat Ford Transit and Freight Rover Sherpa "bread vans" that set in place a very negative general public view of professional public service drivers. The industry in the UK has never recovered from this phenomena.
Very odd! Leyland trucks of the 70's also named vehicles after animals, such as Terrier, Bison, Buffalo, Lynx and Boxer I recall. The design might have been very attractive without the raised cab. The design, along with the articulated model seems to have been inspired by France's Saviem and Berliet SC10 and PCMR.
A very attractive vehicle and livery too. I wonder how they collected the fare i think one person operation would be impossible. Swiss transport is very interesting i use to go on an Ulsterbus coach from Larne to Stranraer ferry then down to Hull for the overnight ferry to the Dutch port off Rotherham spending the night in a German hotel then crossing the border into Switzerland 🇨🇭 a very attractive journey in Plaxton Paramount 3500/DAF s .in Northern Ireland there was an early diesel railcar with a raised driving position it drove in either direction from the same cab it later hit a cow on the line.
I think it was a good idea for driver visibility but needed better ventilation for the driver But thinking you would have to be pretty fit to keep climbing up into the drivers seat Up and down from up there would be no good for me with my bad knees Good one Jeffrey 👍👍🇦🇺
Believe it or not, I could not find anything on that! Although someone commented that these buses did have conductors and you would enter at the rear. Thanks very much for watching!!!
I think it's a Russian bus - someone above mentioned it. Twin steer with driver in a top observation area just like the Giraff! Thanks very much for watching again!!
it looks like the driver area is in worst possible place - still limiting the passanger area to some point, but as also mentioned too high to be below clerance of various passes and tram/trolleybus lines. kinda damned in both directions, were it high enough to have the 747 style hump with maybe exclusive seat/s (either solely driver or some high class area) and no part of driver compartment limiting space on the floor of the main deck i guess it could work better for space reasons, would complicate the ticketing situation offcourse but that aint problem i am trying to solve here. as for where it could be more succesfull as pposed to specific city... i am not familiar with Swiss underpass situation tho i heard its mountainous country so i will guess some place more flat to not have to worry about height (Netherlands?) or more long distance journeys - assuming you'd give passengers more space, closer to trains compartments. this way would also solve the ticket issue as it would be sorted long before entering the bus and there'd only be small mounts of if not just two stops.
Unusual, but not unique - I recall seeing an Italian? design that had the driver at the front of a full-length upper floor. IIRC, it too was not successful.
I really don't know where to start with this one. The raised pod was less than 25% of the overall length. At the same time it not only wasted the space the full height/full length had to offer but also made it impractical on much of the network. The gains in capacity must have been pretty minimal too, it's not as if it made room for another 20 passengers. I'm not sure whether to nominate the designer or the operator for the 'Worst Decision of the Year' award.
![Cityrama Citroën U55: One of the Most Outlandish Buses Ever Built! [French Bus History]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kGBdoz4aA8E/mqdefault.jpg)
![Cityrama Citroën U55: One of the Most Outlandish Buses Ever Built! [French Bus History]](/img/tr.png)
I grew up in Zurich and remember seeing them when I was a small child. But could never find out more about them.
Thank you for that great video! ❤
I live in Switzerland and never knew this "giraff" bus did even exist, thank you for the share!
Not a failure, just a dead end in design terms. They were clearly well built and reliable enough and did the job well enough to keep going for twenty years despite being only a small class of vehicles. The fact that two out of twelve survive shows the quality that they had.
True! They lasted longer than most buses today do! Thanks very much for watching!!
Swiss trucks failed because they were too expensive... but worked 30-40 years. People wanted cheaper and change after 10.
Looks way safer
As a HGV driver, I’m aware of how useful being high above the ground is, and able to see the road ahead and being aware of up and coming traffic, and situations. Also being a normal bus driver, I do miss being able to see problems way before they happen!! At the end of the day, buses are large vehicles, and some roads are very much a challenge to get around!
Great explanation of why this may have been done on this bus!! Thanks very much for watching!!
Thumbs up,I bet the veiw was great up there, a great one of a kind design
Ironically, most changes in bus driving position have lowered the driver, not raised it.
@@rickvandusen9271 Very good point, with now the importance of easy access for the elderly and disabled, all UK buses have wheelchair ramps and now “kneel” at the front!
Also all buses are one man operated, driver needs to be on the same level as boarding passengers.
Im a transit enthusiast from zurich, but i didn't know these existed lol
What an extraordinary bus! Bus designers in Switzerland must be insane! Another addition to the library of wonderful and interesting videos by Jeffrey.
Hello Melanie! Glad you liked the video - yes, the Swiss did have some wacky designs!
Thanks very much for watching again!!
On the topic of the driver's shoes, a boarding passenger would not see these first. The system at the time on both buses and trams was that the rear set of doors was for boarding, and if you look at the seat plan, you see next to that set of doors is a seat for a conductor to sell tickets and a standing area so that the bus could get under way while tickets were being sold. The middle and front doors were for alighting only.
Was that the sole reason?
Thanks for the clarification! The website of the FBW museum had the info about seeing shoes when boarding this bus, so that's the source of my info. Maybe they're wrong, LOL. Thanks very much for watching!!
It makes more sense having passengers alighting only out the front along with a two man crew.
This bus was not destined to outlast the 70s!
It’s impressive to see that these vehicles seem to be used without conductors in its later days, at least on the airport route (note the eye symbol over the right-hand front lamp in the photo at 3:14!). I ask myself if the vehicle was especially bad or especially well suited for this type of operation with the high position of the driver - Idk 🤷🏻 …or if they still were operated with a conductor but under the ticketing regulations of “Fahrgastselbstkontrolle”, where passengers could board and alight at all doors (seeing the neatly polished shoes), this being done in order to speed up operations. Maybe some Swiss bus fans around here could clarify?
Nevertheless, these giants ran for 20 years, what’s not only a sign for quality of the builders but also for the qualities of the VBZ workshops doing the daily service to these behemoths.
I was born in 1973 and can remember seeing a few of those buses, living near one of the final stops of the Oerlikon line. I was always fascinated by them, but only rode them a couple of times.
Back then, there were no more ticket inspectors, so boarding was allowed from any door, although it was customary to only board at the front if you were elderly or handicapped, as these doors could stay open longer if you needed more time to board. Same for exiting, especially in winter.
There is no ANORAK big enough for Jeffrey!! We LURRVE you Jeffrey!!! 😊
Hello! Thank you so much!!! I very much appreciate it!!! I'm so glad you liked it! Thanks very much for watching again!!
Hochlenker doesn't mean high handlebar, but something like "high-steerer". Lenker means handlebar only at bicycles or motorbikes.
Ok, thanks. Google translate didn't do such a good job. Thanks very much for watching!!
Thanks for this Video! When I was a child in the 1970's, I saw some of these buses in operation. I only knew them as the "Airport Bus". They were used to connect Zürich main station with the airport. I thought they had this unique shape because the airport travellers had so much luggage and needed more space. 🙂
That's a great story from your childhood, thanks for sharing! Thanks very much for watching!!!
I travelled on one of them about 18 years ago when the new tram museum was opened.
The name "Giraff" isn't an English nickname for the bus, that's just what it's called in our local dialect, with different pronunciation of course.
Great to hear you actually rode one! Yes, I did not use the English spelling of Giraffe and left off the silent 'e' as I have seen that's how the Swiss described it! Thanks very much for watching!!!
Im a transit enthusiast from zurich, but i didn't know these existed lol
It would make an awesome camper.
I don't know about Swiss buses much but this literally is one of the most unique buses design I've ever seen, even though there are few buses in the US here had such similar concept in 40 or 50's, this giraffe bus for sure has a better view for the driver but I think that's all of good about it.
It's certainly one of a kind, but not very practical for everyday use as you say! And yes, Greyhound had some concept buses that had the driver up high! Thanks very much for watching again!
Cheers Jeffrey…never heard of it till today….excellent as always.👍🇮🇲
Really glad you liked it!!! Thanks very much for watching again!!
Jeffrey, HOW do you keep finding this stuff????!!! Excellent content as always 😄
LOL, I just stumbled across it! Really glad you liked it! Thanks very much for watching again!!
Another great video from the legend that is Jeffrey!!
Thank you so much for your nice comment!!! Thanks very much for watching again!!!
The first time that I have seen Tri-lex wheels on a bus !
Thanks again Jeffrey 👍
Glad you liked the video! Mack-built buses in the US had those types of wheels...but not too popular and not used by any other manufacturer. Thanks very much for watching again!!
Also used by Saviem in France and Renault. Fiat also used them on both trucks and buses.
Glenorie Bus Company in Sydney’s north had a MAN with PMC Progress bodywork with those wheels. I rode it once in 1990.
Switzerland had Trilex wheels on almost all trucks and buses until the 90s. This was due to the fact that many roads were limited to 2,30m width, where normal trucks and buses with 2,55m weren‘t allowed. Most major european truck manufacturers had to adapt their trucks for switzerland, Volvo even specifically named a Truck „CH 230“. To achieve the 2,30m width, they used trilex wheels, since they don‘t stick out over the edge of the tire. Today, there are still some narrow roads in the mountain regions with the 2,30m limit. Some older trucks with trilex still exist there, and new 2,30m ones too (without trilex). Nowadays, only a few manufacturers offer their trucks in 2,30m width: Renault, MAN (adapted by Toni Maurer), Mercedes Benz and Iveco.
@@peon9282 Yet again, everyday is an education - thanks for that information 👍
Uglier buses have been seen, but not by people who were sober.
LOL, I would say that's an accurate statement! Thanks very much for watching again!!
Jeffrey you have done it again, wonderful episode very interesting seeing what type of busses have been made,, yes i had a giggle about the name
Really glad you liked the video and thanks for the nice comment! Thanks very much for watching again!!
not beeing condecending here but as a swiss: ''HOCKLENKER'' was the funniest thing i heard today! As we speak german here the CH is soft.
Oh, I just didn't know. Thanks for the info and thanks very much for watching!!
I've seen some strange looking buses in my time and this is right up there with them!!
LOL, I don't think anyone would disagree with that! Thanks very much for watching!!
What a weird idea. As soon as I saw it I wondered about tram wires . Not only were clean shoes important but I'd have added fresh underwear and a ban on consumption of spicy food the night before a shift😂
Excellent video Jeffrey keep them coming, Russ
Glad you liked it, Russ! LOL, I don't disagree with your statement about what the driver should and should not do! Thanks very much for watching!!
@@JeffreyOrnstein heat rises.
Another fascinating video, a shining example of why I keep watching!
Wow, thank you! Thanks very much for watching again!!!
that bus looks nuts lol
LOL! It sure does look wacky! Thanks very much for watching!!
Reminds me of a batch of now retired trains that used to run in my home town of Adelaide, South Australia. They had the driving cab above the passenger compartment. they were officially a 2000 class rail car, but had the nickname of 'Jumbo' due to the raised drivers cab.
That's a very interesting comparison! Those trains are worthy of a video as well!! Thanks very much for watching!!!
Every day is another learning day. we thought Citroen U55 Cityrama was wacky
LOL, who thought buses could even be wacky?? Thanks very much for watching!
Many thanks - very enjoyable and informative video! It brought me a strange recollection: as a child I sometimes had a bad dream of driving a double-decker bus which had the drivers position on the top-deck, but the steering linkage was so complicated it didn't really work, and the brakes only came on several seconds after you pressed the pedal ... and the main street which I had to drive it along was down-hill.
Wow, that's a very interesting dream!! Thanks very much for watching!!!
Very unusual, had no idea these existed. Thanks Jeffrey!
Very glad you liked the video on this unusual bus! Thanks very much for watching!!
Another great one Jeffrey! 😊❤👍
I'm really glad you liked the video!!! Thanks very much for watching again!!!
The D90 is definitely an experiment, and not that outlandish. When you ride an American made Prevost, every passenger feels like they are on Amtrak. This is the reverse. In USA, this bus would have needed cable cutter bars, because the tallest machine on the road is what plows through all the branches. When we have an ice storm, forget it. Cable TV is the lowest utility, but phone service can also droop. Nowadays, there are few ladders, but plenty of boom and bucket trucks and even bucket trailers.
Oh yes, it would be interesting to see how this bus would fare in the USA! Thanks very much for watching!!
Wow! Near the end of the film "The Third Man" Harry Lime- played by Orson Welles mentions Switzerland's claim to fame being the invention of the cuckoo clock. This bus is a worthy rival to this claim but was nearly 15 years after the film was shot. So, the logical next phase was to make one into a giraffe house at the zoo was not followed up.
LOL, that was quite funny!! Thanks very much for watching again!!
Thanks, Jeffrey. Excellent.
I've never heard of these buses before.
It all seems a bit of a TALL TALE to me!!
Lol.😂
Sorry.
I'll get my coat.
LOL! Glad you liked this TALL tale! Thanks very much for watching again!!
@JeffreyOrnstein Welcome. Cheers.
A new one on me! Thanks! Strikes me as a bit pointless actually. Raising the drivers position only seems to create a little extra passenger space (say 1 or 2 seats), given that part of the room they created is taken up by the driver's access stairs. So its a lot of hassle and expense for not a lot. The flippant side of me says it must have been hard for the driver to take the money and issue tickets if they were One Man Operated! But presumably in those days they had conductors or some off-bus ticketing arrangements.
The Swiss have a different way of thinking. Look at the Swiss-designed camera, the Alpa.
Different alright.
Oh yes, I was thinking that myself, but there was no info I can find on fare paying. And yes, you only gain a couple of seats at most, and that was the aim of the bus in the design concept, incredibly! Thanks very much for watching!!
They used an app on their phone and the scanner was right under the…whoops wrong century.
I really loved your enthusiasm!😊
Hello! Thank you very much for your nice comment!!!! Thanks very much for watching!!
This bus looks really weird. Good I suppose when negotiating over hanging trees & tram wires etc. This is a good one Jeffery, amazing.
Very glad you liked the video!!! Thanks very much for watching again!!!
Just when you think buses couldn't get more interesting, Jeffery pulls a Giraff out of the hat! Never seen this one before.
Very glad you liked the video and found it interesting!!! Thanks very much for watching!!
Your videos about rare and interesting buses get more fascinating with every video. With this one, I can`t really imagine driving a Leyland Atlantean from the top deck and I`ve driven some odd buses in my time "On the buses".
LOL, that's an interesting thought - driving an Atlantean up on top! Thanks very much for watching!!
Plenty of kids would pretend to.
In my childhood i drive every week with this bus and the highlight for me , was the driver siting upstairs
Awesome! Must have been great to ride! Thanks very much for watching!!
Love these video's.
Thank you so much!!! I appreciate that you really like my videos! Thanks very much for watching!!
Very interesting story of a bus I'd never heard of. I always admire companies who show independent thinking and dare to be different even if their ideas don't meet with success. I wonder what the drivers thought of this bus and what special challenges the control linkages (steering etc.) must have presented. I loved your choice of music at the beginning of the video.
Yes, the Giraff was truly a unique design! I can only imagine what the drivers thought, LOL! Thanks very much for watching again!!
Thank you for being a real person, and not some AI generated Video host!
Thanks for the compliment! Glad you enjoyed the video!
Gotta love a giraffe Jeff!
LOL! Who wouldn't love a Giraffe bus??? Thanks very much for watching!!
Do a video on Seattle’s Breda Dual-Mode buses. They ran in a tunnel under downtown as a trolleybus and on streets and freeways as a diesel bus. They were in service from 1990-2005.
Oh yes, that's a good idea, those original Seattle DM buses! Thanks very much for watching!!
This bus is such an oddball. Jeff you have to look at the English and European designs that were used and modified for local conditions in Australia and Africa ...oh that's right we used American chassis as well.
Oh yes, I really like Australian buses....need to do more on those!! Unfortunately, info on buses in Africa is hard to find... Thanks very much for watching again!!!
The Plaxton Elite i takes the opposite approach! Although looking conventional, it has the driver in the normal location, with a very high passenger compartment, which extends above the driver's cab. They are taller than the "Giraff" at 3.96 metres (13.0 ft). When our local operator, Stagecoach, introduced them, there were many complaints about the layout of these buses. This largely concerned there suitability for elderly or disabled passengers. Although they are fitted with excellent accessible entrances, the main passenger compartment is then reached by a number of stairs, with only two seats, located directly behind the driver, being available for anyone who would be unable to manage the stairs!
I need to take a closer look at the Plaxton Elite I for a future video!! Thanks very much for watching!!
We should reintroduce them, they look bonkers. How have I never heard of this?
LOL, that would be interesting to have them back!! Thanks very much for watching!!
Very interesting and informative Jeffery. Certainly something a little bit different this time. Even though I know that disc type wheels have pretty much all of the advantages that have for all practical purposes the end of the cast spoke wheels. But darn it, I think those are neat.
Really glad you found this bus interesting!!! Thanks very much for watching again!!
It must have been a very unique experience to drive one for the first time.
Oh yes, just imagine what it must have been like!! Thanks very much for watching!!
And of course this bus could have run anywhere that had double deckers, such as West Berlin. For a while (quite a long one, actually), West Berlin only had double-deckers and regular 12-metre singe-deckers, so the Hochlenker buses might have been an option for medium-capacity routes. But then again, West Berliners loved their double-deckers with their high seats-to-standing-room ration, so maybe not.
Very interesting! I wonder if the West Berlin Transport authorities ever looked at the Giraff??!! Thanks very much for watching!!!
Geez.. you'd be sweating a bit around underpasses.
LOL, I'm sure it was a tight fit! Thanks very much for watching!
I lived on that bus line! But not in the 1960s; rather in the last 12 months. But I don't remember seeing one of these goofy buses in the museum.
Awesome! Wonder why it wasn't in the museum. Maybe it was grazing in a field or something, LOL. Thanks very much for watching!!
When I heard this post, I always thought, what is he talking about VBC, then I looked and discovered VBZ, but the expression VBC always annoyed me, then I remembered a visit to LA, where and an invitation to a family where one of the children asked me if I knew the English ABC. I then said the ABC up to the last letter, as I had learned it and it was English and not American, so A to Zet.
So I have to assume that it is a US American who said this amount
What a thoroughly mad idea. There's no earthly way the small gain in passenger capacity was ever going to compensate for the additional cost of creating such a complicated layout. Apart from anything else, it means the bus could only operate with a conductor or a system of prepaid fares, because it's impossible for passengers to interact with the driver.
Oh yes, so true! In fact, the FBW museum stated that the idea was to add a couple more seats!!! Thanks very much for watching!!
I love giraffes 🦒
LOL! Thanks very much for watching again!!!
NAMI - 0159 (НАМИ - 0159)
Soviet production from 1973. with three axles, the front two are for steering.

I looked up that bus, and it's awesome! Too bad there's not enough info available, because I'd do a video on it! Thanks very much for watching!!
I like your vids. I'd personally prefer no music or sound effects unless it's original period correct in the ads or stuff the company may have used.
But way to much sound effects and way to loud. If anything something way lower volume and not distracting that plays continuously would be preferable
I appreciate your feedback, thank you! Thanks very much for watching!!
London open-top double deckers used to have the driver 'on-top'.
It was so he could see over the horses.
That must have been a good idea for the driver!! Thanks very much for watching!!
If Boeing 747 bet a bus
LOL, it's the 747 of buses! Thanks very much for watching!!
How interesting from a psychological perspective. Subsequently, the driver position has sunk considerably to the point where, in the deregulation madness era, such as the swamping of routes with minibuses resulted in the driver being very much looked down upon. I refer in particular to the sixteen seat Ford Transit and Freight Rover Sherpa "bread vans" that set in place a very negative general public view of professional public service drivers.
The industry in the UK has never recovered from this phenomena.
Wow, that's interesting - that we are in the opposite situation today than the Giraff!! Thanks very much for watching!!
Very odd! Leyland trucks of the 70's also named vehicles after animals, such as Terrier, Bison, Buffalo, Lynx and Boxer I recall. The design might have been very attractive without the raised cab. The design, along with the articulated model seems to have been inspired by France's Saviem and Berliet SC10 and PCMR.
Oh yes, I do see some design similarities to the French models you mention!! Thanks very much for watching!!
A very attractive vehicle and livery too. I wonder how they collected the fare i think one person operation would be impossible. Swiss transport is very interesting i use to go on an Ulsterbus coach from Larne to Stranraer ferry then down to Hull for the overnight ferry to the Dutch port off Rotherham spending the night in a German hotel then crossing the border into Switzerland 🇨🇭 a very attractive journey in Plaxton Paramount 3500/DAF s .in Northern Ireland there was an early diesel railcar with a raised driving position it drove in either direction from the same cab it later hit a cow on the line.
Very hard on the cow.
Oh yes, and strangely, there was no mention of fare collection in the research material! Thanks very much for watching!!
@@JeffreyOrnstein Was there anything unusual about the fare collection?
Gives me GM Futureliner vibes
LOL, oh yes, that is for sure! But, at least the Giraff bus was an actual bus! Thanks very much for watching!!
I think it was a good idea for driver visibility but needed better ventilation for the driver
But thinking you would have to be pretty fit to keep climbing up into the drivers seat
Up and down from up there would be no good for me with my bad knees
Good one Jeffrey 👍👍🇦🇺
LOL, yeah, you would need to be fit to drive these buses and to climb the steps! Thanks very much for watching!!
How did the driver collect the fairs did it have a second man ie conductor !
Believe it or not, I could not find anything on that! Although someone commented that these buses did have conductors and you would enter at the rear. Thanks very much for watching!!!
There was a conductor in the back part of the bus.
This is the bus of my childhood. I've used it regularly.
I've seen a drawing of something similar, but with twin front steering axles. If you track it down before I do, be sure to let us all know.
I think it's a Russian bus - someone above mentioned it. Twin steer with driver in a top observation area just like the Giraff! Thanks very much for watching again!!
Do you want a single or a double Deck Bus?
I'm neutral.
LOL, I guess it's combo of both! Thanks very much for watching again!!
A bus that’s trying to be a ship.
Would w quite good looking without the bridge up top.
That SCG gearbox must be a licence built Wilson box.
I just can't see the point of that driving position, the bus looks like something out of a Dr Seuss book lol
LOL, yeah, it is a strange design!! Thanks very much for watching!!
Yet another great video Jeff. Keep up the good work 👏 👍
I'm so glad you liked this video!!! Thanks very much for watching again!!
What were the Swiss smoking? Clearly, not just the driver of this bus was "high".
LOL, I wonder what the designers were doing the night before! Thanks very much for watching!!
The sound effects are too loud
I maybe sticking my neck out with this comment but I think the design was head and shoulders above it's rivals! Sorry.
LOL!!!! I think your comment fits perfectly!! Thanks very much for watching!!
the 747 of buses
LOL, good analogy!
it looks like the driver area is in worst possible place - still limiting the passanger area to some point, but as also mentioned too high to be below clerance of various passes and tram/trolleybus lines.
kinda damned in both directions, were it high enough to have the 747 style hump with maybe exclusive seat/s (either solely driver or some high class area) and no part of driver compartment limiting space on the floor of the main deck i guess it could work better for space reasons, would complicate the ticketing situation offcourse but that aint problem i am trying to solve here.
as for where it could be more succesfull as pposed to specific city... i am not familiar with Swiss underpass situation tho i heard its mountainous country so i will guess some place more flat to not have to worry about height (Netherlands?) or more long distance journeys - assuming you'd give passengers more space, closer to trains compartments. this way would also solve the ticket issue as it would be sorted long before entering the bus and there'd only be small mounts of if not just two stops.
Great analyisis! I like the 747-style idea!! Thanks very much for watching!!
1959 ..obviously a common sense famine . how can anyone justify that?? lol!
LOL! Thanks very much for watching!!
Please use correct pronunciation of Hochlenker.
Like...what would it be????
Unusual, but not unique - I recall seeing an Italian? design that had the driver at the front of a full-length upper floor. IIRC, it too was not successful.
Awesome....I will try to look that one up! Thanks very much for watching!
I really don't know where to start with this one. The raised pod was less than 25% of the overall length. At the same time it not only wasted the space the full height/full length had to offer but also made it impractical on much of the network. The gains in capacity must have been pretty minimal too, it's not as if it made room for another 20 passengers. I'm not sure whether to nominate the designer or the operator for the 'Worst Decision of the Year' award.
LOL, that's a pretty good analysis! True that only one or two seats were added, but that was the original intent! Thanks very much for watching!!