1. One reason could be that the drive wheels are positioned incorrectly. 2. The second reason could be that the electric motor is too strong. Bus chaos Public transport in Greater Oslo has been chaotic in recent weeks. Not least, the bus passengers have had a tough start to the year. On Friday, there were again delays due to new snow. The electric buses struggle with range in the cold. Many buses are left spinning on soapy roads. Almost complete standstill On Wednesday this week, mirror-like roads brought bus traffic to an almost complete standstill in Oslo and Bærum. A lack of salting was cited as a reason. But the articulated buses also have another problem, according to bus expert Tom Terjesen. He is editor of the trade magazine Bussmagasinet and has followed the bus industry for a number of years. Terjesen is critical of the fact that most articulated buses in Oslo have rear-wheel drive. The drive wheels – and thus the engine power – sit at the very back. This applies, among other things, to all 183 electric articulated buses in the inner city. They are driven by Unibuss on behalf of Ruter with buses from Solaris. Drive wheels at the very back The articulated buses have three axles where the wheels sit. Two axles sit on the main part of the bus, i.e. in front of the “knock”. The third is located behind the joint. THREE AXLES: The articulated buses in the inner city have traction on the rear wheels, following the articulation. According to Tom Terjesen, it would help a lot to have traction on the middle axle. Photo: Nadir Mohammad Alam / news – Operation at the rear is a major contributing factor to the accessibility problems, says Tom Terjesen. He compares it to a car with a trailer. – It will be as if you were to put the engine in the trailer of your car and be pushed forward. It will happen on bad roads. CRITICAL TO THE BUSES: Editor of the bus magazine and bus expert Tom Terjesen. Photo: Bussmagasinet But it doesn’t have to be like this, says Terjesen. – It could have been solved very easily by moving the drive shaft to the front of the bus, he says. So for the rear wheels on the main part of the articulated bus, second axle instead of third. Automatic chains But there are also other solutions, according to the bus editor. He mentions, among other things, automatic chains. – There is a solution that can be switched on with a button from the driver’s seat. It will provide better accessibility regardless of the road, says Tom Terjesen. – Studded tires also have an advantage, but a good winter tire would have done the trick here, he adds. – Too strong Terjesen says that even diesel-powered articulated buses with operation on the rear axle struggle in winter driving. But things have gotten worse with the electric buses, according to bus drivers in Oslo. Miljan Zdrackovic is deputy chairman of the bus club in Oslo Sporveiers Arbeiderforening. After several years behind the wheel of a diesel bus, he now drives electric articulated buses from Solaris in the inner city. The snow has been challenging for the buses to say the least. Photo: Hallgeir Braastad / news It has not been a happy, new acquaintance, Zdravkovic believes. The electric buses have too many horsepower in relation to their weight. That’s why they accelerate faster than the fossil buses he drove before, he believes. – If it is slippery, it is almost impossible to drive a bus. Even on relatively flat areas, the wheels spin, he says. It also doesn’t take much before the wheels start spinning. – It is enough that the road surface is wet. Then the wheels spin if you are not very careful with the gas pedal, says Zdravkovic. Must give less gas According to Unibuss, all electric buses are programmed so that they must accelerate as fast as they have the energy to do so. Technical director Henrik Anderberg says that drivers must adapt the way they give gas if they have challenges when starting up. He does not agree that the buses spin because they operate on the rear wheels. – We have operated on a third axle for many years and have not had similar challenges for that reason, says Anderberg. He says that all relevant suppliers for the inner city tender had this solution. DEFENDING THE BUSES: Technical director of Unibuss, Henrik Anderberg. Photo: Unibuss But how is it that there are articulated buses from MAN, operating on both second and third axles, in Oslo’s northeast? These are also run by Unibuss, but started just over six months later than the inner city tender. – At the time of the inner city tender, they simply had no bus to offer, says Henrik Anderberg. If they were to buy buses with electric motors on other axles to the inner city, this would also go beyond Ruter’s requirements for disabled spaces, he confirms. Good winter tires Regarding automatic chains, director Anderberg says that they have investigated the possibility, but that it is not technically possible on buses with a low floor. And: – We put on good winter tires in October every year, of the highest classification, says the technical director.
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Therefore, the articulated buses in Oslo struggle on smooth roads – Greater Oslo
