School Bus Fleet, February 2020

33 FEBRUARY 2020 SCHOOL BUS FLEET tigue that stems from driving in extremely windy conditions bolster passenger safety during sharp turns and decrease pain for special needs riders Additionally less chassis maintenance is needed because the suspension system reduces frame flexing issues for enhanced stability LiquidSpring is currently optional equipment and is only available on IC Buss Type Cs Ward says The company which created the Liquid Spring strut over 20 years ago for of highway mining trucks and provides the adaptive suspension system for ambulances RVs mining equipment and transit buses is in the early stages of bringing its suspension system to the school bus market PARTNERSHIP Sudha Veerapaneni the product marketing director for IC Bus says that the relationship between LiquidSpring and IC Bus came about after Navistar engineering and IC Bus dealer personnel came across the suspension system at trade shows and other commercial vehicle events Navistar then released the LiquidSpring suspension as an option on IC Buss Type C school buses and two medium duty International truck models We have specifically seen interest for school buses and ambulances on the truck side of Navistars business she says So far two buses have been built with the LiquidSpring suspension There would be a significantly higher cost to install this suspension retroactively but it is possible Veerapaneni adds EASIER RIDE LESS FATIGUE Veerapaneni took one of the buses equipped with the system for a ride in November and attests to the comfort it ofers The LiquidSpring suspension provided a smoother ride in comparison to other suspensions we ofer on our buses Veerapaneni says Another feature that I believe customers would value is the ride height adjustment option Tom Hartman general manager bus for RWC Group says that LiquidSprings Ward contacted him in early 2018 after one of RWCs customers the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and Blind expressed interest in buying a school bus with the suspension system Ward also brought the dealer a demonstration bus to drive Albert Duff facilities and transportation manager of the Tucson campus at the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind says that the school system is considering future orders of buses equipped with the system after riding on a demonstration bus in late 2017 The school system transports 100 students daily and 50 students for its major homegoings when it sends its residential students home for a week every six weeks to remote locations in the state Those longer trips can be on rougher roads causing more fatigue The system would provide improved comfort for both our students and drivers he adds This includes a smoother ride that has less noise and wear and tear on the bus Meanwhile RWC has demonstrated an IC bus with the LiquidSpring system to several school districts in the state and received a favorable response Hartman says Chris Miller the lead mechanic at Saddle Mountain Unified School District in Tonopah Ariz along with Andrew Pariga a bus driver for the district drove the bus during a Jan 10 demonstration and said that it eased the ride on rugged roads in the rural area they serve which is about 52 miles west of Phoenix The districts drivers often navigate dirt roads riddled with potholes streams left by rain and dips We took it down our special needs routes and some rough roads and there was a night and day difference Miller says The system smooths every bump so the ride is not so harsh Driving the demonstration bus outfitted with the system was also easier on his back Pariga says The suspension system works in the front too making the ride comfortable for the driver as well as the students Pariga also pointed to the ability to lower the rear of the bus in case of an emergency to evacuate special needs students faster as a plus The district has ordered two of the Type C buses with LiquidSpring to serve the more than 100 special needs students who attend the school district Miller says Nicole Schlosser@ bobit com