SMALL STEPS TO LOW-FLOOR

摘要

You may think that 2014 marks the 20th anniversary of the low-floor bus in Britain. And for the start of mass introduction, it does. But you need to take a time machine back more than 80 years to find what was probably the first example. That pioneer of the stepless bus was Gilford, a manufacturer based in High Wycombe. Its usual line was single-deck chassis, mainly for coaches, and frequently fitted with Gruss air springs - air suspension to you or me. It pushed the boat out even farther at the 1931 Commercial Motor Show, exhibiting a front-wheel-drive double-decker with a floor height said to be 13.5in (340mm). Unfortunately for Gilford, no one was interested enough to buy one, and it led to the company's bankruptcy.