SEATING PLANS
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That Make for Comfort and Efficiency
ON COACHES
THE seating plan of the coach is not subject to such rigid conditions as is that of the service bus. That is to say, gangways are. often made an inch or two narrower than are those of the bus, a folding.seat may be placed close to a doorway, or an extra passenger may be accommodated beside the driver. Sometimes the gangway is not centrally disposed, or it may even be interrupted by a row of seats which extend for the full width of the-body.
Although the driver is isolated when the chassis is arranged for forward control, there is often no front bulkhead to the coach, if the chassis has the conventional form of steering. A seat lacing the rear, especially a front row, is not uncommon with the service bus, but this variety of seat is usually avoided in the coach. Furthermore, the seat over the wheel-arch, facing the central gangway, is adopted only when absolutely necessary.
The style of . seating plan that is employed on the coach is first determined according to whether the floor is to be built in the normal position, as close to the top of the chassis as possible, or, if it is to be raised, so that the resulting height of wheel-arch above the floor allows facing-forward seats to be used throughout.
Having decided the height of the floor, there are 'then various methods available, each of which helps to improve the seating plan and enhance the comfort of the passengers. Given a well-designed and upholstered seat, it has to be arranged in relation to the other seats so that the luxury provided may be appreciated to the utmost.
The seats may be generously spaced in the direction of the length of the coach. The greater the distance from one seat back to the next, the wider the cushion may be from front to back, consequently providing better support for the passenger. A wellspaced seat may also be lower and have more r a k e, both to the cushion and to the backrest, or squab, than one that is more closely set out. Furthermore, the back may be more fully upholstered and there is ample room for the disposal of a folding table, which may be recessed into it.
Extra comfort is also pl.ovided by increasing the length of the seat. Until the recent advent of t h e automatically extended seat, this problem was indeed difficult. ailing the adoption of equipment of this nature, or any other idea for increasing seating space, a seat really large enough for the average-sized a d u l't passenger, and which provides an arm-rest on each side of every traveller, can be achieved only by a somewhat drastic reduction of t h e seating " capacity. This decrease would have to be effected by providing only three seats per:row, coniisting of a double seat on one side of the gangway and a single seat on the
other. This arrangement of seat s. combined with plenty of knee room between each row of seats, represents a degree of comfort equal to that provided by many highclass private cars.
Another method of making the best use of the available space is to stagger the seats, that is, to place each individual seat a few inches in advance or behind that next to it. This gives the passenger more shoulder room, the only disadvantage of using this form of layout being that the crOss-gangways are not continuous. Seats may also be staggered in their relation to the central gangway. This arrangement makes the aisle a little easier to negotiate and with less disturbance of the seated passengers.
The rearmost seat of the coach may be designed to accommodate four or five passengers. It would. no clbuR, be useful if this latter class of seat could be einployed in other parts of the vehicle. This arrangement can of course, be put into practice only when the seat has its back to the forward bulkhead, or alternatively, when an extra side door is provided.
Gangway Considerations.
To fill the central gangway with a seat and add a side door may appear an easy way of increasing the seating capacity. Such a design of body must, however, not be employed without careful thought, if any real advantage is to be gained. The seats of tile chars-ii-bancs were often spaced 2 ft. 10 ins, apart, whereas the seats in modern long-distance coaches May not be more than 2 ft. 6 ins. apart. That is to say, if the central gangway be omitted, the cross-gang-ways should be made wider. Furthermore, if a wide door be mounted, in keeping with up-to-date coach design, it will usually be desirable to provide a rbw of seats, for only three persons, opposite the doorway.
If the seat be made to accommodate tour passengers
it is advisable to hinge the section nearest to the entrance, so that a convenient landing space is provided. It is possible, however, by-jtaving three side doors, instead of the usual two, to gain one or two seats, especially if the chassis be of maximum dimensions and be arranged for forward control. "
A 32-seater three-door body may then be set out as follows :—The first side door gives access to the front compartment, which has an off-side seat for three persons and a second row for five passengers, this extending for the full width of the coach. The second corapartment has a triple seat opposite the door, similar to that of the front division, then a pair of double seats with a gangway between theta, and a row of five seats.
The seats in the third compartment are similar to those of the section just described, except that the order of the first two rows of seats is reversed. The pair of double seats is arranged first, then the seat for three people, and, finally, the back seat for five passengers. Off-side doors may be added, if required, at the end of the wider cross-gangways.
Facilitating Loading and Unloading.
As each compartment has its own door, the loading and unloading of the body are thereby facilitated, apart from any gain in seating capacity.
When the chassis has the conventional form of steering, a single seat is often placed beside the driver. As a rule, this seat is staggered in,relation to the driver's seat, with a small gangway between the two seats.
A -front seat immediately behind the screen is one which will probably be much sought after, consequently the owner may wish to have a double seat in this position, instead of a single one. This can be done if the front doorway be set out, not opposite the end of the driver's seat, but opposite the next row. Then, if the overall width of the body be not unduly contracted forward of the doorway, there will be room for a double seat in line with the driver, with plenty of space
for a gangway between passengers' and driver's seats.
This modification of the forward part of the seating plan can also be utilized to improve the exterior appearance of the coach. The .first side window may be as large as the door window with the' sloping screen incorporated in it, giving the coach a more elegant appearance than is possible with the comparatively small and more or less triangular-shaped side window which is usually adopted.