Technological Evolution in the Swiss Bus Fleet from 1940 to 2022: An Inventory and Database for Research Applications
Would you like to find out more about the evolution of Switzerland’s bus fleet?
Discover the key findings of a study that takes stock of the buses operated in Switzerland between 1940 and 2022.
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1. What is the subject of this study?
This study examines technological developments in buses in Switzerland between 1940 and 2022.
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2. Why did you choose this population?
In this research project, we are looking at the health of Swiss bus drivers. To understand the factors that may be detrimental to their health, we need to know about their occupational exposures (e.g. noise, vibrations). However, we do not have this data and need to collect it. We also know that the workplace for bus drivers is the bus itself. Consequently, we need to understand the working environment of bus drivers in order to study the link between their work and their health.
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3. Why are there so few studies on this subject?
This is a specific topic that straddles several disciplines: engineering, healthcare, etc. Similar studies have been carried out on specific aspects of vehicle development, but always at national level (e.g. England). Until now, no research team in Switzerland had looked into this issue.
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4. What is the aim of this study?
The first objective is to compile an inventory of all buses and trolleybuses that were in service in Switzerland between 1980 and 2022 (the year of the study). The second objective is to examine how these vehicles have evolved from a technological perspective. And the final objective is to classify the buses into groups of similar vehicles.
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5. How did you go about setting up this study and obtaining your results?
For this study, we conducted online searches of Swiss public transport companies to identify their bus fleets. We then contacted these companies to ask them to provide further details and to verify the information we had gathered.
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6. What were the findings, and how do you interpret them?
It has been possible to compile a list of 891 bus models used on Swiss roads between 1940 and 2022. The first buses were powered by internal combustion engines (diesel, petrol) with a manual gearbox and the engine under the bonnet. Over the course of two decades, there were numerous advances: semi-automatic gearboxes, followed by automatic ones, power steering, the relocation of the engine to the centre and then to the rear, and the introduction of articulated buses. Soundproofing for bus engines was introduced in the 1970s. From the early 2010s, hybrid buses were incorporated into the Swiss bus fleet, and a few years later, it was the turn of electric buses.
These buses have been classified into four groups:
1. Early combustion-engine buses (1940–1980)
2. Modern combustion-engine buses (from 1970)
3. Minibuses
4. Hybrid and electric buses
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7. What conclusion did you draw from this?
Buses have changed dramatically in less than 40 years (the length of some bus drivers’ careers). This could have an impact on drivers’ health and well-being. Further research may help to answer these questions.
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8. What were the strengths and limitations of this study?
One of the study’s strengths is its collaboration with public transport companies (40% participation). One of its limitations is that the inventory is based on data collected from sources including the internet. There is no official register, and it is possible that some bus models are missing. If this is the case, these are likely to be bus models that are rarely used in Switzerland.
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9. What do you think is the next logical step following this study?
This study will serve as the basis for the next phase of the project. It will be used to create bus-exposure and bus-ergonomics matrices. These are databases containing bus models, exposure data (e.g. vibrations) and ergonomic scores.