![]() ![]() Major coachwork providers (some of whom can build their own chassis) include Van Hool, Neoplan, Marcopolo, Irizar, MCI, Prevost, Volvo and Designline. Integrated manufacturers (most of whom also supply chassis) include Autosan, Scania, Fuso, and Alexander Dennis. A few coaches are built with monocoque bodies without a chassis frame. ![]() ![]() Wheelchair accommodation, possibly including a wheelchair lift for accessĬoaches, like buses, may be fully built by integrated manufacturers, or a separate chassis consisting of only an engine, wheels and basic frame may be delivered to a coachwork factory for a body to be added.On-board refreshment service or vending machines.On some coaches, on-board entertainment including movies may be shown to passengers.On-board restrooms fitted with chemical toilets, hand basins and hand sanitizer.Passenger service units, mounted overhead, on which personal reading lights and air conditioning ducts can be controlled and used by individual passengers with little disturbance to other passengers.Baggage holds, accessed from outside the vehicle, often under the main floor or at the rear, where passengers' luggage can be stowed away from the seating area.Luggage racks above the seats where passengers can access their carry-on baggage during the journey.Comfort is considered to be an important feature in coaches. Comfortable seats that may include a folding table, armrests, and recliner.Coaches typically have only a single, narrow door, but some can have two doors, as an increased loading time is acceptable due to infrequent stops. They can vary considerably in quality: some higher-specification coaches feature luxury seats, air conditioning, and refreshments, while others may only have the bare essentials such as storage and restrooms. Interiors of coaches include many features not found in buses intended for shorter travelĪs they hold passengers for significant periods of time on long journeys, coaches are designed for comfort. The first "motor coaches" were purchased by operators of those horse-drawn vehicles in the early 20th century by operators such as Royal Blue Coach Services, who purchased their first charabanc in 1913 and were running 72 coaches by 1926. One of the earliest motorized vehicles was the charabanc, which was used for short journeys and excursions until the early years of the 20th century. Stagecoaches (drawn by horses) were used for transport between cities from about 1500 in Great Britain until displaced by the arrival of the railways. The imperial post service employed the first horse-drawn mail coaches in Europe since Roman times in 1650, and as they started in the town of Kocs, the use of these mail coaches gave rise to the term "coach". This "cart of Kocs" as the Hungarians called it ( Hungarian: kocsi szekér) soon became popular all over Europe. In Hungary, during the reign of King Matthias Corvinus in the 15th century, the wheelwrights of Kocs began to build a horse-drawn vehicle with steel-spring suspension. Horse-drawn chariots and carriages ("coaches") were used by the wealthy and powerful where the roads were of a high enough standard from possibly 3000 BC. ![]()
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