Smoothest Place to Ride on a Bus

Just sit in a different seat each day on your way to school and in 30/40 days you could accumulate a considerable amount of data. Same route, different day, keep records.

Make a Slinky-o-meter to measure the bouncyness of each seat. You'll get a A+ at the science fair.

Of course when one is not able to invest 5 minutes in a computation he will invest 40 day in measurements!

The problem is more complex as it seams at first look:

the best position must consider the 2 bumps (when front goes over the obstacle and when rear does the same) the dynamics of the axes and last but not least the mass repartition over the axes.

The optimal position is the one where the two amplitudes are equal and can knowing above or estimated with a quite high accuracy.

If the own frequencies are equal and the masses are symetrical then the midlle is optimal. If not then the optimal position is nearer to the higher mass. But it depends on the speed and on the ground geometry.

You said," If the own frequencies are equal and the masses are symetrical then the midlle is optimal. If not then the optimal position is nearer to the higher mass. But it depends on the speed and on the ground geometry."

I said, "OK, if you want to be serious, distribution of mass is the issue. Empty bus, full bus, partially loaded? Shocks and springs will come into play, too.

Assuming the bus is full of our future leaders, I'd move one seat toward the "motor end" of the bus. (From the middle, in reference to a prior comment that the middle is good.)

What's the difference?

Sorry I dared say some thing apparently same as you did, Oh I apologize deeply.

If do not, I shall get a strong comment isn't it?

What I underlined is the approach with the 30/40 days to get an answer to the question!

My answer was qualitative but if you want I can also make it quantitative.

In your list of parameters you forgot the air pressure in the tires it is for some driving conditions extremely important.

Thank you for the clarification.

"behind the driver due to the engine being in the front of the bus which would make it a swivel point"

Well, that makes no sense at all... What kind of but are you talking about? _{After re-reading the OP, it now is obvious to me that we are indeed talking about a schoolbus, not a city bus... oops.}

Nearly all the city busses out there are rear engine mounted rotary diesel. The Engine is in the back of the bus, not behind the driver.

There obviously are some exceptions... The yellow school busses without the flat nose have front mounted engines. But The location of the Engine would have little (other than a suspension pre-load from weight) to do with the ride inthe cabin.

The suspension will also vary from one model/year to another, in addition to the current condition of the shocks/springs.

If I had to take a guess, I would put my 5 bucks on right in the center, halfway between the front an rear axles. When the bus hits the bump with the front axle the nose of the bus will rise and fall, then the rear of the bus will rise an fall over the same bump... The center of the buss would have the lowest net effect of the axles traveling over the bump... like a fulcrum on a Seesaw thing (Is that what they are called? The big pivoting lever on the elementary playgrounds.)

OK, if you want to be serious, distribution of mass is the issue. Empty bus, full bus, partially loaded? Shocks and springs will come into play, too.

Assuming the bus is full of our future leaders, I'd move one seat toward the "motor end" of the bus.

This is a WAG! But who cares.

DUHHHHHHHHHH

He stated that they were talking about a SCHOOL BUS, not a city bus

DUHHHHHHHHHH

Next time read the entire post!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you take the most basic case - a bus with no suspension and apply this logic .... the best place is halfway between the two axles.

Imagine a bus with no suspension traveling down the road, and you are sitting right above either axle. The bus then hits a speed bump 10 cm high ...... you will also go at least 10 cm high (depending on speed ) - it would happen at both axles. But if you were halfway between the axles (and depending on this length) apply Pythagoreans theorem and you not go 10 cm high.

A friend and myself were discussing where the best place to sit on a school bus to get the smoothest ride might be.

In the drivers seat (it's the only one on the bus that is cushioned and fitted with extra suspension). Technically the right answer but not very practical thou.

And the worst place, up in the front seat separated from the front stair well by a large sheet of glass at head height (at least on our modern school buses). I was in this seat when the bus rear-ended a car. The bus stopped, I didn't. Ouch!

Is it a regular full size school bus?

Or a short school bus?

You know what they say about the kids who ride on the short school bus.

HEY YOU KIDS... Sit DOWN! And quit LICKIN' the windows!

"..where the best place to sit on a school bus to get the smoothest ride might be."

I cannot recall a comfortable ride on any seat of any school bus I ever rode in. But I bet jack of all trades is right, the driver seat HAS to be the best!

Doubt any of this is useful. Sort of fun to think about, though: true variables, unquantifiables, arbitrary values, personal preferences...

I wonder what a school bus manufacturer would have to say about this???

Hey,

I rode the short bus.

First of all, let me bring to everyone's attention that old school buses never die- they are sent to Panama to serve a second life as public transfer. Having clarified this, and having "enjoyed" many a ride on these old, worn-out buses over poorly maintained roads, I can state UNCATEGORICALLY that the smoothest ride is as close to the driver as possible. Due to warn out suspensions, the further to the rear one sits, the more it resembles a carnival ride. The downside to this is during a head-on collision with a dump truck with greater ground clearance than the bus- the last time this happened, the first six rows behind the driver were obliterated. Most everyone in the rear of the bus survived...

I work with school buses and I agree that the smoothest seats are the ones in the middle just towards the engine. That could be in either direction because a lot of school busses are "pushers" with the engine in the rear. What strikes me as interesting is that the questioner is asking about the smoothest place. In a conventional bus (front engine) most kids head for the back seat because it is the roughest. Fact is if you see a bus going down the road the back seat will probably be full of high schoolers because they're bigger and get their way. As for the drivers seat, they can go to both extremes from being bolted on a pedestal to the floor with no give at all, to air ride seats that are so cushy they feel like you're sitting on a trampoline.

If 'smoothness' is defined as the direct reaction of the tires impacting an uneven surface, the the best place is to ride where the un-sprung mass is greatest ... probably nearest the engine (regardless of front or back). Relative smoothness, as such, is a factor only of the sprung mass (wheels and moving suspension components) compared to the un-sprung mass (that it to say, everything else). Of course, a tight suspension will be a 'harder' ride than a soft suspension, but in any given vehicle, the 'smoothest' is closest to the greatest un-sprung mass. ___________Kind Regards

A heavily loaded bus will ride more smoothly than an empty bus as the weight will pre-load the suspension. If you can confine all the weight to the area between the two axles, ride should be optimum.

But, but, but, has no one questioned that if you sit over one of the axles you will get a greater bounce but only one bounce per bump? If you sit between the axles you will a lesser bounce but twice per bump in the road.

Yes, I did; that's why, whenever possible, I choose the axis that carries more mass, thus having greater inertia, thus tending to have less height variations respect to the ground: the motor end.

Yahlasit

LISTEN PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I told you how to solve the puzzle in post #1! Forget all the guesses, doesn't anyone have a kid they can bribe to do the study?

Why bribe anyone, when you can find it out yourself ?

Well, I can say this because Panama is not the only place they send old buses to; they're used as city buses here too.

Eventhough I drive an old CJ5, I take the ocassional ride on a bus and is funny to see how everybody wants the seat behind the driver (among other things also very amusing to see).

Yahlasit

In the back where the engine is.