Patent ID: 6257652
Filing Date: 2001-07-10
Classification: B60N,B62D

Abstract:
A public transit vehicle comprising:a roof,two side walls each extending longitudinally of the vehicle including an upper side wall portion connecting to the roof and a row of windows underneath the upper portion,a vehicle floor connected to the side walls and spanning therebetween;two rows of seats for seated passengers each along a respective one of the side walls at the windows and defining a central aisle therebetween for standing and moving passengers;a bottom frame portion having a plurality of longitudinal bottom rails underlying and supporting the floor including two bottom side rails each along a respective side of the floor at the respective side wall;and two side frame portions;each side frame portion having a plurality of side wall posts connected to a respective one of the bottom side rails and upstanding therefrom;and each side frame portion including a shear plate member welded along its bottom edge to the bottom side rail and to the side wall posts so as to extend continuously therebetween and extending continuously upwardly from the bottom edge to a top edge spaced downwardly from a bottom edge of the window, the shear plate member being formed with a plurality of horizontal stiffening elements therein so as to be resistant to impact thereon in a collision;each side wall including an exterior cladding structure covering the side frame portion, the cladding structure including a resilient covering panel covering at least a part of an outer surface of the shear plate member.