Flxible Metro (6000s)

[qwantae]

There is a logo with "Lift or Step lower upon request". How come the drivers of those 1995 Flxibles were never asked to kneel it down or were they able to kneel when they were brand new in 1995? Sometimes when I get on those, they looked like that they were lower enough.

[Guest]

There is a logo with "Lift or Step lower upon request". How come the drivers of those 1995 Flxibles were never asked to kneel it down or were they able to kneel when they were brand new in 1995? Sometimes when I get on those, they looked like that they were lower enough.

Way back when the 6000s arrived there was a problem with the kneeling system. Passengers that occupied the front of area of the bus when it was crowded would cause the bus to drop lower activating the kneeling sensor which subsequently would cause the bus to shift out of gear. The bus would stay immobile until the front area of the bus was clear of passengers. CTA later disabled the kneeling feature on the 6000s.

[sw4400]

Way back when the 6000s arrived there was a problem with the kneeling system. Passengers that occupied the front of area of the bus when it was crowded would cause the bus to drop lower activating the kneeling sensor which subsequently would cause the bus to shift out of gear. The bus would stay immobile until the front area of the bus was clear of passengers. CTA later disabled the kneeling feature on the 6000s.

My two cents' worth....

CTA5750, I'm not doubting what you say at all... You are/were a Bus Operator for the CTA, so you should know more about the buses than we do. That said, I believe the "Lift or Step lowered upon request" sticker merely tells the passengers if you tell the operator(e.g CTA5750) to lower the step/ramp, you must do so. IMO, this sticker means the Wheelchair Lift or Ramp the bus is equipped with.

And yes, I know the 5300's and 4400's also have lifts. Why these stickers aren't on them is unknown to me. My guess is the sticker was added to new buses only in 1994-1995 when the New Flyer 5800-Series and the Flxible 6000-Series were being delivered.

[trainman8119]

My two cents' worth....

CTA5750, I'm not doubting what you say at all... You are/were a Bus Operator for the CTA, so you should know more about the buses than we do. That said, I believe the "Lift or Step lowered upon request" sticker merely tells the passengers if you tell the operator(e.g CTA5750) to lower the step/ramp, you must do so. IMO, this sticker means the Wheelchair Lift or Ramp the bus is equipped with.

And yes, I know the 5300's and 4400's also have lifts. Why these stickers aren't on them is unknown to me. My guess is the sticker was added to new buses only in 1994-1995 when the New Flyer 5800-Series and the Flxible 6000-Series were being delivered.

The sticker and what is being referred to is not the lift but what is know as the kneeler. This is an air bag that can deflate and lower the front of the bus. It is possible that the 6000s had problems with the kneeler and that it could have been disabled for maintenance reasons. I wonder, though, if this could be some type of ADA issue if it were to be true. Buses are not supposed to operate with the kneeler in the lower position as it creates suspension damage (not to mention a rough ride) when hitting potholes and the such.

I believe the first kneelers the CTA had was with the 4400/5300 series buses. With Pace I believe it was the 8200's. The 8700's had them for sure, even though they had no lifts.

[sw4400]

The sticker and what is being referred to is not the lift but what is know as the kneeler. This is an air bag that can deflate and lower the front of the bus. It is possible that the 6000s had problems with the kneeler and that it could have been disabled for maintenance reasons. I wonder, though, if this could be some type of ADA issue if it were to be true. Buses are not supposed to operate with the kneeler in the lower position as it creates suspension damage (not to mention a rough ride) when hitting potholes and the such.

I believe the first kneelers the CTA had was with the 4400/5300 series buses. With Pace I believe it was the 8200's. The 8700's had them for sure, even though they had no lifts.

Again, not sure... But looking at the following series of buses(5800's, 6400's, 7500's, and 1000's), all of them have a light that flashes or stays on as the kneeler lowers and raises as well as an audible alert tone. Also, the 6000's dash panel doesn't have a kneel/raise switch that I saw(and I saw the panel both when the driver was there and when he/she wasn't). Where was the switch located on the dash, CTA5750? It should still be there even though the kneeler may be disabled.

Here are some copied links to pics to show you...

http://www.chicagobus.org/photo/5805-2 (5800-Series)

http://www.chicagobus.org/photo/6421 (6400-Series)

http://www.chicagobus.org/photo/7526 (7500-Series)

I couldn't find a good pic of the right side of a 1000-Series to show you.

[ryanbytes]

6165 running eastbound on Lawrence around 5:30 p.m. today had the kneel function on and it was being used quite a bit. It's the first Flxible I've seen kneel. Probably the last too.

[cta_44499_FG]

6165 running eastbound on Lawrence around 5:30 p.m. today had the kneel function on and it was being used quite a bit. It's the first Flxible I've seen kneel. Probably the last too.

It is possible to kneel them, but while at the Glen I remember us being asked to not use them as they were afraid once they went down...it wouldn't go back up.

[qwantae]

6165 running eastbound on Lawrence around 5:30 p.m. today had the kneel function on and it was being used quite a bit. It's the first Flxible I've seen kneel. Probably the last too.

The last 6000 I've been on which was the first time I've seen it kneel function on was on Route 67 on bus#6072.