Designed and built from the ground up , with passenger comfort and utility in mind , the full four-corner air suspension available on the Frontrunner is the first and only suspension of its type in the cutaway class . The heavy-duty suspension was designed to accommodate a 12,000 pound GVWR bus and has been fine-tuned through the careful selection of its air bags and adjustable , heavy-duty shock absorbers for a superior , comfortable ride . Its next generation ECAS ( Electronically Controlled Air Suspension ) system lowers the nose of the bus at highway speeds for improved aerodynamics and fuel efficiency . The full kneeling system lowers to 9.75 inches , offering the lowest step-in height and ramp angle in the industry . In an emergency , the bus is designed to be driven in the kneeled position . It automatically raises to its 12.75-inch ride height at 5 miles per hour . The Frontrunner ’ s simple and easy to use fold-out ramp also offers the lowest ramp angle in its class , exceeding a ratio of 6:1 . At 63 inches long as measured from the door edge , the ramp angle far exceeds the current standard of 4:1 . Rated at 800 pounds , the ramp is robust enough for even the heaviest of passengers and powered chairs . To achieve this rating , the ramp was required to hold three times its rated weight or 2,400 pounds . Designed to be virtually bullet proof with only one serviceable part , the ramp stows vertically inside the bus , eliminating damage by penetrating road debris commonly associated with in-floor style ramps .
It also dramatically increases the vehicle ’ s usable floor space , making maneuverability of wheelchairs easy and unencumbered with no uneven floor transitions in the entry way . The vehicle accomodates eight ambulatory passengers with three wheelchairs , or up to 14 ambulatory passengers plus the driver . “ Everybody gets in and out together , and the wheelchair occupants ride in the front of the bus ,” LaRose said . “ You don ' t have to remove any wheelchairs for ambulatory or non-ambulatory people to get out . It ' s roomy and spacious , and it ' s flexible .” The ramp is available in manual and fully electric configurations . The Frontrunner is the only bus in its class to actually undergo the new rigorous Altoona Pass / Fail Test . “ Until 2016 the Altoona test was done as a formality to satisfy federal funding requirements , producing a published report detailing the results without deference to performance or the exposure of structural issues ,” LaRose said .
That all changed in 2016 when Altoona became a more stringent pass / fail test . Tested as a five-year / 150,000-mile bus , the Frontrunner earned an unprecedented score of 91 percent . While this new test allowed for 125 hours of unscheduled down time , the Frontrunner was down for only one hour for a non-critical bolt failure . In effect , the Frontrunner proved at Altoona that a lightweight , fuel-efficient minibus could be durable – and validated the company ’ s design goals for fuel efficiency , strength , and durability . While these individual elements all singularly represent next-generation design , engineering , and construction advances over the decades old approach to cutaway bus building , it is the sum of these parts that makes the Frontrunner so transformative in the cutaway class of buses .
The Frontrunner Making a Difference Having been successfully Altoona Tested and being fully compliant with the FTA ’ s Buy America Requirements , the Frontrunner is sold through a nationwide dealer network to transit agencies across the United States and Canada . LaRose noted that with ridership down due to COVID , agencies across the country are turning to the Frontrunner as a smaller , more efficient , and cost-effective alternative to larger transit buses . The Frontrunner is the only cutaway-sized bus built in the true likeness and functionality of a larger transit bus and is seeing service in both fixed route and demand response applications throughout the country .
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