Renault Master Bus gets a Lift
Renault Australia is making inroads into the school and community bus market, with the delivery of eight new 12-seater Master Buses that have been converted to accommodate two wheelchairs each.
Melbourne-based Norden Conversion, one of Australia’s most experienced converters, carried out the refit work.
“The Master Bus is a very versatile vehicle, which ordinarily seats 11 passengers and the driver,” said Lyndon Healey, Model Line Manager for Renault LCV.
“We could see a demand for a bus that offers accommodation for two wheelchairs from community groups and schools that maximises the regular number of seats retained. Working in conjunction with Norden, we have created a product that meets a wide range of needs.
“We are confident this design will be viewed with a good deal of enthusiasm by these customers, and we look forward to helping more operators gain access to more efficient vehicles that make their lives and those of their passengers easier,” Lyndon said.
In addition to community groups and schools, the converted Master Bus is ideal for city and local councils’ health and social services departments, private and public aged community and respite homes, as well as maxi-taxi and regional bus operators who prize wheelchair accessibility in a smaller vehicle than a regular route or charter bus.
“The conversion has been carried out to a very high standard, and provides a competitively-priced vehicle that outshines other offerings in the market,” Lyndon said.
Nick Kotsonis, Norden Conversion’s Business Development Manager, said that the intrinsic Master Bus design made it easy to convert to accommodate two wheelchairs as well as to continue to provide seating for seven passengers and the driver. As an alternative, a Master can be fitted out to accept three wheelchairs, though that does reduce the number of conventional seats for other passengers.
“For the two wheelchair specification we designed an internal layout that removed the raised floor from the passenger area, replaced some of the seats and installed the restraints for the wheelchairs and lastly, added the Braun L918 chairlift, all without requiring any structural modifications to the bus,” Nick said.
“The rear barn doors open wide which means it is easier for the wheelchair lift operator to move the chairs into and out of the van. Because the lift is folded neatly inside the bus and the doors close normally, we are able to keep it free from road grime and out of the weather.”
With two wheelchairs installed, two rear-facing, lightweight, high-backed seats are situated against the back of the front seats, with three further single seats mounted down the side, one behind the other. All feature three-point inertia-reel seat belts.
When wheelchairs are not carried, two front-facing double seater units fold down from their stowed position along the sidewall. The design allows one seat to fold down if only one wheelchair is carried. The seats can be covered in vinyl, which makes them easy to maintain, or be trimmed to match the factory cloth facings.
“What we have created is a very flexible design that is easy for the operator to reconfigure in a minute or two to suit the needs of the day,” Nick said.
“One of the advantages of the generous headroom is that carers for wheelchair passengers will not need to bend their heads when moving around inside. There is just that much more usable space inside for them. The flat floor also reduces the tripping hazard, which is appreciated by community transport providers, conscious of OH&S standards.
“The Master Bus will become our default design for two wheelchair buses, it's the new benchmark,” Nick said.
Norden likes the flexibility and practicality of the Master Bus so much it has bought one to convert and use as a demonstrator and for short-term hire to customers who may have a bus off the road being serviced or repaired, or simply need extra transport capacity.
“We will take the Master Bus with the two wheelchair conversion to a number of shows around the country to show it off,” Nick said.
“The ability to carry one or two or no wheelchairs and configure the seating with no unnecessary loss of capacity will be well-received by typical user-groups.
“We have also provided the customer who ordered with wheelchair lift equipped buses with two standard Master Buses, where we have fitted a few modifications, such as additional handrails and tinted windows.
“A key factor for us is that Renault offers a more competitive price than other European suppliers, a price that is comparable with suppliers from Asia, but superior in terms of interior space and carrying capacity,” Nick said.
