Magazine serving the bus and rail transit & motorcoach operations since 1904
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We're on Fire, So You're Not! To fnd out more visit us at the APTA Show - Booth #4659. Or call 1-252-246-7193 years 12783 days 1 104 492 410 seconds 18 408 206 minutes 306 803 hours CELEBRATING 35 YEARS OF EXPERTISE AND INNOVATION OPERATIONS PLANNING & MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE BOOTH 5049 GIFTS + CONTEST You could win Bose ® Noise Cancelling headphones giro.ca October 13 - 15, 2014 APTA Expo HOUSTON 123 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 m ETRO m AGAZINE > supplier spotlight "Our product is different than other styles out on the market," Robert Ben- ninghof, engineering and sales, Bentech, says. "Usually we build the aluminum frame welded to aluminum sheet met- al with a glass top that acts as the protec- tive door. We've been looking at diferent materials, including a coated polycarbon- ate glass developed by Extech Inc., which gives scratch-resistance to the glazing material, so it basically won't get scufed up after a short period of time. You want to get about five to 10 years of life out of the glazing." From its work with NYCT, Bentech be- gan to work to create driver's protection doors as part of a pilot program, with sev- eral agencies, including the Milwaukee County Transit System, moving those designs into production to retrofit their bus fleets. Benninghoff says that each driver's door design requires a certain amount of customization. "Te door has to ft in a space between where the driver sits and the area just be- hind the driver and the farebox, which is really unique to each transit authori- ty because they have diferent fareboxes or fare collection methodologies," he ex- plains. "Several, like Brampton Transit in Ontario, Canada, also have fare readers in the area of the farebox for smart cards. So, each challenge has to be accounted for in the design of the door." Benninghof adds the company has re- ceived positive feedback from its custom- ers, including New Jersey Transit and the Kansas City Area Transportation Au- thority, who say they the doors are ex- tremely efective and durable. RAILCAR INTERIORS For several years, Bentech worked closely with Bombardier Transportation at its Thunder Bay, Ontario plant where it designed a series of aluminum attach- ment fittings for railcars being built for the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). "There were about 15 different styles of attachment fittings being developed throughout the railcars," Benninghoff says. "The TTC wanted all the attach- ment fittings to be load tested to make sure they would withstand at least 400 pounds of force."