Buses & Coaches 

The amount of glass in a bus or coach is on average ten times that of a truck. Glass trends in bus design are also evolving, with increasing surface areas and more complex shapes of glazing. For example, the size of a windscreen on a bus sometimes exceeds five square metres. Glass technology is improving in order to maintain a high level of comfort and safety for the bus driver and passenger.

Laminated glass is used for windscreens as well as for side windows and protects against the shattering of glass in case of an accident. Laminated glass can also be equipped with invisible heating filaments in the interlayer film, which improves visibility for the driver.

Comfort is an important issue in buses, considering the large surface of the glazing. The windscreen is therefore laminated and the side windows tempered in order to reduce the temperature of the air and the components inside the bus, and to improve the efficiency of the air-conditioning. Acoustic comfort is also an important aspect, as it limits the driver’s tiredness and provides for better travelling conditions for the passengers. New types of interlayers in laminated windows have therefore been developed to protect against noise more efficiently than standard films.

Glass is a significant aesthetic feature of buses and coaches. New aspects of bus and coach design include complex shapes of glazing, glass roofs, and flush glazing, which is a classical window with an opening where a sheet of glass slides on the main window.

Furthermore, glass can play an important role in decreasing the weight of buses and coaches. Some new vehicle regulations, such as those requiring low-emission engines and seat-belts, have increased the weight of vehicles. By developing side windows that are laminated from 3millimetre-sheets instead of from the classical 4-mm or 5-mm sheets, the weight of a bus can be reduced by as much as 100 kg.