Museum buses

Standard buses of the post-war period

To increase the amount of space in city buses, the Swiss commercial vehicle industry Saurer, Berna and FBW developed new types of buses with a front-wheel-drive design. To minimise passenger space, the engine was installed transversely at the rear (rear engine), laterally between the axles (side engine) and finally under the floor (underfloor engine). Two of these three types were in use in Zurich and have been preserved.

In the Zurich Tram Museum collection:

Saurer 4ZP No. 305

FBW 51 UV No. 324

Articulated buses

Various transport companies used two-axle passenger trailers to provide even more passenger space. In Zurich, three-axle large-capacity buses with one articulation were used from the mid-1950s. A first prototype from the Saurer company was delivered in 1954. A second similar vehicle followed in 1958 and an FBW in 1959. From 1964, VBZ (Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich) procured Saurer series-produced articulated buses. One example of this first 40 series has also been preserved.

In the Tram Museum Zurich collection:

Saurer 5GUK-A No. 540