PRODUCT PROFILE AUTHOR Erwin Zimmermann Handle More Flights with Less Capital Investment THE COBUS Airside Bus is a purpose designed vehicle specifically to move large groups of people over relatively short distances. It is intended to operate on airport tarmacs, on the AOA - Aircraft Operating Areas. Uses of the COBUS include shuttling passengers between the airport terminal and aircraft parked away from the terminal gates on hardstands. The COBUS is used to move passengers between terminals inside the security zones thus eliminating the need to go through airport security multiple times when transferring from one terminal to another. Airports have found that by implementing COBUS A irside Buses into their planning, they can accommodate more aircraft arrivals and departures than they have physical gates available. Parking aircraft on hardstands away from the terminal building and accessing the aircraft with mobile stairs or ramps, the airport can increase the number of f lights serving them. Passengers ride in climate controlled, secure COBUS buses for the short ride between the aircraft and the terminal. Airports have found that using hardstands allows not only more flights, but also a significant savings in both time and cost to increase their daily f light schedules. While the planning, design and construction of additional aircraft gates at the terminal can require several years and millions of dollars, the implementation of hardstand operations can be inaugurated in several months. The elimination of the physical expansion of the terminal building and the time savings factor is almost incalculable. The cost of a hardstand operation is a fraction of the cost of a brick and mortar project. Why COBUS? The COBUS Airside Bus has been specif ically designed for the purpose of operating on an airport ramp. The several models available accommodate between 75 and 110 passengers. Entry to the bus is safe and easy - just one short step up from the ground through several double-wide doors located on each side of the bus onto a wide f lat f loor. The COBUS is designed in accordance with the parameters defined by IATA for airside passenger buses. The COBUS is constructed almost entirely of aluminum, thereby eliminating potential deterioration. The body structure is warranted for 20 years - a feature not offered by any other vehicle manufacturer. Motive power is available to choice: ultra-low emission diesel or fully electric, and we are working on the potential for a hydrogen powered COBUS. As airports Several models available accommodate between 75 and 110 passengers. COBUS 16 \ AIRPORTBUSINESS / NOVEMBER 2020