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Kassel kerb


A bus stop kerb is a special kerb (curb in US English) designed for low-floor buses that serve an elevated bus stop platform. The usage spread after good experiences with the Kassel kerb featuring a concave-section that allows for an easier alignment for buses which was first introduced in the German city of Kassel.

The invention of special curbs for low-floor buses is connected with the introduction of low-floor buses and modern low-floor trams in the late 20th century. The German NEOPLAN Bus GmbH had designed the first bus with a "low-entry section" in 1976 but it was not accepted well in the market.

Since the 1980s, the Association of German Transport Companies invested into the design for a new standard bus, the "Standard-Linienbus II", with the second-generation Neoplan N 416 from 1982 to find wider acceptance.

Shortly later, MAN's competitor Daimler was designing the Mercedes-Benz O405 in 1984 to fit with the new Standard-Bus requirements, and this model spread quickly in the market in the late 1980s.

Based on the Standard-Bus model, a number of variants were developed by their respective manufacturers - here, it was the Kässbohrer Setra S 300 NC to show the first a low-floor version in 1987 that was sold since 1989.

Daimler began to derive the low-floor version of its successful model in its Mercedes-Benz O 405 N, that was produced since late 1989, and which proved to be of a robust design in the following years, leading into rising production numbers. Consequently, Neoplan again developed low-floor versions of their Standard-Buses, named Neoplan N4014, N4015, N4016 NF with production starting in 1990.

With more low-floor buses being introduced to public transport in Germany in the late 1980s, it sparked ideas to optimize accessibility. The introduction of low-floor buses had reduced the number of steps from two or three to one, but the remaining step was a barrier to wheelchairs. A simple elevation of the bus platform is not enough, as there is often a gap too wide for wheels to traverse. The parallel introduction of low-floor trams showed, that with proper horizontal alignment, the gap can be small enough to be barrier-free.


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