I can answer questions about both the Superbus and parking trams as I used to drive both.
The 2 Superbusses were originally a pilot program from the manufacturer. There was only 10 made initially. One of the selling points was that the trailers could be configured in a passenger capacity, or as a mibile meeting room or even vip. 1 of the original test trailers WDW had, had a full bar in it. WDW got 2 and most of the remaining went to Orange County Transit in California. Initially, they were used on the CM shuttles at the Magic Kingdom between west clock and the tunnel behind 20k. Eventually they were used as peak period units in the morning and night and eventually on routes. Typically the Allstars from Epcot and Downtown Disney as it was then known.
Each trailer had its own generator and ac/heat pack, thogh towards the end the heat didnt work in either, and could carry between 140.to 150 passengers. Each trailer could seat 65 passengers. The same number the average RTS could carry at max capacity. I dont know how many times i heard Why am I always standing driving an RTS at the All Stars. So Dis eys response, let's get busses with less seats. Go figure. They did have the ability to carry 2 ecvs or wheelchairs in the front sideways flip up seats, on the drivers side, though it was drivers choice. Usually it was no, due to the time it took to lower the trailer and tractor, get the ramp out, get the person onboard and secured, then stow the ramp, then raise the tractor and trailer.
The tractors were standard White GMCs with automatic transmissions and had the capability of video cameras, audio devices, a general pa and individual door pa. Instead of the typical 3 pigtails on the average semi, the Suberbusses had 10 if I recall correctly. The standard 3, plus up to 7 for the aux video, sound, pa, etc.
To drive the units, there is a difference in licensing. A driver had to have a Class A passenger CDL with a passe ger endorsement, and air brake endorsement, as opposed to a Class A cdl with a passenger endorsement. I still have my road test card. And we were warned about going to the dmv to make sure it was stated correctly on our dls.
Disney actually used them in the down times to certify the mechanics for the trams as they were required to drive a tram from a park to the maint facilities on public roads. They have been off property several times for maint. They've both been off property for work on the ac packs, and had there kingpins replaced.
What eneded their careers at Disney was a lack of maint. The drivers would continously write things up like the trailer umbilicals were rubbing on the tractor decks and we needed either a spring or a pole to keep them up off the deck. Never got it. The tractors were the same units that distribution services used, so there shouldnt have been a problem getting the parts. 1 of them had a bad sensor, and if the air pressure wasn't at a certain point, to push the front door closed past a certain point, it wouldn't unlock the trailer wheels. The same unit, 1 of the Marque signs was stuck on EPCOT. Finally some one decide to rehab both units and all of that deferred maintenance caught up with them. Admin got sticker shock and that was the end of them.
The original parking trams were John Deeres with a different body on them. Each of the 7 cars would track each other. So when the tram turned right or swerved, the front tires of the tram went to the right, and the rear tires went left, and vice versa. Today, there the same cars, just rehabbed, usually off property. ABC busses in Winter Garden does a lot of rehab work on WDW heavy vehicles. I've seen the parking tram cars up there as well as the trams from the Backstage Studio Tour. The new tram tractors are actually push back tractors for the airports. They just put a heavy duty air compressor in them, and different hitches to match the cars.
The original trams from the Epcot Resorts, were brought back to fleet, and rehabbed and repainted. This was about the time that the trams were painted with the purple and yellow, and labeled Disney Transport. For a while they were in the spare pool for the parks, as 1 tram went down for pm, maint would bring a fresh tram out to keep the numbers even, so no park ever suffered from a lack of trams. Then DL needed new engines for their trams, due to emissions standards so several were selected from the pool, and given Diesel/propane or diesel/lpg engines I forget which, and were tested at the MK for several months with full strings of cars, and full weight capacity before being shipped to DL. I think they may have given us there straight diesels and they got the new combos in return. The engines would start on diesel then swap over to the propane or lpg, which ever it was when the engine got to a certain point.
