TRAVELOGUE: The Automobile Story       Contn...

When liquid fuel flows into the carburetor, it mixes with air and is infected into the cylinder in controlled quantities through the valves in the cover of the cylinders. This mixture of air and petrol or diesel being trapped in the cylinder is ignited by the sparks coming from the plugs. The gas explodes and expands thereby forcing the piston to move downwards. The piston in turn causes the crankshaft to move round by the aid of the connecting rods. Another valve opens and the smoke is spirited out of the cylinder and is expelled through the exhaust pipe. The crank shaft is connected to the gear box which regulates the motion for onward transmission to the wheels by means of a propelling shaft.

The sole function of the fuel is to explode and expand in the piston. This expansion induced by heat is the sole energy that drives the automobile. The expanded gas occupies the cylinder, forcing the piston down in the process. This movement is then converted and transmitted onwards to the axle.

The present sophistication of the automobile engine is the result of the never-ending effort of inventors and innovators to increase the speed and efficiency of the automobile. Sometimes what we will now consider is minor problem or non-issue was a matter of life and death in the earlier days of the automobile. Many, looking backwards today into the infant days of the automobile, will find it difficult to understand why Otto, who invented the four-stroke combustion engine, couldn’t invent such a simple instrument as the car fuel pump. It is hard still to imagine that he committed suicide in despair for not being able to make the instrument.

No matter how useful an invention might be - if it is not accepted by the people, its impact remains rather minimal. The automobile, for all its potentials, was no more than the ‘rich man’s try’ until Henry Ford appeared on the scene. He built the first ever car assembly which produced many cars and made them available. They could only be acquired by those who could afford them. Thus, the generality of the people were still far from experiencing the impact of the newly-invented means of transportation. It was not until buses emerged on the scene that the automobile became a social phenomenon. Though only a few could own an automobile, but now everybody can afford a ride – thanks to the omnibus (bus). Indeed, it is for everyone: social inequality has always made it difficult for everyone to enjoy the good things of life. The bus was the answer to this so long as road transportation is concerned.

The inspiration that gave birth to modern autobus can be traced to the innovationist, Paschal Blaise. Wishing to enable everybody enjoy the horse-drawn carriage, he in, 1662, designed a horse-drawn carriage that was capable of carrying many people and called it omnibus – meaning for everyone. In the early 1900’s, there were only two kinds of motor vehicles, the car and the truck. You got a ride on the former if you were rich enough and on the latter if you were a lumberer. People did try trobling on truck backs but it wasn’t pleasant enough. Thanks to Frank and William Fageol, the first modern bus was built in 1920. With their success, other trucks manufacturers took to manufacturing buses. But Frank and William Fageol had forerunners. The story of the autobus cannot be complete without the mention of Richard Trevithick. This human prodigy, as far back as 1801, mounted the steam engine on a coachee and was using it to ply London and its environs. His speed was so high in comparison to those of horse- drawn coaches that the British Government banned it in 1840, thus putting the bus dream to rest.

However, today we are no longer lacking the speed nor are we lacking the comfort. ABC provides both. Unlike what obtained in the early days in Nigeria, at ABC you encounter a company that is exclusively devoted to your welfare and comfort. You are free from touts and ill-mannered drivers. ABC deserves credit for putting civility and sanity into luxury bus operation. Here, you are certain of the sobriety of your driver. You are treated with the respect you deserve and above all, your safety and not the fare is given priority. You are free from all the discomforts and dangers of overload and the infamous ‘attachment’. Ride on in class and style!

Eboh Emmanuel
Kumasi, Ghana.

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