Absolutely we can help you out about those "two red kidney shaped swinging panels"!
Now that you mention it, they really do look like two kidneys.. hehehe
They're called McKay Gates and they were used in Montreal on buses made until 1986. A few functions of these gates were to allow the door to open when the bus was stopped, they were also used to deter people from standing on the stairs, and it was used to prevent people from boarding by the rear door.
Unfortunately there are no more buses in Montreal that have these gates, since the door functions by the use of a stair activator that allows the door to open when you step down on the stair, and the newer buses have a motion detector, and push bars to activate the door.
One last thing, If you decide to ride in Laval though, they have buses that still use these gates.
