The most luxurious buses in the world. China built the world's largest bus

05.03.2020

Brake system

Science and technology do not stand still. Sometimes scientists create simply unique, incredible things that both surprise and fascinate.

Transport corporations in a number of countries have created incredible - unusually large buses. Sluggish, hefty cars hardly fit on narrow streets, but they have no price on wide avenues and boulevards of cities with modern infrastructure, as well as on suburban routes.

Neoplan Jumbocruiser (1972-1992) – 18 meters

This is the only double-decker articulated bus in history made in Germany. It has 103 passenger seats and is a Guinness World Record holder.

Ikarus 286 (1980-1988) – 18.3 meters

karus 286 - A special version of the famous Hungarian bus, which was assembled in the USA. It is 2 meters longer than the accordion we are used to, and it has a chrome-plated “American” bumper.

MAZ-215.069 (2011) – 18.75 meters

The bus of Minsk specialists is designed for 176 passengers who enter and exit through five doors. The use of foreign components ensures high reliability and quality of the machine: Mercedes-Benz OM926 diesel engine with 326 hp, 6-speed ZF automatic transmission, ZF power steering, Knorr-Bremse brakes. The technologies used ensure the environmental friendliness of the machine at the Euro-5+ level.

Mercedes-Benz Citaro “CapaCity L” (2014) – 21 meters

This model, like other Mercedes-Benz buses, carries passengers in many countries around the world. Along with diesel and gas engines, environmentally friendly hybrid versions are available: with hydrogen fuel cells, as well as a bus with an electric motor, battery, and energy recovery function when braking.

Ikarus 293 (1988) – 22.7 meters

The Hungarian three-link vehicle was not put into production after unsuccessful trial operation. Small quantities were supplied to Tehran and Cuba. The bus weighing 33 tons accelerated to 70 km/h, and its capacity was 229 people.

The name “Ikarus” became a bus brand after the company of the Uri brothers, which produced cars and buses, was merged with the “Joint Stock Company Ikarus for the production of cars and aircraft” (Ikarus Gép és Fémgyár Rt). The name of the latter “Icarus” comes from the name of the mythical character Icarus. The origin of the name of the Serbian bus company Ikarbus is similar.

Van Hool AGG 300 - 24.8 meters

Van Hool's 200-seat buses carry passengers throughout Holland, Belgium and even as far away as Angola. The Youngman JNP6250G buses will be operated by Bus Rapid Transit in Beijing and Hangzhou, where demand for efficient public transport is particularly high as the majority of the population lives within the city.

The bus consists of three sections, which are connected by accordion-style transitions. With such large dimensions, this design provides the Youngman JNP6250G with high maneuverability - the turning radius is no more than 12 meters, which is a standard indicator for most buses. The maximum speed of the car is 80 km/h - in this the bus is also not inferior to most other models.

Youngman Bus JNP6250G – 25 meters

This Chinese bus has 290 seats, of which 40 are seated. Fleets of such vehicles carry passengers in the megacities of Beijing and Hangzhou.

Neobus Mega BRT (2011) – 28 meters

The Brazilian city of Curitiba is the very first successful example of the use of a “bus rapid transit” transport system. High-capacity transport such as the Neobus Mega BRT runs along dedicated lanes of this South American city's wide avenues.

Neobus models were created with the support of Swedish bus manufacturing specialists Scania and Volvo. The bus runs on environmentally friendly 100% biofuel. Doors like those on trains allow a large number of passengers to move quickly.

Göppel AutoTram Extra Grand (2012) - 30.73 meters

The bus project was developed within the walls of the Fraunhofer Institute to solve the transport problem of European cities. It runs on economical hybrid electric motors – like a mini-subway on city streets. A special computer system helps the driver control the three-link bus, like a small bus.

The Göppel AutoTram Extra Grand made a successful debut on the streets of Dresden (Germany), where it carries 258 passengers. Beijing and Shanghai have already ordered such machines.

DAF SuperCityTrain – 32.2 meters

The Youngman JNP6250G bus, which is shown in the photo, is the largest bus in the world at the moment. This vehicle was created specifically for large Chinese cities. Chinese engineers believe that this bus can partially solve the problem of tension on China's crowded roads.

The length of a standard public transport is about 12 meters, but the Youngman JNP6250G is a whopping 25 meters long. Despite its size, the huge bus has relatively high maneuverability. Maneuverability is achieved through two flexible sectors that increase the agility of public transport. In the near future, such buses may appear in the CIS countries, for example from the company busfor.ua.

To increase the capacity of the bus, the number of seats was significantly reduced; only 40 seats were left for the entire bus, thanks to which the vehicle has large free space that can accommodate up to 260 people. Thus, the total capacity of the largest bus in the world is up to 300 passengers.

The cost of transporting passengers on this transport is significantly lower than on standard buses, because it can carry many more passengers. 5 wide doors are used for entry and exit. The maximum speed of Youngman JNP6250G is 80 kilometers per hour.

Next to these tracks for transporting passengers, the 16.5-meter-long Ikarus-accordion seems just tiny. Sluggish, hefty cars hardly fit on narrow streets, but they have no price on wide avenues and boulevards of cities with modern infrastructure, as well as on suburban routes.

The longest buses in the world are made of two or three parts, articulated using accordions. The maximum speed of such machines is up to 90 km/h, which is achieved using powerful diesel engines. And they can transport up to 350 people at a time.

These buses are convenient to travel in urban areas, but for tourist trips the bus shown in the photo above is more suitable.

10. Neoplan Jumbocruiser (1972-1992) – 18 meters

The last example of the Neoplan Jumbocruiser in Dover Harbour.

Jumbocruiser in the German city of Dresden.

This is the only double-decker articulated bus in history made in Germany. It has 103 passenger seats and is a Guinness World Record holder.

9. Ikarus 286 (1980-1988) – 18.3 meters

These tinted Icaruses traveled all over America.

Ikarus 286 - A special version of the famous Hungarian bus, which was assembled in the USA. It is 2 meters longer than the accordion we are used to, and it has a chrome-plated “American” bumper.

8. MAZ-215.069 (2011) – 18.75 meters

This modern bus is a product of the Minsk Automobile Plant.

7. Mercedes-Benz Citaro "CapaCity L" (2014) – 21 meters

World debut of the longest Mercedes-Benz bus.

6. Ikarus 293 (1988) – 22.7 meters

"Ikarus", which did not end up on our roads.

Scale model of Ikarus 293.

5. Van Hool AGG 300 - 24.8 meters

Van Hool newAGG300 on the streets of the Dutch city of Utrecht.

Van Hool's 200-seat buses carry passengers throughout Holland, Belgium and even as far away as Angola.

4. Youngman Bus JNP6250G – 25 meters

Three-link bus from China.

This Chinese bus has 290 seats, of which 40 are seated. Fleets of such vehicles carry passengers in the megacities of Beijing and Hangzhou.

3. Neobus Mega BRT (2011) – 28 meters

The streamlined body of the 28-meter Neobus Mega BRT.

2. Göppel AutoTram Extra Grand (2012) - 30.73 meters

A 30-meter long German “sausage” on the streets of Dresden.

The Göppel AutoTram Extra Grand made a successful debut on the streets of Dresden (Germany), where it carries 258 passengers. Beijing and Shanghai have already ordered such machines.

1. DAF SuperCityTrain – 32.2 meters

The longest bus in the world runs in the center of Africa.

The record-breaking giant of the Dutch company DAF is cruising around the African Democratic Republic of Congo. It weighs 28 tons and carries up to 350 people in one trip.

Buses are not only boring, but also stylish. I propose to take a look at 11 of the most unusual buses from around the world, the sight of which will immediately make you want to take a ride on them.

GM Futurliner

The General Motors Futurliner bus is rightfully considered one of the most unusual buses in the world. In the 1930s and 1950s, GM built just 12 of these high-tech dream buses to tour North America, presenting its famous Parade of Progress to millions of visitors who enjoyed demonstrations of cutting-edge science and technology, including this stunning giant.

Only 9 Futurliner buses have survived to this day. In 2015, one of the twelve buses became the most expensive lot - it was sold for $4 million. The 1950 General Motors Futurliner was put up for sale by private collector Ron Preitt, who purchased it in 2006 at the same auction for just over $4 million.

Viberti Monotral Golden Dolphin

Viberti Monotral Golden Dolphin was created in a single copy in 1956. The bus, built on a Lancia Esatau chassis, debuted at the Geneva Motor Show that year. The unique exhibition specimen boasted not only an aerodynamic body with panoramic windows, but also a gas turbine engine with a power of about 400 hp. With such a power unit, the Viberti Monotral Golden Dolphin could accelerate to 200 km/h.

Citroen U55 Cityrama Currus

In 1950, Parisian tour operator Groupe Cityrama commissioned Currus to produce a futuristic double-decker bus. The end result is a really interesting car. This wild-looking bus is based on a Citroen U55 truck chassis, onto which Currus bodybuilders have perched a panoramic double-decker body. An open roof, a huge glass area, all this was conducive to excellent sightseeing tours, and the futuristic aircraft-style design certainly attracted tourists. A total of three of these Citroen U55 Cityrama Currus were produced.

Mercedes-Benz Lo 3100 Stromlinien-Omnibus

The bus was developed in 1934 on the chassis of a Mercedes-Benz L 59 diesel truck and was intended for use on the autobahns that were actively being built at that time, but the Lo 3100 was never put into mass production. In addition to the streamliner body and panoramic roof, the bus had rollable side windows.

AEC Routemaster

The classic British double-decker Routemaster is one of the main symbols of London, and perhaps the most recognizable bus in the world. It was released in 1954 by AEC and operated in London from 8 February 1956 to 9 December 2005. The first Routemasters were used since 1959 as a replacement for trolleybuses. The following copies were produced to replace older bus models.
The main feature of the bus that attracted passengers was the open platform at the rear, through which entry and exit into the bus was carried out. The bus had no doors. Today there are hundreds of similar AEC Routemasters preserved in the world.

Bedford VAL14 Plaxton Panorama C52F

The VAL14 Plaxton Panorama was produced from 1965 to 1968 and, in addition to the non-standard location of the third axle - at the front, could boast of having air conditioning. The design of the chassis made it possible to place the entrance door directly in front of the front axle. Such machines operated on intercity flights until the mid-80s. Production of the series ended in 1973, with over 2,000 examples of the Bedford VAL14 Plaxton Panorama C52F produced.

ZiS-127

The first Soviet intercity bus ZiS-127 was produced in 1955 - 1961. ZiS (ZiL)-127 buses operated primarily on long-distance routes: Tallinn - Leningrad, Moscow - Simferopol, Moscow - Riga, and also served passengers at capital airports. The design of the bus was impressive thanks to corrugated aluminum sides and an abundance of chrome parts in the style of popular American long-haul buses. The ZiS-127 cabin was equipped with 32 semi-sleeping passenger seats with reclining backs. The interior of the ZiS-127 was radio-equipped and equipped with ventilation, heating, lighting systems, a clock and a thermometer. An individual light source and fan were installed at each passenger seat. Nets for hand luggage were fixed above the seats, and two luggage compartments were made under the floor on both sides of the car, with a fuel tank placed between them. The body was equipped with heating and ventilation systems, good lighting, and a radio installation. To transport luggage, spacious luggage spaces are located under the floor of the body, well insulated from dust. The driver's cabin has an individual fan and corresponding control devices. The length of the bus with a 5600 mm wheelbase was 10,220 mm. The width was 2680 mm, and the height with 270 mm ground clearance reached 3060 mm. As a power unit, the ZIL-127 used a two-stroke six-cylinder diesel engine YaM3-206D. The engine was located at the rear and had a transverse arrangement. “King of the Roads”, that’s what the ZiS-127 was called at one time. A total of 851 of these buses were produced.

LAZ Ukraine-1

The famous bus of the Lviv Automobile Plant, which conquered both foreign exhibitions and the Soviet audience in the film “Queen of the Gas Station”. Released in a single copy in 1961, the prototype was equipped with a completely new body with streamlined front and rear parts, a large panoramic windshield, and the latest at that time V-shaped engine ZIL-130 with a power of 150 hp. (5 MKP), air suspension, hydropneumatic brake drive and electro-pneumatic gearbox drive. The cabin was equipped with 36 comfortable airplane-type seats with individual lighting. Dimensions of the bus are 10000x2500x2720 mm, base 4700 mm.

Ikarus 55 Lux

For its characteristic futuristic appearance, the bus received the nicknames “Cigar”, “Sputnik”, “Rocket” and even “Vacuum Cleaner”, and the unusually shaped stern was often called a “chest of drawers”. The swift silhouette of the legendary Hungarian model Ikarus 55 Lux literally fascinated domestic passengers and drivers. This car was the main bus used in the Union on intercity, international and tourist routes until the 80s: from 1955 to 1972, the Soviet Union purchased 3,762 copies of Ikarus of 55 different modifications. Ikarus 55 Lux buses were considered very reliable and covered more than a million km without major repairs.

Neoplan Jumbocruiser

The Neoplan Jumbocruiser double-decker bus debuted in 1975. At that time it was considered the largest bus in the world. It had four axles, a body 18 meters long and 4 meters high, and theoretically there could be up to 144 seats inside (in reality, the most spacious bus had 110 seats). Neoplan Jumbocruiser was produced until 1993. The bus was very expensive (price about DM 1,100,000) and therefore, over all the years, only 11 cars were built, of which only one was rear-engine (the remaining 10 were mid-engine).

Peacemaker

This bus was built by its creators by combining a 1949 General American Aerocoach chassis with a 1955 GMC Sceniccruiser body. The end result is a stunning three-story mobile home. A total of two such buses were built. There is currently only one Peacemaker on the road and every year they do a big tour across America.

It turns out that buses can be not only banal and boring, but also bright and stylish. In this review we have collected the most unusual buses from all over the world.

1. GM Futurliner

The company produced only twelve GM Futurliner buses in the 30s–50s of the last century. These buses were intended for a motor rally across the United States, which was called the Parade of Progress. Then a huge number of people were able to ride on these buses.

Only 9 GM Futurliners remain today. And two years ago one of these buses was presented as a lot at auction. It was sold for $4 million. The 1950 bus was put up for auction by Ron Preitt. Interestingly, he purchased the vehicle in 2006 for the same money.

2. Viberti Monotral Golden Dolphin

Unlike the GM Futurliner, the Golden Dolphin was the only bus in its class. In 1956, it debuted at the Geneva Motor Show.

This vehicle surprised not only with its design and panoramic windows, but also with a powerful 400 horsepower engine. The maximum speed that the Golden Dolphin could reach was 200 km/h.

3. ZiS-127

ZiS-127 is the first bus that was designed and produced in the USSR. It was intended for intercity flights, mainly over long distances (for example, Moscow-Simferopol and Moscow-Riga). This vehicle was produced from 1955 to 1961.

The bus was equipped with corrugated aluminum sides and many chrome-plated parts, so popular in the automotive industry at that time. There could be 32 passengers in the vehicle at the same time. The chairs are equipped with reclining backs for convenience. In addition, the first Soviet bus had heating, lighting, a ventilation system and a thermometer with a clock.

The vehicle had two spacious luggage compartments. The driver had his own fan and the necessary instruments to control the trip.

Overall dimensions of ZiS-127:
* wheelbase -5600 mm;
* body length – 10,220 mm;
* width – 2680 mm;
* height – 3060 mm.

The Soviet ZiS-127 ran on diesel fuel. A 6-cylinder two-stroke engine was used for this model. Only 851 copies were produced.

4. Mercedes-Benz Lo 3100 Stromlinuen-Omnibus

This bus was developed on a chassis from a diesel truck in 1934. It was assumed that the Lo 3100 would be used on actively developing autobahns. But the bus never went into mass production. In addition to the panoramic roof and streamliner body, the bus also had rollable side windows.

5. AEC Routemaster

This bus, along with Trafalgar Square and the Tower, is a symbol of the British capital. It's almost impossible to imagine London without the classic Routemaster. Its release took place in 1954. The AES company was involved in this. The AEC Routemaster was in direct service from February 8, 1956 to December 9, 2005. The first copies replaced trolleybuses, and subsequent ones replaced older bus models.

A special feature of this vehicle is the open rear platform, which served as the entrance. The AEC Routemaster had no doors. Several hundred of these buses remain today.

6. Citroen U55 Cityrama Currus

Managed to distinguish himself in the 50s. and the Parisian tour operator Groupe Cityrama, which ordered a 2-story futuristic bus from Currus. The end result surprised everyone. This model is based on the Citroen U55 chassis (truck), on which a two-story body was later installed.

The huge glass area, combined with the open roof, was conducive to tourist trips and short-term excursion tours. And tourists were undoubtedly attracted by the original design of this vehicle. Only 3 copies of these buses were produced.

7. Bedford VAL14 Plaxton Panorama C52F

These buses were produced from 1965 to 1968. It had two distinctive features: air conditioning and a non-standard third axle.

Due to the unique design, it was possible to place a door for passengers directly in front of the front axle. Until the mid-80s. these buses have been successfully used on international routes. When production ended, the Bedford VAL14 Plaxton Panorama C52F had produced over 2,000 examples.

8. LAZ Ukraine-1

It was this bus that captivated audiences in the world-famous film “Queen of the Gas Station.” Its production was carried out by the Lviv Automobile Plant.

The LAZ Ukraine-1 bus, released in 1961, impressed with its streamlined body elements and wide windshield. The cabin has 36 passenger seats with an individual lighting system. In addition, this vehicle was the first to use a V-twin engine (150 horsepower).

Overall dimensions of the LAZ:

* wheelbase -4700 mm;

* length – 10,000 mm;

* width – 2500 mm;

* height – 2720 mm.

9. Peacemaker

This bus appeared thanks to the creators of the ’49 General American Aerocoach in the back of the ’55 GMC Sceniccruiser. As a result, it was possible to create a three-story mobile home of incredible design. Only 2 copies were released.

Today, only one of them is on the road and can be used to tour the United States.

10. Ikarus 55 Lux

For its futuristic appearance, the Ikarus bus received the nickname “Cigar”.

The legendary bus fascinated with its silhouette. It was Ikarus that was the main bus that was operated in the territory. It was used both on intercity flights and on international tourist routes. From 1955 to 1972, the USSR acquired 3,762 cars.

11. Neoplan Jumbocruiser

The debut of this bus took place in 1975. At that time it was considered a giant: 4 axles, body length 18 meters, height - 4 meters. The Neoplan Jumbocruiser could seat up to 144 seats (theoretically).

This bus was produced until 1993. Over the entire period, only 11 copies were built, due to the high cost of the vehicle.

And a few more original design buses. You simply can’t help but pay attention to them!