Volvo B6BLE

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Volvo B6BLE

Volvo B6BLE First York.jpg

A Wright Crusader 2 bodied B6BLE of First York.
Overview
Manufacturer Volvo
Production 1999-2001
Assembly Scotland (1999-2000)
Sweden (2000-2001)
Body and chassis
Class Midibus chassis
Doors 1 or 2
Floor type Low entry
Powertrain
Engine Volvo D6A
Capacity 5.5 litres
Dimensions
Length 10.1 metres or 10.7 metres
Width 2.4 metres
Height 2.7 metres[ citation needed ]
Chronology
Predecessor Volvo B6LE
Successor Volvo B7RLE

The Volvo B6BLE was a 5.5-litre engined low-entry midibus chassis manufactured by Volvo between 1999 and 2001, with three unfinished or unsold chassis being bodied in 2004 and 2005.

Midibus

A midibus is a classification of single-decker minibuses which are generally larger than a traditional minibus but smaller than a full-size single decker and can be anywhere between 8 metres and 11 metres long. While used in many parts of the world, the midibus is perhaps most common in the United Kingdom, where operators have found them more economical, and to have a sufficient number of seats compared to full size single-decker buses.

Volvo Buses swedish manufacturer of buses and coaches, subsidiary of Volvo AB

Volvo Buses is a subsidiary and a business area of the Swedish vehicle maker Volvo, which became an independent division in 1968. It is based in Gothenburg.

Contents

History

The Volvo B6BLE was presented in November 1998 [1] as a replacement for the B6LE. Compared to the B6LE it had a new lower chassis frame with increased low floor area, independent front suspension giving more than 10 cm wider gangway between the front wheel arches, and front end "kneeling", giving a 25 cm entrance height. Like its predecessor, it continued to compete with the Dennis Dart SLF.

Low-floor bus a bus with a low floor

A low-floor bus is a bus or trolleybus that has no steps between the ground and the floor of the bus at one or more entrances, and low floor for part or all of the passenger cabin. A bus with a partial low floor may also be referred to as a low-entry bus in some locations.

A total of 346 known B6BLEs were produced between 1999 and 2001, [2] including two for Australia, nine for Norway and two for Sweden. When the Irvine plant was closed in 2000, production moved to Sweden. The last buses were registered as late as April 2002, but the model year on the chassis VINs reveal that they were built in 2001, waiting to be bodied.

A further B6BLE was delivered for Plaxton's Bus 2000 concept in 2004, followed by a second Bus 2000 B6BLE in 2005, but the VINs indicate that they were initially manufactured in model year 2000. A third chassis was available for the Bus 2000 project in 2005; however, it was not required, and was instead sold to New Zealand and bodied by Kiwi Bus Builders. [3] This chassis had 1999 as model year.

Plaxton is an English builder of bus and coach vehicle bodies based in Scarborough. Founded in 1907 by Frederick William Plaxton, it became a subsidiary of Alexander Dennis in May 2007.

Kiwi Bus Builders

Kiwi Bus Builders is a New Zealand bus bodybuilder based in Tauranga.

In some markets, the B6BLE was followed by short-wheelbase variants of the B7RLE.

Volvo B7RLE Low Entry, single deck bus chassis

The Volvo B7RLE is a low-entry single-deck bus chassis manufactured by Volvo. It was superseded by the Volvo B8RLE in 2013.

Engines

D6A, 5478 cc, in-line 6 cyl. turbodiesel (1999-2001)

Cubic centimetre unit of volume

A cubic centimetre is a commonly used unit of volume that extends the derived SI-unit cubic metre, and corresponds to the volume of a cube that measures 1 cm × 1 cm × 1 cm. One cubic centimetre corresponds to a volume of 1/1,000,000 of a cubic metre, or 1/1,000 of a litre, or one millilitre; thus, 1 cm3 ≡ 1 mL. The mass of one cubic centimetre of water at 3.98 °C is closely equal to one gram. SI supports only the use of symbols and deprecates the use of any abbreviations for units. Hence cm3 is preferred to cc or ccm.

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References

  1. ↑ Enter the Volvo B6BLE - A refined version of the Volvo B6LE Volvo Buses 5 November 1998
  2. ↑ Volvo B6BLE Bus Lists on the Web
  3. ↑ Nimon & Sons Australian Bus Fleet Lists
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