Volvo B10M
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The Volvo B10M was a
mid-engined In automotive engineering, a mid-engine layout describes the placement of an automobile engine in front of the rear-wheel axles, but behind the front axle. History The mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive format can be considered the original layout of ...
city bus and
coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...
chassis manufactured by
Volvo The Volvo Group ( sv, Volvokoncernen; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distributio ...
between 1978 and 2003. It succeeded the B58 and was equipped with the same 9.6-litre horizontally mounted Volvo diesel engine mounted under the floor behind the front axle. An
articulated An articulated vehicle is a vehicle which has a permanent or semi-permanent pivot joint in its construction, allowing it to turn more sharply. There are many kinds, from heavy equipment to buses, trams and trains. Steam locomotives were someti ...
version under the model name Volvo B10MA was also offered, as was a semi-integral version known as the C10M, with the engine in the middle of the chassis.


History

Designed as a successor to the
Volvo B58 The Volvo B58 was a mid-engined bus chassis manufactured by Volvo in Sweden from 1966 until early 1982. It was succeeded by the B10M. Operators In the United Kingdom, it was sold to many major operators including Wallace Arnold and Park's of H ...
, a large portion of B10M chassis were built in Sweden, but some were built in other countries, like the United Kingdom and Brazil.Evolução do Produto - Ônibus
Volvo Buses Brasil
The B10M was one of the best-selling chassis in the United Kingdom throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Having originally been produced only as a coach chassis, the B10M was made available as a city bus, in which form it was also very popular. It was available as B10M-46, B10M-50, B10M-55, B10M-60, B10M-62, B10M-65 and B10M-70, where the number represents the wheelbase in decimetres. Many bodybuilders did however shorten or extend the chassis to fit their needs. No later than 1981 a tri-axle
chassis A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of an artificial object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart ...
was introduced, available as B10M-50B, B10M-55B, B10M-60B, B10M-65B and B10M-70B, with some bodybuilders extending them up to 7.25 metres wheelbase.


B10MD/D10M

A double-decker version of the B10M was developed for Strathclyde PTE in 1981. It was launched in early 1982, with a downrated engine from the
coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...
, and was named Citybus (also known unofficially as B10MD or D10M). Most early examples were bodied by Alexander Coachbuilders, who provided a modified version - common to all Volvo double-deck chassis bodied by the company after 1980 - of their popular and attractive R type bodywork.
Eastern Scottish Eastern Scottish Omnibuses Ltd. was a bus and coach operator based in Edinburgh, Scotland and a subsidiary of the Scottish Bus Group (formerly SMT Group). Eastern Scottish was formed in June 1985 from the main part of Scottish Omnibuses, Scott ...
and
Fife Scottish Fife Scottish Omnibuses Ltd, is a bus operating company part of Stagecoach East Scotland based in Dunfermline, Scotland. History ''Stagecoach Fife'' can be traced back to 1909 and after buyout and mergers become part of Walter Alexander & Sons ...
bought many of these early versions in 1985–1987. Two were exported in 1984, one of them to
Singapore Bus Service SBS Transit Limited (SBST or just SBS) () is a multi-modal public transport operator in Singapore operating bus and rail services. With a majority of its shares owned by Singaporean multinational transport conglomerate ComfortDelGro Corporatio ...
and the other to
Kowloon Motor Bus The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited (KMB) is a bus company operating franchised services in Hong Kong. It is the largest bus company in Hong Kong by fleet size and number of bus routes. It is a subsidiary of Transport International. ...
, but was destroyed by fire in 1988. The Citybus lasted until the end of B10M production but fell out of favour after Volvo re-engineered the
Leyland Olympian The Leyland Olympian was a 2-axle and 3-axle double-decker bus chassis manufactured by Leyland between 1980 and 1993. It was the last Leyland bus model in production. Construction The Olympian had the same chassis and running gear as t ...
as the
Volvo Olympian The Volvo Olympian was a rear-engined 2-axle and 3-axle double decker bus chassis manufactured by Volvo at its Irvine, Scotland factory. The first was built in 1992 and entered production in March 1993, replacing the Leyland Olympian. History ...
in 1993.


B9M

The B9M was launched in 1982 as a light-weight, stripped-down, budget version of the standard B10M. It was available as B9M-46, B9M-50, B9M-55 and B9M-60. Although technically not a successor to the B57, it found more or less the same place in the markets where it was available. The B9M had the same 9.6-litre engine as the B10M, but at lower outputs. It sold well in the
Nordic countries The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; literal translation, lit. 'the North') are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe and the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It includes the sovereign states of Denmar ...
, with the exception of Denmark, where only a few were sold. The model was available at least past 1996. In the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, the B9M-46 was sold as a shorter 9.5 to 9.7 metre version of the B10M from 1985.


B10MT and B10T

From 1984, a RHD version of the B10M-55B was available as the B10MT, later also B10T.


C10M and B10M-C

In 1984, Swiss bodybuilder Ramseier & Jenzer collaborated with Volvo to unveil a semi-integral coach known as the C10M, with the engine in the middle of the chassis. Production of the C10M was ended in 1987, but the position of the engine was still available as an option and became known as B10M-C.


United Kingdom

Coach operators
National Express National Express Group is a British multinational public transport company headquartered in Birmingham, England. It operates bus, coach, train and tram services in the United Kingdom, Ireland (National Express operates Eurolines in conjunction ...
, Park's of Hamilton,
Shearings Shearings (legally Shearings Travel Limited) is a coach tour operator, part of the Leger Shearings Group, based in the United Kingdom. The tour operator brand specialises in holidays including escorted tours, unescorted tours, short breaks, se ...
and
Wallace Arnold Wallace Arnold (Barr & Wallace Arnold Trust) was one of the UK's largest holiday motorcoach tour operators. History Wallace Arnold was founded in 1912 and was named after two of its founders Wallace Cunningham and Arnold Crowe. In 1926, the Bar ...
all purchased large quantities of B10Ms. In the 1990s,
Stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...
standardised on the bus version of the B10M as their
full-size Full-size car—also known as large car—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than mid-size cars, it is the largest size class for cars. In Europe, it is known as E-segment or F-segment. ...
single decker. Most received
Alexander PS The Alexander PS-type was a step-floor single-decker bus body built by Walter Alexander Coachbuilders in Falkirk, Scotland and was produced from 1988 to the late 1990s predominantly on the Dennis Lance, Mercedes-Benz O405, Scania N113, Volv ...
bodies but some received
Northern Counties Paladin The Northern Counties Paladin, also badged as the Plaxton Paladin towards the end of production, is a step-entrance single-decker bus body built by Northern Counties of Wigan, UK, between 1991 and 1998. The replacements for the Paladin are th ...
bodywork. Stagecoach also took numerous examples of the coach version with
Plaxton 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. In 2019, the maker was acquired by Canadian bus manufac ...
's Interurban bodywork and
Jonckheere Jonckheere was a Belgian motor coach and bus builder, founded in 1881 by Henri Jonckheere in Roeselare. History In 1881, Henri Jonckheere began to build horse-drawn carriages in the village of Beveren, near Roeselare in the province of Wes ...
's Modulo bodywork.
South Yorkshire Transport South Yorkshire Transport (SYT) was a bus operator that provided services around South Yorkshire and outlying areas. The company was formed as an 'arms-length' successor of the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive (SYPTE) in 1986, whic ...
and
Kelvin Central Buses Kelvin Central Buses was a bus operator in Scotland. Formed as a subsidiary of the Scottish Bus Group in July 1989 from the merger of Kelvin Scottish and Central Scottish, it was sold in a management buyout and in July 1998 became part of Fi ...
also purchased large numbers of the type with
Alexander PS The Alexander PS-type was a step-floor single-decker bus body built by Walter Alexander Coachbuilders in Falkirk, Scotland and was produced from 1988 to the late 1990s predominantly on the Dennis Lance, Mercedes-Benz O405, Scania N113, Volv ...
bodies. The B10MA
articulated An articulated vehicle is a vehicle which has a permanent or semi-permanent pivot joint in its construction, allowing it to turn more sharply. There are many kinds, from heavy equipment to buses, trams and trains. Steam locomotives were someti ...
variant was of limited popularity among bus operators in the United Kingdom.
British Caledonian Airways British Caledonian (BCal) was a British private independent airline which operated out of Gatwick Airport in south-east England during the 1970s and 1980s. It was created as an alternative to the British government-controlled corporation airlin ...
took four in 1988, the next examples sold in Britain were supplied eight years later, with the delivery of four to
Ulsterbus Ulsterbus is a public transport operator in Northern Ireland and operates bus services outside Belfast. It is part of Translink, the brand name for the subsidiary operating companies of the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company, which also ...
. Stagecoach was the biggest customer for the model in the UK, purchasing 18 in the mid- to late-1990s, with the last delivered in 1999.


Singapore

Singapore Bus Service SBS Transit Limited (SBST or just SBS) () is a multi-modal public transport operator in Singapore operating bus and rail services. With a majority of its shares owned by Singaporean multinational transport conglomerate ComfortDelGro Corporatio ...
evaluated a mid-engine Volvo B10MD
double-decker bus A double-decker bus or double-deck bus is a bus that has two storeys or decks. They are used for mass transport in the United Kingdom, the United States, New Zealand, Europe, Asia and also in cities such as Sydney; the best-known example is the ...
bodied by
East Lancashire Coachbuilders East Lancashire Coachbuilders Limited was a manufacturer of bus bodies and carriages founded in 1934 in Blackburn, Lancashire, England. The company went into administration for a short while in August 2007, before being bought by Darwen Group a ...
in 1984. No further double-deck B10MD units were acquired however. A second B10M demonstrator was an air-conditioned single-deck bus bodied by
Van Hool Van Hool NV () is a Belgian family-owned coachbuilder and manufacturer of buses, coaches, trolleybuses, and trailers. Most of the buses and coaches are built entirely by Van Hool, with engines and axles sourced from Caterpillar, Cummins, ...
and was acquired in 1986. It was also the only Volvo B10M Mark I acquired by Singapores Bus Service and it was sold to an operator in New Zealand by the end of the 1990s. SBS Transit purchased 977 units between 1988 and 2000, making up a large part of its
single-decker bus A single-decker bus or single-decker is a bus that has a single deck for passengers. Normally the use of the term ''single-decker'' refers to a standard two- axled rigid bus, in direct contrast to the use of the term double-decker bus, which ...
fleet. The Volvo B10M Mark IIs were the first to be used, with 200 delivered between March 1988 and April 1989. They were retired by May 2008 after fulfilling their 19-year lifespan, except one which was sold to New Zealand. The Mark IIs were replaced by Scania K230UB Euro 4 and the Volvo B10BLE CNG. 300 B10M Mark IIIs were delivered between November 1992 and June 1993. They were bodied by
Duple Metsec Duple Metsec was a bus bodywork builder based in West Midlands of England in the United Kingdom. It usually supplied body kits for bus assembly overseas. It was originated from the bus body manufacturing business of Metal Sections, know ...
, and had received mid-life refurbishment. Most units received a two-year lifespan extension due to insufficient replacement buses, and were all retired by June 2012. 475 B10M Mark IVs were delivered between June 1995 and December 2000. They were bodied by either
Duple Metsec Duple Metsec was a bus bodywork builder based in West Midlands of England in the United Kingdom. It usually supplied body kits for bus assembly overseas. It was originated from the bus body manufacturing business of Metal Sections, know ...
or Walter Alexander Strider. Mid-life refurbishments extended their lifespan by two years, and 30 DM3500-bodied buses received another one-year extension in 2017 due to insufficient replacement buses. All these buses have been retired as of 23 December 2018. A 14.5m B10M Superlong tri-axle bus, bodied by
Duple Metsec Duple Metsec was a bus bodywork builder based in West Midlands of England in the United Kingdom. It usually supplied body kits for bus assembly overseas. It was originated from the bus body manufacturing business of Metal Sections, know ...
, was purchased in 1995 (UITP Congress 1995) and retired in October 2012. A 19m B10MA
articulated bus An articulated bus, also referred to as a banana bus, bendy bus, tandem bus, vestibule bus, wiggle wagon, stretch bus, or an accordion bus, (either a motor bus or trolleybus) is an articulated vehicle used in public transportation. It is usua ...
, also bodied by
Duple Metsec Duple Metsec was a bus bodywork builder based in West Midlands of England in the United Kingdom. It usually supplied body kits for bus assembly overseas. It was originated from the bus body manufacturing business of Metal Sections, know ...
, was purchased in 1996. It was known as "Asia's Longest Bus". In 2006, it was sold to Bayes Coachlines in New Zealand.


Japan

For
Expo '85 Expo '85, officially called the , was a world's fair held in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan (Tsukuba Science City, a planned city focused on technology north of Tokyo) between Sunday, March 17 and Monday, September 16, 1985. The theme of the fair was " ...
in
Tsukuba is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 244,528 in 108,669 households and a population density of 862 persons per km². The percentage of the population aged over 65 was 20.3%. The total ar ...
,
Fuji Heavy Industries is a Japanese multinational corporation and conglomerate primarily involved in both terrestrial and aerospace transportation manufacturing. It is best known for its line of Subaru automobiles. Founded in 1953, the company was formerly named ( ...
bodied 100 B10MLs. Seventy-nine were exported to Australia in 1986 with
Brisbane Transport Transport for Brisbane, previously called Brisbane Transport'','' is an organisational division of the Brisbane City Council, responsible through its related Council Committee for providing policy and advice to Brisbane City Council, and for de ...
,
Busways Busways is an Australian bus company operating services in Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis ...
,
Grenda's Bus Service Grenda's Bus Services was a bus and coach operator in Melbourne, Australia. As a Melbourne bus company, it operated 23 bus routes under contract to the Victoria State Government. It was purchased by Ventura Bus Lines in January 2012. History ...
,
Hornibrook Bus Lines Hornibrook Bus Lines is an Australian operator of bus services in the Redcliffe Peninsula and surrounding Upper Bayside area of Brisbane. It operates 16 services under contract to the Queensland Government under the Translink banner. History ...
,
Invicta Bus Service Invicta Bus Services was a bus and coach operator in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was a Melbourne bus company that operated 16 bus routes under contract to Public Transport Victoria. It was purchased by Grenda Corporation in March 2009. w ...
,
Kangaroo Bus Lines Kangaroo Bus Lines is an Australian operator of bus services in the Moreton Bay Region of Brisbane. It operates eight services under contract to the Queensland Government under the Translink banner. History In 1978 Daryl Webster purchased Kanga ...
,
Metro-link Bus Lines Metro-link Bus Lines is an Australian bus charter company operating services in South West Sydney. History Metro-link Bus Lines was established in November 1954 when the Oliveri family, trading as Oliveri Transport Service purchased route 41 ...
, Metropolitan Transit Authority, Premier Roadliners,
Sunbury Bus Service Sunbury Bus Service is a bus operator in Melbourne, Australia. It operates seven routes under contract to Public Transport Victoria. It is a subsidiary of the Donric Group. History Sunbury Bus Service was formed by Richard Baird and Don McKenzi ...
and Surfside Buslines purchasing examples.


United States

From 1983 to 1986, a number of B10Ms were built and used in the United States. The American B10M was manufactured mostly in its articulated form (which was purchased by
SEPTA The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly 4 million people in five coun ...
,
SamTrans SamTrans (stylized as samTrans; officially the San Mateo County Transit District) is a public transport agency in and around San Mateo, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It provides bus service throughout San Mateo County and into port ...
, and
New Jersey Transit New Jersey Transit Corporation, branded as NJ Transit, and often shortened to NJT, is a state-owned public transportation system that serves the U.S. state of New Jersey, along with portions of New York State and Pennsylvania. It operates bu ...
) though a standard length B10M model was made for the
RIPTA The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) provides public transportation, primarily buses, in the state of Rhode Island. The main hub of the RIPTA system is Kennedy Plaza, a large bus terminal in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. In 202 ...
with one example going to SEPTA as compensation for delays. Canadian production of the B10MA
articulated bus An articulated bus, also referred to as a banana bus, bendy bus, tandem bus, vestibule bus, wiggle wagon, stretch bus, or an accordion bus, (either a motor bus or trolleybus) is an articulated vehicle used in public transportation. It is usua ...
under licence to Ontario Bus Industries nearly took place, however it fell through when that company negotiated a more favorable deal with
Ikarus Bus Ikarus was a bus manufacturer based in Budapest and Székesfehérvár, Hungary. It was established in 1895 as Imre Uhry's Blacksmith Workshop and Coach Factory ''( hun.: Uhry Imre Kovács- és Kocsigyártó Üzeme)'' and during the Communist e ...
.


Australia

In Australia, the B10M was purchased by government operators
Adelaide Metro Adelaide Metro is the public transport system of Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia. It is an intermodal system offering an integrated network of bus, tram, and train service throughout the metropolitan area. The network has an ann ...
,
Brisbane Transport Transport for Brisbane, previously called Brisbane Transport'','' is an organisational division of the Brisbane City Council, responsible through its related Council Committee for providing policy and advice to Brisbane City Council, and for de ...
and
Metro Tasmania Metro Tasmania, commonly called Metro, a Tasmanian Government business enterprise, is the largest bus operator in the state of Tasmania, Australia, with operations in three of the four largest urban centres of Hobart, , and . Urban services in ...
, as well as private operators, with large fleets built up in
Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
by
Busways Busways is an Australian bus company operating services in Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis ...
and
Westbus Westbus was an Australian bus and coach operator that operated bus services in Western Sydney from 1955 until October 2013. Founded by the Bosnjak family, it later became a subsidiary of National Express and later ComfortDelGro Cabcharge (now ...
, and in
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
by
Grenda Corporation Grenda Corporation was an Australian bus and coach company which operated services under its subsidiaries Cardinia Transit, Grenda's Bus Services, Moorabbin Transit, Peninsula Bus Lines and Portsea Passenger Service, all of which were sold to Ven ...
and
Sita Buslines Transit Systems Victoria, formerly Sita Buslines, is a bus and coach operator in Melbourne, Australia. It is a subsidiary of Transit Systems and operates 18 bus routes under contract to Public Transport Victoria. History In 1966, Frank Bono a ...
. Three-axle B10Ms were fitted with high and double decker coach bodies with
AAT Kings AAT Kings is an Australian and New Zealand coach tour operator offering both short and long distance tours. History AAT Kings history can be traced back to the 1920s when the Pyke family began a car hire business in Sydney. In the 1930s they ...
,
Ansett Pioneer Ansett Pioneer was an Australian long distance coach operator. Founded in 1905 as the AA Withers Bus Company, the company maintained continuous operation under a variety of corporate monikers until its 1993 merger into Greyhound Pioneer Australi ...
,
Australian Pacific Tours Australian Pacific Touring (APT) is an Australian tour and river cruising operator with worldwide reach. History Alfred William (Bill) McGeary was born in 1900 in Victoria. A fitter and turner by trade, McGeary bought, re-built and sold cars ...
,
Greyhound The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Since the rise in large-scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, the breed has seen a resurge ...
and Westbus among the buyers.


New Zealand

In New Zealand, two Volvo B10Ms with VöV bodies built by
Coachwork International Coachwork International was a bus manufacturer in Palmerston North, New Zealand. Founded in 1926 as New Zealand Motor Bodies, in 1983 it merged with Hawke Coachwork to form Coachwork International. It ceased trading in 1993. History New Zealand ...
were ordered by
Auckland Regional Council The Auckland Regional Council (ARC) was the regional council (one of the former local government authorities) of the Auckland Region. Its predecessor the Auckland Regional Authority (ARA) was formed in 1963 and became the ARC in 1989. The AR ...
in 1985. These are the only Volvo buses to receive the VoV body.Volvo B10M Buses & Coaches
Omnibus Society of New Zealand In 1996, five ex-Hong Kong Stagecoach Volvo B10Ms were sold to New Zeleand from Hong Kong because of disposal in Hong Kong residential bus services.


Belgium

At least 168 B10M and B10MA buses were purchased by Belgian operators ( SNCV / NMVB, TEC and
De Lijn Vlaamse Vervoersmaatschappij De Lijn (English: Flemish transport company ''De Lijn''), usually known as De Lijn (, "The Line"), is a company run by the Flemish government in Belgium to provide public transportation with about 2240 buses and 399 tr ...
). They were fitted with carbodies built by Belgian manufacturers :
Van Hool Van Hool NV () is a Belgian family-owned coachbuilder and manufacturer of buses, coaches, trolleybuses, and trailers. Most of the buses and coaches are built entirely by Van Hool, with engines and axles sourced from Caterpillar, Cummins, ...
(, ),
Jonckheere Jonckheere was a Belgian motor coach and bus builder, founded in 1881 by Henri Jonckheere in Roeselare. History In 1881, Henri Jonckheere began to build horse-drawn carriages in the village of Beveren, near Roeselare in the province of Wes ...
( TransCity, 056, , , ) and a few had a
Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...
Hainje/ Berkhof , or a Berkhof Excellence 500 body. In Belgium, most of the buses on B10BMA chassis were owned by public operators while the B10B buses belonged to private leasers, working on contract with these operators. While most of these buses are now withdrawn in Belgium, De Lijn still owns some articulated Jonckheere Transit 2000 G.


Greece

The articulated version of the B10M constructed by Saracakis under the name "Alexandros" in 1993, 1995 and 1997. All the buses were ordered by
Thessaloniki Urban Transport Organization The Thessaloniki Urban Transport Organisation ( el, Οργανισμός Αστικών Συγκοινωνιών Θεσσαλονίκης), abbreviated OASTH ( el, ΟΑΣΘ), is a mass transport company operating in Thessaloniki, Greece. It wa ...
in
Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...
,
Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
. * 1993 version was featured with steering in the rear axle. * The 1995 and 1997 are facelift versions and the chassis on the rear part was changed. In
Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...
44 buses (1997 version) still in use but
OASTH The Thessaloniki Urban Transport Organisation ( el, Οργανισμός Αστικών Συγκοινωνιών Θεσσαλονίκης), abbreviated OASTH ( el, ΟΑΣΘ), is a mass transport company operating in Thessaloniki, Greece. It w ...
fitted them with modern telematics GPS tracking systems. The older versions were recycled and some of buses were sold t
Astiko Ktel Patron
(the transport organization of
Patras ) , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 = , demographics1_info2 = , timezone1 = EET , utc_offset1 = +2 , ...
), and are still (Q3 2015) in use in the city of
Patras ) , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 = , demographics1_info2 = , timezone1 = EET , utc_offset1 = +2 , ...
, Greece. They operate routes connecting the outskirts of Patras to the city center and the city center to the
University of Patras The University of Patras (UPatras; el, Πανεπιστήμιο Πατρών, ''Panepistímio Patrón'') is a public university in Patras, Greece. It is the third-largest university in Greece with respect to the size of the student body, the s ...
in Rion. In 2015, all the Astiko Ktel Patron buses were fitted with GPS tracking systems for use with modern real time bus arrival boards at the bus stops and a mobile application.


Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, three bus companies purchased Volvo B10Ms. In 1984, Kowloon Motor Bus introduced a Regal B10MD (Fleet No.: VMD1, license plate: DC4146) equipped with an Alexander RV body, which was a double-decker version of the Regal B10M with a body length of 10 meters. It adopts a rare mid-engine design for double-decker buses. The engine is a Regal THD100EC 9.6-liter diesel engine, and the output horsepower is adjusted from 245 to 210 horses. It is equipped with a Voith D851 type 3 front-speed automatic gearbox. The bus had only been running for a few years, and it was suddenly burned in the undersea tunnel on February 23, 1988. Later, the wreckage of the car was purchased by a British company and transported to the UK. The original plan was to rebuild the body of the single-decker bus, but it was finally abandoned. untie. Citybus (CTB) ordered 10 Volvo B10Ms with Van Hool bodied and THD101GD engine fitted between 1990 and 1992 for their border-crossing service between Hong Kong and Mainland China. In 1997, CTB ordered two more Volvo B10Ms with China Volvo bus bodied and DH10A engine fitted into its border fleet. After the closure of border-crossing service, those B10Ms has been sold to private tourist bus companies in Hong Kong.
Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation The Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC; ) is a Hong Kong wholly government-owned railway and land asset manager. It was established in 1982 under the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation Ordinance for the purposes of operating the Kowloon– ...
ordered 15 Volvo B10Ms in 1995 for replacing second-handed
MCW Metrobus The MCW Metrobus is a two and three-axle double-decker bus manufactured by Metro Cammell Weymann (MCW) between 1977 and 1989, with over 4,000 built. The original MkI was superseded by the MkII which had a symmetrical windscreen with an arched ...
fleet, with Northern Counties bodied, ZF4HP500 gearbox and Volvo THD102KF engine fitted. These buses also fitted with Lazzerini chairs inside the interior. All ex-KCRC B10Ms has sold to the
MTR Corporation MTR Corporation Limited is a majority government-owned public transport operator and property developer in Hong Kong which operates the Mass Transit Railway, the most popular public transport network in Hong Kong. It is listed on the Hong ...
because of the merge of mass railways service in Hong Kong in late 2007. In 1994,
Stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...
Hong Kong ordered five B10Ms with Alexander PS bodied and THD101GC engine fitted, these B10Ms were serviced at private house estates residential services in Hong Kong operated by Stagecoach company. But in 1996, Stagecoach company Hong Kong closed, these Volvo B10Ms were sold to New Zealand.


Replacement

The B10M as a single-deck bus was complemented (and was largely replaced) by the
low-floor Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" (i. ...
rear-engined B10L and B10BLE chassis in some markets in the late 1990s. In 2001 the B10M was replaced by the B12M, sporting a larger 12.1-litre engine and the engine position of the C10M/B10M-C.


References


External links

{{Volvo Buses, state=collapsed Articulated buses Bus chassis Coaches (bus) Double-decker buses Step-entrance buses Tri-axle buses Vehicles introduced in 1978 B10M