The Neoplan Centroliner is a series of

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. ...

transit bus Transit may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Transit'' (1979 film), a 1979 Israeli film * ''Transit'' (2005 film), a film produced by MTV and Staying-Alive about four people in countries in the world * ''Transit'' (2006 film), a 2006 ...

es which was first unveiled in 1997, and mainly built by Neoplan Bus GmbH for the

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

an market. At the time when it was first released, it adopted contemporary technologies like

Controller Area Network A Controller Area Network (CAN bus) is a robust vehicle bus standard designed to allow microcontrollers and devices to communicate with each other's applications without a host computer. It is a message-based protocol, designed originally for mu ...

. The product range of Centroliner included:

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 and long. While used in many parts of the world, the mi ...

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. ...

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 ...

single-decker, and three-axle double-decker, in different body lengths. The rigids had 1 door, 2 door or 3 doors whereas the articulated have 2 doors, 3 doors or 4 doors. After the acquisition of

Neoplan Neoplan Bus GmbH is a German automotive company that manufactures buses, trolleybuses and coaches. It is a subsidiary of MAN Truck & Bus SE. History Foundations The company was founded by Gottlob Auwärter in Stuttgart in 1935, and ma ...

MAN AG MAN Truck & Bus SE (formerly MAN Nutzfahrzeuge AG, ) is a subsidiary of Traton, and one of the leading international providers of commercial vehicles. Headquartered in Munich, Germany, MAN Truck & Bus produces vans in the range from 3.0 to 5.5 t ...

subsidy MAN Nutzfahrzeuge AG, a new version of Centroliner full-size/articulated single-decker was launched, it was also known as Neoplan Centroliner Evolution and was based on

MAN Lion's City The MAN Lion's City is a range of low-floor and low-entry public buses built by German truck and bus manufacturer MAN Truck & Bus (previously MAN Nutzfahrzeuge) since 1996 primarily for the European market, but is also available in chassis-on ...

with different bodywork. After restructuring of MAN's bus division in 2009, Neoplan is concentrating exclusively on luxury coaches and due to that, Centroliner was discontinued without Neoplan-branded successor. Instead, MAN promotes Lion's City as its successor.

Specifications (2009)

The Neoplan Centroliner is available in a range of styles and dimensions. , the Centroliner consists of the following specifications and

powertrain A drivetrain (also frequently spelled as drive train or sometimes drive-train) is the group of components that deliver mechanical power from the prime mover to the driven components. In automotive engineering, the drivetrain is the components o ...

detail.

Hong Kong

Neoplan Centroliner was the third type of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

double-decker introduced in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

(the first being the

Mercedes-Benz O305 The Mercedes-Benz O305 was a single deck, double deck and articulated bus manufactured by Mercedes-Benz in Mannheim, West Germany from 1968 until 1988. It was built as either a complete bus or a bus chassis and was the Mercedes-Benz adaptatio ...

, and the second the MAN 24.350 HOCLNR-NL). A total of 193 Neoplan Centroliner double-deckers were introduced 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. ...

(KMB) and

New World First Bus New World First Bus Services Limited (NWFB) is the third-largest bus operator in Hong Kong. Established by NWS Holdings and FirstGroup in September 1998, it took over 88 China Motor Bus services in Hong Kong Island. Since 2020 it has been a s ...

(NWFB).

Kowloon Motor Bus

KMB received the first Neoplan Centroliner in September 1998, after the test-drive of the Neoplan Megashuttle in 1997. A total of 20 Centroliner N4026/3s (fleet number AP1-AP20), equipped with

Cummins Cummins Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and distributes engines, filtration, and power generation products. Cummins also services engines and related equipment, including fuel systems, controls, air ...

M11-305E21 straight six

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-call ...

and ZF Ecomat 5HP590 five-speed

automatic transmission An automatic transmission (sometimes abbreviated to auto or AT) is a multi-speed transmission used in internal combustion engine-based motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving c ...

, entered service in August 1999. In 2000, KMB received 60 Centroliner N4426/3s, followed by 50 similar buses in 2000/2001. They (AP21-AP130) were allocated to long-distance routes serving

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

Yuen Long Yuen Long is a town in the western New Territories, Hong Kong. To its west lie Hung Shui Kiu (), Tin Shui Wai, Lau Fau Shan and Ha Tsuen, to the south Shap Pat Heung and Tai Tong, to the east Au Tau and Kam Tin (), and to the north Nam Sang W ...

Tuen Mun Tuen Mun or Castle Peak is an area near the mouth of Tuen Mun River and Castle Peak Bay in the New Territories, Hong Kong. It was one of the earliest settlements in what is now Hong Kong and can be dated to the Neolithic period. In the more re ...

Districts. In April 2001, KMB acquired two Centroliner N4426/3s (AP131-AP132) which were fitted with

MAN A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromo ...

D2866 LOH-27 straight six

common rail Common rail direct fuel injection is a direct fuel injection system built around a high-pressure (over ) fuel rail feeding solenoid valves, as opposed to a low-pressure fuel pump feeding unit injectors (or pump nozzles). High-pressure injection ...

Euro 3 The European emission standards are vehicle emission standards for pollution from the use of new land surface vehicles sold in the European Union and EEA member states and the UK, and ships in EU waters. The standards are defined in a ser ...

turbodiesel The term turbo-diesel, also written as turbodiesel and turbo diesel, refers to any diesel engine equipped with a turbocharger. As with other engine types, turbocharging a diesel engine can significantly increase its efficiency and power output, ...

engines, and either a four-speed

Voith The Voith Group is a German manufacturer of machines for the pulp and paper industry, technical equipment for hydropower plants and drive and braking systems. The family-owned company, which operates worldwide and has its headquarters in Hei ...

DIWA864.3E or five-speed ZF Ecomat 5HP602C transmissions. They were coated with special metallic 'flip' paint, which shows different colours (mainly green and purple), depending on the angle of light reflection. They entered service in August 2001. One of them (AP131) was repainted in the standard KMB champagne gold livery in 2010. KMB APM1 ext

In 2002, KMB acquired a further 30 Centroliner N4426/3s (AP133-AP162) with MAN Euro 3 engines. Two of them (fleet number AP144, AP159) are the world's first two

es to be equipped with six-speed automatic transmission. The transmission is a modified ZF Ecomat 6HP602C. They were the test buses of ''Eco-driveline'' (with large differential gear ratio, engine with high low-end torque and six-speed automatic gearbox). Withdrawal of the first batch of Neoplan Centroliners started in 2016. The last were retired in 2018. In May 2003, KMB received a NEOMAN Centroliner N4426/3 (APM1) with MAN ND313F chassis and straight staircase. The width of the bus has increased from to , and is equipped with MAN D2866 LUH-24 straight six engine, four-speed Voith DIWA864.3E transmission, and ventilated

disc brake A disc brake is a type of brake that uses the calipers to squeeze pairs of pads against a disc or a "rotor" to create friction. This action slows the rotation of a shaft, such as a vehicle axle, either to reduce its rotational speed or to hol ...

s on all wheels. The bus was painted in gold with dark brown skirt, which is the standard

livery A livery is an identifying design, such as a uniform, ornament, symbol or insignia that designates ownership or affiliation, often found on an individual or vehicle. Livery will often have elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or ...

for other straight-staircase

low-floor bus 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 ...

es such as TransBus Enviro500 and

Wright Wright is an occupational surname originating in England. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a shipwright i ...

-bodied

Volvo Super Olympian The Volvo Super Olympian was a low-floor double-decker bus manufactured by Volvo. It replaced the 3-axle version of Volvo Olympian. The chassis had the designated manufacturer code B10TL. History The Volvo Super Olympian was unveiled in 1998, wi ...

. It was registered in October 2003. It has been criticised for its frequent breakdowns and extra difficulty in maintenance and so it has remained as a reserve bus since it entered service. This bus remained unique in KMB fleet and was retired on 16 January 2019.

New World First Bus

After KMB put its first 20 Centroliners into service, NWFB announced the order of 30 Neoplan Centroliner N4426/3s in October 1999. They were delivered in 2000 and entered service in 2000/2001. Since 2004, a number of these buses have been suspended from service. Some believe that it is caused by the difficulty in maintenance by NWFB, or due to the fleet quota limit set by the Transport Department of Hong Kong. However, the actual reason is not clearly known. All of them have been put back into the fleet. The last Neoplan Centroliner in NWFB (Fleet numbers 6024, 6027, 6030) was retired in February 2019, indicating that there are no more Neoplan Centroliners in franchised service.

Sun Bus

Sun Bus acquired two Neoplan Centroliners (formerly AP144, 146) from Kowloon Motor Bus, so that they could provide high capacity non-franchised private hire vehicles. They first appeared as a shuttle for tourists from the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal in a KMB gold livery with no logo. In December 2019, former AP146 toppled to its side on the roof of KMB's Lai Chi Kok depot. The bus was repaired and was put back into service two months later. The bus later retired in mid-2020.

Premature withdrawal

One Kowloon Motor Bus-owned Centroliner (fleet number AP69) was forced off a viaduct by a

lorry A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construction ...

Tuen Mun Road Tuen Mun Road is a major expressway in Hong Kong which connects Tuen Mun with Tsuen Wan, within the New Territories. It is part of Hong Kong's Route 9, which circumnavigates the New Territories. Opened in 1978, it was once the major trunk rou ...

on 10 July 2003 and was subsequently

written off A write-off is a reduction of the recognized value of something. In accounting, this is a recognition of the reduced or zero value of an asset. In income tax statements, this is a reduction of taxable income, as a recognition of certain expenses ...

. The remains of the bus were then sent to

Long Win Bus Long Win Bus Company Limited (LWB; ) is a bus company operating franchised services in Hong Kong. It provides bus service between Hong Kong International Airport, North Lantau New Town and the New Territories. It is a subsidiary of Transport In ...

's depot in

Siu Ho Wan Siu Ho Wan (, lit. ''small inlet bay'') is a bay on the north shore of Lantau Island in Hong Kong. The bay has been largely reclaimed for bus depots. The Airport Express, Tung Chung line of the MTR and the North Lantau Highway run across the rec ...

for inspection and storage. The remains were finally sold for scrap in 2008. In total, 21 people (20 passengers and a bus driver) were killed in this accident, making this the deadliest road accident in Hong Kong history; it is still yet to be beaten. The lorry driver involved was sentenced to 18 months in

jail A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...

after being found guilty of

causing death by dangerous driving Causing death by dangerous driving is a statutory offence in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It is an aggravated form of dangerous driving. It is currently created by section 1 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 (as substituted by the ...

. He later on

appeal In law, an appeal is the process in which cases are reviewed by a higher authority, where parties request a formal change to an official decision. Appeals function both as a process for error correction as well as a process of clarifying and ...

ed against the rulings, which were subsequently overturned. He was then found guilty of ''careless driving'', and his sentence was shortened to six months.

References

External links

Neoplan Centroliner
– official website {{Neoplan Low-floor buses Double-decker buses Articulated buses Midibuses Tri-axle buses Centroliner Vehicles introduced in 1997