The Karosa ŠM 11 is an urban bus produced by the

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

n bus manufacturer

Karosa Karosa (, ) was a bus manufacturer in Vysoké Mýto in the Czech Republic. It was the biggest manufacturer of buses in Czechoslovakia. In 2007, its name was changed to Iveco, Iveco Czech Republic, and now the company produces buses under the name ...

between 1965 and 1981. It was succeeded by the Karosa B 731 in 1981.

Construction features

The Karosa ŠM 11 is completely different from its predecessor,

Škoda 706 RTO Škoda 706 RTO is an urban bus produced by bus manufacturer Karosa and Škoda in Czechoslovakia between 1958 and 1972. It was succeeded by Karosa ŠM 11 in 1964. Construction features 706 RTO was built on frame of Škoda 706 trucks. The en ...

, which had its engine in the front and two doors. ŠM 11 is a model of Karosa Š series. It was derived from Karosa ŠL 11 intercity bus, and also unified with long-distance coach Karosa ŠD 11. Its body is semi-self-supporting with

frame A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent. Frame and FRAME may also refer to: Physical objects In building construction *Framing (con ...

and

engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ge ...

with

automatic gearbox An automatic transmission (AT) or automatic gearbox is a multi-speed transmission used in motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving conditions. The 1904 Sturtevant "horseless ca ...

in the middle, right between the wheels. Only its rear axle is propulsed. Front axle is independent, rear axle is solid. All axles are mounted on

air suspension Air suspension is a type of vehicle suspension powered by an electric or engine-driven air pump or compressor. This compressor pumps the air into a flexible bellows, usually made from textile-reinforced rubber. Unlike hydropneumatic suspensio ...

. On the right side are three folding doors (the first is narrower than the other doors). Leatherette seats are used for the seats inside the ŠM 11. Driver's cab is not separated from the rest of the vehicle. In the rear, there is room for a pram or wheelchair.

Production and operation

Production of the ŠM 11 started in 1965 and continued until 1981. Although ŠM 11 are not operated in public transport anymore, many of them are still being operated as historical vehicles. The last Karosa ŠM 11 in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

was retired in 1987, and the last ŠM 11 in

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

was retired in 1994 in

Opava Opava (; , ) is a city in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 55,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Opava (river), Opava River. Opava is one of the historical centres of Silesia and was a historical capital of Czech Sile ...

. About 9,900 Karosa ŠM 11 buses were made during its production."Autobusy Karosa – 6. díl – ŠM 11 a 16,5" ''Československý dopravák'' issue 4 2007 page 22 Some buses were also exported to

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

Mongolia Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

and

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

Historical vehicles

: * Prague transport company (bus, no.7135, year 1981) * Technical muzeum Brno (bus ex. Brno transport company no. 2834) * Ostrava transport company (bus no. č. 5842) * Zlín (bus ex Prague transport company no. 7174) * Plzeň (bus ex Plzeň transport company no. 145) * Busline (bus ex transport company Teplice no. 46)

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

: * Bratislava (bus no. 3350) * private collector (bus ex Prague transport company no. 5123) * KHA Bratislava (bus ex Bratislava transport company no. 1382) * private collector (pbus ex transport company Plzeň no. 135)

Construction features

Production and operation

Historical vehicles

References

See also