Volvo B12BLE
Encyclopedia
The Volvo
B12BLE is a low-entry city and suburban bus
chassis launched in 2001 with an engine mounted on the rear overhang. It replaced the Volvo B10BLE
and is used as a base for single deck buses in Europe
and Australia
.
It is a similar to the B7RLE
in design, with the overall chassis being the same, however the B12BLE features the 12-litre Volvo DH12 engine and is equipped with 4-wheel disc brakes because of the extra weight. The engine is mounted horizontally, as opposed to vertically, for example, with the Volvo D7 engine in the B7L
. The radiator is mounted low on the right hand side.
The B12BLE is also available in articulated form since 2005, which is known as the B12BLEA. The creation was from the tractor and turntable modules of B7LA, and the rear modules of the rigid B12BLE. The B12BLEA can now be purchased by any operator as part of Volvo's product range and is now available with a more refined Euro IV engine.
From 2004, the B12BLE is available with the MkII electrical system and a 6-speed ZF
6HP592C automatic transmission, the B12BLEA also having the MkII electrical system and a 6-speed ZF 6HP602C automatic transmission.
The B12BLE is also available as a complete integral bus package in Europe - the Volvo 8500LE and 8700LE.
The Volvo B12BLEA was conceptualised for the State Transit Authority of Sydney
, Australia because the B7LA was too underpowered for many of Sydney's bus routes due to the hilly terrain. The world's first B12BLEA entered service with State Transit Authority of Sydney in late 2005. State Transit Authority has placed an order for 80 B12BLEA articulated buses, and they will be assembled with Custom Coaches bodywork.
Most of the B12BLE chassis that go to Australia are bodied by Australian companies such as Custom Coaches
, Volgren
and Bustech
.
under the guise of a beach tram running on the island's Siloso Beach Tram route. The rear module of the bus consists of a large, sheltered standing area with an al-fresco seating area on the elevated part of the bus where the drive axle is. The buses are bodied by Liannex Corporation and are limited at 35KM/H for safety reasons.
Volvo Buses
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 Göteborg....
B12BLE is a low-entry city and suburban bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
chassis launched in 2001 with an engine mounted on the rear overhang. It replaced the Volvo B10BLE
Volvo B10BLE
The Volvo B10BLE is a low-entry city bus chassis which was popular in Scandinavia, the United Kingdom and Australia. It was launched around 1992 with the engine mounted on the rear overhang of the bus. It was the successor of the citybus version of Volvo B10B and is used as a base for single-deck...
and is used as a base for single deck buses in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
It is a similar to the B7RLE
Volvo B7RLE
Volvo B7RLE is a low-floor single-deck citybus launched initially in Australia in 2001, and then in the United Kingdom in 2003 to supplement the B7L single-decker, which was unsuccessful in both countries. It is similar to the B7L's predecessor, the B10BLE...
in design, with the overall chassis being the same, however the B12BLE features the 12-litre Volvo DH12 engine and is equipped with 4-wheel disc brakes because of the extra weight. The engine is mounted horizontally, as opposed to vertically, for example, with the Volvo D7 engine in the B7L
Volvo B7L
Volvo B7L was a low floor citybus chassis with a rear engine mounted vertically on the left of the rear overhang, it was built as a replacement for the Volvo B10L...
. The radiator is mounted low on the right hand side.
The B12BLE is also available in articulated form since 2005, which is known as the B12BLEA. The creation was from the tractor and turntable modules of B7LA, and the rear modules of the rigid B12BLE. The B12BLEA can now be purchased by any operator as part of Volvo's product range and is now available with a more refined Euro IV engine.
From 2004, the B12BLE is available with the MkII electrical system and a 6-speed ZF
ZF Friedrichshafen
ZF Friedrichshafen AG, also known as ZF Group, and commonly abbreviated to ZF, is a German public company headquartered in Friedrichshafen, in the south-west German region of Baden-Württemberg....
6HP592C automatic transmission, the B12BLEA also having the MkII electrical system and a 6-speed ZF 6HP602C automatic transmission.
The B12BLE is also available as a complete integral bus package in Europe - the Volvo 8500LE and 8700LE.
Australia
Numerous public transport operators in Australia operate copious amounts of the B12BLE, either in its Euro III or Euro IV guises.The Volvo B12BLEA was conceptualised for the State Transit Authority of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia because the B7LA was too underpowered for many of Sydney's bus routes due to the hilly terrain. The world's first B12BLEA entered service with State Transit Authority of Sydney in late 2005. State Transit Authority has placed an order for 80 B12BLEA articulated buses, and they will be assembled with Custom Coaches bodywork.
Most of the B12BLE chassis that go to Australia are bodied by Australian companies such as Custom Coaches
Custom Coaches
Custom Coaches is an Australian bus manufacturing company started in 1935 in Guildford, New South Wales, Australia as the Cycle Components Manufacturing Company by Stanley James Hillsdon.-Origins:...
, Volgren
Volgren
Volgren is an Australian bodywork company previously owned by Volvo and the Grenda Corporation but is now entirely owned by the latter. It was established in 1977, initially supplying bodywork for Volvo buses sold in Australia, and later supplying bus bodywork on all types of chassis for both local...
and Bustech
Bustech
Bustech is an Australian bus bodywork company, established in 1998 on the Gold Coast, Queensland. It is owned by the Transit Australia Group, where buses are produced for its sister companies, Surfside Buslines and Sunbus, as well as other major Australian customers...
.
Singapore
2 Volvo B12BLEAs (Euro V standard) are operated by SentosaSentosa
Sentosa, which translates to peace and tranquility in Malay , is a popular island resort in Singapore, visited by some five million people a year...
under the guise of a beach tram running on the island's Siloso Beach Tram route. The rear module of the bus consists of a large, sheltered standing area with an al-fresco seating area on the elevated part of the bus where the drive axle is. The buses are bodied by Liannex Corporation and are limited at 35KM/H for safety reasons.