The
VDL SB200 (previously known as the
DAF SB200) is a light-weight 12m citybus produced from 2001 by
VDL Bus InternationalVDL Bus Chassis is a Netherlands-based bus builder which originated from the bus-building business of DAF.Originally named DAF Bus International after being separated from the truck-building business of DAF, it joined the United Bus in 1990...
(formerly DAF Bus International). It replaced the
SB220The DAF SB220 is a city bus chassis produced by DAF Bus International in the 1980s and 1990s.It has been superseded by the DAF/VDL SB200 and SB250.-United Kingdom :*Optare Delta*Ikarus Citibus*Northern Counties Paladin...
, the longest of the DAF bus chassis in the
UKThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
before the renaming of DAF Bus International.
It is originally designed for use by
ArrivaArriva plc is a British-based international public transport operator, headquartered in Sunderland, Tyne & Wear. It has bus and/or rail operations in Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the United Kingdom...
(VDL dealer in the UK) in order to save fuel over heavy-weight citybuses which are designed for
Continental EuropeContinental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands and, at times, peninsulas. Notably, in British and Irish English usage, the term means Europe excluding the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, the Channel...
where buses carry large numbers of standing passengers, whereas in the UK they do not.
The SB200 sells very well in VDL's home market, the
NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
mainly using VDL
BerkhofBerkhof is a Netherlands-based bus and coach builder, founded in 1970 by Arthur Berkhof and his son Henk. They started with only 10 employees in a 1,000 m² factory. During the first 18 months the company only carried out bus repairs....
bodywork.
The
VDL SB200 (previously known as the
DAF SB200) is a light-weight 12m citybus produced from 2001 by
VDL Bus InternationalVDL Bus Chassis is a Netherlands-based bus builder which originated from the bus-building business of DAF.Originally named DAF Bus International after being separated from the truck-building business of DAF, it joined the United Bus in 1990...
(formerly DAF Bus International). It replaced the
SB220The DAF SB220 is a city bus chassis produced by DAF Bus International in the 1980s and 1990s.It has been superseded by the DAF/VDL SB200 and SB250.-United Kingdom :*Optare Delta*Ikarus Citibus*Northern Counties Paladin...
, the longest of the DAF bus chassis in the
UKThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
before the renaming of DAF Bus International.
It is originally designed for use by
ArrivaArriva plc is a British-based international public transport operator, headquartered in Sunderland, Tyne & Wear. It has bus and/or rail operations in Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the United Kingdom...
(VDL dealer in the UK) in order to save fuel over heavy-weight citybuses which are designed for
Continental EuropeContinental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands and, at times, peninsulas. Notably, in British and Irish English usage, the term means Europe excluding the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, the Channel...
where buses carry large numbers of standing passengers, whereas in the UK they do not.
The SB200 sells very well in VDL's home market, the
NetherlandsThe Netherlands is a country in Northwestern Europe, constituting the major portion of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy. The Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east...
mainly using VDL
BerkhofBerkhof is a Netherlands-based bus and coach builder, founded in 1970 by Arthur Berkhof and his son Henk. They started with only 10 employees in a 1,000 m² factory. During the first 18 months the company only carried out bus repairs....
bodywork. They are operated by all large transport companies in the Netherlands,
ConnexxionConnexxion is the largest public transport bus company in the Netherlands, operating in the west, middle, east and far northern part of the country. It was formed in 1999 as result of a fusion between the public transport companies NZH, ZWN, Midnet and Oostnet...
(including Hermes),
Veolia TransportVeolia Transport is the international transport services division of the French-based multinational company Veolia Environnement...
and Arriva. Arriva also uses SB200 with
WrightWrightbus is an independent coachbuilder and pioneer of the low-floor bus. Based in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, it was established in 1946 by Robert Wright and currently run by his son William Wright.-History:...
bodywork.
In the UK sales have been slow, not helped by the increased success that
VolvoVolvo Bus Corporation is a subsidiary and a business area of Volvo which became an independent division in 1968.It is the world's second largest bus manufacturer, with a complete range of heavy buses for passenger transportation...
and
ScaniaScania Aktiebolag , commonly referred to as Scania AB, or just Scania, is a global automotive industry manufacturer of commercial vehicles - specifically heavy trucks , buses, and diesel engines for motive power of heavy vehicles, marine, and general industrial applications.Founded in 1891 in...
are having with heavy-weight citybuses. Apart from Arriva other notable users include Claribels in
BirminghamBirmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands county of England. Birmingham is the second-most populous British city, with a population of 1,006,500 ....
(which took the first bus) and Fishwick of
LeylandLeyland is a town in the South Ribble borough of Lancashire, England. Lying approximately six miles south of the city of Preston, Leyland has a population of around 40,000.-Divisions and suburbs:* Leyland Town Centre...
. Initially the SB200 built for the UK was only available with
Wright CommanderThe Wright Commander is a low-floor single-deck bus body built by Wright on DAF/VDL SB200 chassis. Examples entered service in the UK between 2002 and 2007, the majority with Arriva subsidiaries...
bodywork, but from 2006, it has been available with
PlaxtonPlaxton is a builder of bus and coach vehicle bodies based in Scarborough, England.-History:The Plaxton of today is the successor to a business founded in Scarborough in 1907 by Frederick William Plaxton.-Beginnings:...
CentroThe Plaxton Centro is a bus body manufactured by Plaxton. It was launched on the VDL SB120 in February 2006. It has since been made available on the VDL SB180, VDL SB200, MAN 12.240, MAN 14.220 chassis and more recently the full size Volvo B7RLE. Users of the Centro include TM Travel, Arriva ,...
(the first of these examples went to Fishwick) or
Wright PulsarThe Wright Pulsar is a bus body built by Wrightbus for the VDL SB200 lightweight bus chassis. It is the replacement for the "Classic" style Commander, Merit and Cadet.It was launched at Euro Bus Expo 2006...
(successor of the Wright Commander) bodywork.
See also
Competitors:
- Alexander Dennis Enviro300
- Mercedes-Benz Citaro
- Scania L94UB
The Scania L94 is a longitudinal inclined-engined bus built by Scania AB, which was a direct replacement of Scania L113. It is used widely in Scandinavia, the United Kingdom, Brazil and Australia...
- Scania OmniCity
The Scania OmniCity is an integrally-constructed transverse-engined low floor citybus available on the European market. The OmniCity is a complete product built in Poland by Scania AB, a company based in Sweden....
- Volvo B7L
Volvo B7L is a low floor citybus with a rear engine mounted on the left of the rear overhang, it is built as a replacement of the Volvo B10L. It is used as both a single and double decker chassis largely in Continental Europe....
- Volvo B7RLE
Volvo B7RLE is a low-floor single-deck city bus launched initially in Australia in 2001, and then in the United Kingdom in 2003 as an addition to the B7L single decker which was unsuccessful in these two countries. It is more like its predecessor the B10BLE...
Other VDL Bus products:
- DB250
The VDL DB250 is a double-decker bus sold in the UK through VDL Bus International's UK dealer Arriva Bus & Coach. Apart from the UK, a small number of DB250 had been sold for service in Istanbul, Turkey....
- SB120
The VDL SB120 is a low-floor light-weight midibus produced from 1999 by VDL Bus International of the Netherlands primarily for the UK market....
- SB250
The VDL SB250 is a full-size low-floor city bus launched in 1997, which was designed specifically for Continental Europe market by the Dutch bus builder VDL Bus International ....
- SB4000
External links