Bustype: Fjern- & turistbus

Van Hool N.V., Lier-Koningshooikt (B)

Foto: Van Hool T917 "Acron" (reklamefoto)
  Van Hool N.V. ©

Extra long please

You can already see them on the roads in a number of countries: non-articulated touring coaches and intercity buses with a length exceeding the conventional 12m. Two, three, even four axles carry more and more constructions up to 15m long. Such vehicles are clearly catching on.

The extra long vehicles are competing for the favour of operators looking for a greater economic return on their vehicles. A longer vehicle means more passengers, i.e. a better return on the investment. The operator can also decide in favour of a more spacious seating arrangement, thus offering greater comfort and luxury. The legal sizes and weights are an inevitable restriction in this field of development.

However, the movement now occurring on various European markets can no longer be stopped. The European Commission realised the advantages of this development for all the counties of the Union. Every member state is now free to allow non-articulated vehicles longer than 12m on their roads.

For years, Van Hool has built for Scandinavia large capacity vehicles, which considerably exceed 12m in length. For the American market mainly 45ft (13.86m) coaches are built. There was, therefore, sufficient expertise at Van Hool to include vehicles with that extra piece of useful space in range.

The T917 Acron is the Acron (3.60m high) in a 13.69m version with a capacity of between 44 and 61 people. The TD927 Astromega is a double-decker 13.70m in length. It can transport up to 91 people and in the 4-star version can seat 82 in luxury. These two types of vehicle are both 2.55m wide with the aisle width increased by 5 cm.

These large capacity vehicles are taking a larger and larger share Van Hool’s sales figures and are present in ever-greater numbers in the fleets of many companies.