The Volvo B9TL is a low-floor double-decker bus chassis built by Volvo Buses Ltd from 2002.
Design[]
This bus was developed by Volvo to replace the Volvo Super Olympian double-deck bus chassis (also known as the B10TL).
The chassis design was based on the UK-based B7TL, with a new Renault-designed 9.3-litre engine, which gave it a higher engine output and slightly improved hill-climbing ability than its predecessor. The chassis was originally designed for a body with a rotary staircase, but the chassis design was changed due to the introduction of straight staircase buses by Transport International at the time. [10]
Externally, the biggest difference between the Wright Eclipse Gemini B9TL and the Wright Explorer B10TL is that the B9TL's radiator is located at the rear of the vehicle, while the B10TL's is located behind the right front axle, and there are two types of rear licence plate locations for the B9TL: the one on the lower right side of the upper window and the one on the lower bumper. The rear licence plate of Wright-body B9TLs is also available on the lower right side of the upper window and on the lower bumper. The rear licence plates of Wright-bodied B9TLs for KMB and Discovery Bay Transportation Services are all positioned at the top, while the rear licence plates of Wright-bodied B9TLs for NWS Transportation Services are all positioned at the bottom, except for Citybus 10.6-metre model (7500/PN8018) which is at the top, and the rear licence plates of Wright-bodied B9TLs for MTR Buses are all positioned at the bottom.
Since 2012, the Volvo B9TL 3-axle chassis with the new square ladder design can be used with the Enviro500 MMC body, but this combination has never been available in Hong Kong.
Situation of purchase by Hong Kong bus companies[]
From 2004 to 2018, Transport International ordered a total of 964 B9TL buses for its two Hong Kong franchised bus companies, KMB and LWB, of which KMB has 12-metre and 12.8-metre versions and 10.6-metre two-axle version, while LWB only has a 12-metre version (except for LWB's fleet which has been fully sold to KMB in January 2022).
NWS Holdings, on the other hand, ordered a total of 117 B9TL buses for its two Hong Kong franchised bus companies, Citybus and NWFB, between 2009 and 2014, in all lengths available in Hong Kong. NWFB has 11.3 metres and 12 metres versions, while Citybus has 11.3 metres, 12.8 metres and 10.6 metres two-axle versions.
MTR Bus has ordered a total of 68 B9TL buses from 2014 to 2015, all of which are 11.3 metres in length. For the remaining Discovery Bay Transit Services Limited (DBTSL), a total of six B9TL buses were ordered, all of which are the 12-metre version.
As KMB ordered B9TLs earlier than the other franchised bus companies, it has a wider range of body styles. KMB owns the Volgren CR223LD body with Euro III engine (now replaced by Euro IV engine), Enviro500 body with Euro III engine, Wright Eclipse Gemini body with Euro III engine, Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 body with Euro III engine, and Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 body with Euro IV engine. For LW, only B9TL with Enviro500 body and Euro III engine, Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 body and Euro V engine, Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 body and Euro V engine, and Gemilang body and Euro V engine are available, whereas for Citybus, NWFB, MTR Buses and DBTSL, only B9TLs with Wright Eclipse Gemini 2 body and Euro V engine are available.
In view of the large fleet of Volvo B9TL buses in Hong Kong, this page will be divided into sub-pages by bus companies:
| KMB | LWB | Citybus | NWFB | MTR Bus | DBTSL |
See Volvo B9TL fleet list for the detailed list of fleets.
Replacement[]
The two-axle version of the Volvo B9TL was replaced in 2014 by the B5TL [11], which has a Euro 6 engine. The three-axle version of the B9TL, which had been in production since 2003, continued to be produced in 2016 without a successor. Originally, Volvo did not intend to develop a new model of diesel-engined double-deck bus to replace the three-axle version of B9TL, and instead focused its R&D on hybrid and electric buses. However, Volvo buses are facing fierce competition in the double-deck bus market and a decline in market share, and hybrid and electric buses are still more expensive than diesel-engined buses, and there are limitations to their practical applications. Volvo has therefore developed a new low-floor three-axle double-deck bus as the successor to the three-axle B9TL. The new model is powered by a Euro 6-compliant D8K diesel engine and converted to a centre-axle drive shaft, and will be available in a 12-metre long three-axle version for the Hong Kong and Singapore markets.
The first demonstrator bus was finally revealed on 17 December 2016, with the new chassis named Volvo B8L and announced during the 2018 Volvo Ocean Race to replace the B9TL. [12]
Related articles[]
- Volvo Olympian
- Volvo Super Olympian
- Volvo B8L
- Enviro500 with the same appearance but with centre-axle powering
- Wrightbus
Notes and References[]
- ↑ The term "egg" is only used to describe the Wright-bodied B9TL, which can be categorised as "green egg", "gold egg" and "white egg".
- ↑ The term "Small Egg", also known as "Short Egg", is only used to describe the 10.6 metre B9TL.
- ↑ The term "Large Egg", also known as "Long Egg", is only used to describe the 12.8 metre B9TL.
- ↑ The term "Red Bus" is only used to describe KMB's B9TL, which uses the "Heartbeat of The City" livery.
- ↑ The term "Red Egg" is reserved for the B9TL with Wright bodywork and "Heartbeat of The City" livery.
- ↑ The term "Fake Euro V" or "Fake Euro 5" is only used to describe the KMB B9TL with Enviro500 bodywork.
- ↑ The term "Iron Volvo" is only used to describe the KMB B9TL with Enviro500 bodywork.
- ↑ The term "Antivirus bus" is only used to describe KMB's Gemilang-bodied B9TL, so named because of the similarity between its fleet number "AVG" and the name of a computer anti-virus software.
- ↑ The term "Small Egg Yolk", also known as "Salted Small Egg Yolk", is only used to describe the 10.6 metre B9TL.
- ↑ 淺談Volvo B9TL底盤 (Short talk on Volvo B9TL chassis), hkitalk.net
- ↑ Volvo Buses - Volvo B5TL Overview
- ↑ 九巴新型號 Volvo B8L 巴士曝光 (8 pics), hkitalk.net.
External links[]
- Volvo B9TL Overview, Volvo Buses Hong Kong
- Volvo Buses - B9TL
- HKBRIC: KMB - Volvo B9TL A/C 12m
- HKBRIC: KMB - Volvo B9TL A/C 12m (Euro V)
- HKBRIC: LWB - Volvo B9TL A/C 12m
- HKBRIC: CTB - KMB - Volvo B9TL A/C 10.6m
- HKBRIC: KMB - Volvo B9TL A/C 10.6m
- 九巴兩軸新時代B9TL AVBWS1
- Land Transport Guru: Volvo B9TL (Model information of Volvo B9TL and its usage in Singapore)
Volvo B9TL, B9TL, AVD, AVG, AVBW, AVBE, AVBWU, AVBWS, 3AVBWU, 紅蛋 and 紅雞蛋