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| Volvo B7L | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Volvo |
| Production | 1998–2006 |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Buschassis |
| Body style | Single-decker bus Single-deckerarticulated bus Double-decker bus |
| Doors | 1 door, 2 doors, 3 doors or 4 doors |
| Floor type | Low floor |
| Chassis | Volvo |
| Related | Volvo B7R |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | Volvo D7C |
| Transmission | Voith DIWA864.3E/ZF Ecomat 5HP502 |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 12.0 m (39 ft 4 in), 12.5 m (41 ft 0 in) and 18.0 m (59 ft 1 in) |
| Width | 2.55 m (8 ft 4 in) |
| Height | 3.0–4.4 m (9 ft 10 in – 14 ft 5 in) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Volvo B10L |
| Successor | Volvo B9L |
TheVolvo B7L is afully low floorsingle-decker bus,double-decker bus andarticulated buschassis with arear engine mounted vertically on the left of the rear overhang. It was built as a replacement for theVolvo B10L, and the Volvo Olympian, used as both asingle-decker bus and adouble-decker buschassis largely inContinental Europe. The Volvo B7L was superseded by theVolvo B9L in 2006.
Whilst similar to the B10L in design, both featuring a side-mounted engine, the B7L's engine was a Volvo D7C 7.3 litres (1.6 imp gal; 1.9 US gal) unit mounted vertically, as opposed to the horizontally mounted Volvo DH10/GH10 engine of the B10L; the radiator was mounted above the engine instead of the right-hand side, allowing the floor to be lower behind the rear axle. As with the B10L, B7L was also available in itsarticulated form, named theB7LA.[1]
The B7L was also available as anintegrally-constructed Volvo bus forContinental Europe - the Volvo 5000 (later renumbered 7500) which was assembled with aluminium bodywork, and theVolvo 7000 (later renumbered7700) which was assembled with stainless steel bodywork. Capable of carrying over 100 passengers, these integral buses featured an entirely flat floor and three doors, the first two having a floor height of 320 millimetres (13 in) that was capable of lowering to 230 millimetres (9.1 in) via the "kneeling" function of the chassis.[1]
Unlike the B10L, the B7L was sold only with diesel combustion engines; integrally-constructed Volvo 7000s with CNG engines were only available on the B10L chassis.[citation needed] CNG engines would later be reintroduced with the launch of the B9L chassis in 2005.
The B7L chassis was first introduced in the United Kingdom in 2000 as a replacement for theVolvo B10BLE andOlympian. The chassis could be fitted with aWright Eclipse body (andEclipse Fusion body for B7LA), as well as being demonstrated withHispano Carrocera bodywork, however the chassis proved unpopular with UK operators due to the arrangement of engine and radiator limiting seating capacity, withFirstGroup being the only major customer. Volvo responded by introducing theB7RLE and theB7TL for the UK market, fitted with more conventionalTransverse engines.
In Ireland,Bus Éireann purchased 25 B7Ls with Wright bodies between 2001 & 2003.
Thedouble-decker version of B7L was also sold in the United Kingdom, with ten bodied withEast Lancs Nordic bodywork for use as apublic bus withFirst Glasgow in 2002,[2] or with theAyats Bravo Cityopen-top body for sightseeing services. ThePlaxton President body was launched on a pre-production B7L chassis at the Coach & Bus '97 expo, however this design did not prove successful and resulted in the body being redesigned for fitment on the B7TL chassis.[3]
In 2005,Wrightbus unveiled theWright StreetCar, a tram-likearticulated bus built on a modified B7LA chassis; the chassis has a shorter front overhang, the driver's cab was relocated to above the front axle and the radiator was relocated to the roof, giving the body a full-width rear window. Only 39 StreetCars built on the B7LA chassis were purchased by the FirstGroup, being used on itsftrbus rapid transit networks inLeeds,Swansea andYork.[4]
Volvo B7L and B7LA-based buses are used in Greece. InAthens, Volvo B7LAs constructed withSaracakis bodies have been operated since 1999, with a further 62 B7Ls and 56 B7LAs, all with Elbo bodies, delivered to the city following the conclusion of the2004 Summer Olympics. InThessaloniki, local operatorOASTH took delivery of 54 B7Ls and 22 B7LAs, all built withELVO bodies, between 2004 and 2005;[5] subsequent deliveries of B7Ls and B7LAs to OATSH would follow between 2005 and 2006. Many of OATSH's B7LAs were eventually withdrawn in 2019 due to serious chassis defects.[6]
In Norway,Copenhagen was the only city in Continental Europe to operate closed-top double-decker B7L public buses. 22 East Lancs Nordic bodied Volvo B7Ls were delivered toCity-Trafik [da] between 2000 and 2001, with an additional 14 delivered toArriva Danmark over the same period.[7][8] All would be withdrawn from service by 2018, with many being converted to open-toppers and exported worldwide for use as sightseeing buses; the final Nordic left in original condition was purchased fromMovia by theSkjoldenæsholm Tram Museum and restored to original livery.[9]
The Volvo B7L was also popular in Israel, with most being built withMerkavim Mercury bodies, though some Israeli B7Ls have also been built with Hispano Habit bodies. The first B7L in Israel, an integral Volvo 7000 demonstrator, was introduced into service byEgged for demonstration in the cities ofHaifa,Jerusalem andTel Aviv in 1999.[10]
Operators of the B7L in Israel includeMetrodan Beersheba, who purchased B7Ls with both body styles, and Egged,Kavim,Metropoline and who purchased B7Ls built almost exclusively with Merkavim Mercury bodies.[citation needed]
Indeed, in 23 years they have not had a serious factory defect, unlike the newer Volvo B7LA and B9LA articulated buses, which have a serious chassis problem and dozens have been grounded since 2019.
Media related toVolvo B7L at Wikimedia Commons
