ALSA (bus company)
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ALSA (Automóviles Luarca, S.A.) is a Spain-based international bus company operating in several countries across Europe (including Andorra, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Switzerland and Ukraine, apart from its originating country), as well as possessing branches in China, Morocco and Chile. Nevertheless, when ALSA was incorporated in 1923, they was just a regional operator based in Luarca and Oviedo, in the Spanish northern region of Asturias.
[edit] History
In the 20s and 30s Alsa flagship service was the 170km Oviedo-Luarca-Ribadeo line, Northwest from Oviedo, with thirteen fixed and thirty occasional stops which was done in around 10 hours. This was later extended to Corunna configuring a full-day travel.
Along 40s and 50s ALSA extended its network through central and western Asturias, and in 1962 with the line Oviedo-Madrid, and in 1964 with the international Oviedo-Paris-Brussels they began an incessant expansion, that made them to become the Spanish leading road passenger transporter in the 80s, and to cover most of the Spanish and Western Europe territories at the 20th Century end.
In October 2005 British National Express took over a majority shareholding of ALSA, thus effectively making it a NE subsidiary. However for the time being ALSA trademark is being preserved in all markets.
[edit] Fleet
In their initial years ALSA fleet was based mainly on NAG and Saurer vehicles, with some additional GMCs, Renaults and Hispano-Suizas, but in 1939/40 they bought around seven British ACLO normal control coaches, which in the early fifties were followed by eight forward control units of the Regal III model of the same make, with bodies by Seida of Bilbao.
Later on ALSA switched to an all-Pegaso buying policy, initially still with Seida bodies, and later with Monotral, Setra-Seida, Ayats and Irizar coachwork; to turn in the early 80s to Mercedes-Benz O303 and O404 chassis with succesively Maiso, Hispano Carrocera, Sunsundegui and Noge Spanish bodies.
Presently, Mercedes-Benz is still the main ALSA chassis provider, but the top-of-the-range three-axled Setras are the flagships of ALSA fleet, many of them in the so-called Clase Supra top-class specification.
[edit] External links
