Volvo B7RLE
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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. In essence the B7RLE is the front of the B7L chassis mated with the rear of B7R coach.
The B7RLE's D7C engine is a 6-cylinder, 7-litre diesel engine with a turbocharger and intercooler, which produces 290bhp and meets the Euro 3 incentive emission standard. Later Volvo D7E engine, which meets the Euro 4/Euro 5 incentive emission standards, replaced the D7C as standard. Unlike the B7L, the B7RLE's engine is mounted at the middle of the rear overhang as opposed to the left, the result is a full rear row of 5 seats and a full width window (rather than 3 rear seats and part of the rear window as on the B7L). The Volvo B7R Low Entry is also equipped with disc brakes and ABS.
The B7RLE has also appealed more to UK operators unlike the B7L and has sold more even though the B7L was launched in the UK market in 2000 (with FirstGroup plc being the only major buyer for the B7L because of the Volvo contract maintenance). UK operators of the B7RLE include FirstGroup, Blazefield Group, Arriva, Wilts and Dorset & Go North East (part of Go-Ahead Group), Lothian Buses and many more including Travel West Midlands who took delivery of the vehicles in late 2006 for the 37 and 311/311A/313.
Initially the B7RLE was only available in the UK with Wright Eclipse Urban bodywork. Since 2004 it has also been used as a low floor single-deck coach, with a longer front overhang and the Wright Eclipse Commuter body. From late 2006 the B7RLE in the UK is available with Plaxton Centro bodywork (the first example of which going to GHA Coaches), and options of East Lancs Esteem and Alexander Dennis Enviro 300 bodywork are expected.
The B7RLE can also be found in many other countries, such as Hong Kong, Malaysia, India, Indonesia and Singapore. However, many of these buses use their own separate bodywork.
Singapore has its B7RLE's running in Sentosa featuring Liannex bodies, either in a citybus configuration for its internal shuttles, or as an opentop double-decker bus. A Euro-4 demonstrator has also been loaned to SBS Transit for a one-year trial in December 2007, and is currently plying Service 174 & 174e.
The bodywork adopted by Malaysia's B7RLE, operated by Kuala Lumpur-based bus operator RapidKL as a wheelchair accessible bus, features a more radical design.
Volvo B7RLE is also operating in Surabaya, Indonesia. It is the first wheelchair-accessible bus in Indonesia and with Euro IV engine. The bus uses Bustech bodywork, designed and built in Australia.
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