VDL SB120
Encyclopedia
Midibus
A midibus is a classification of single-decker minibuses which generally are larger than a traditional minibus but smaller than a full-size single decker and can be anywhere between and long...
produced from 1999 by VDL Bus International
VDL Bus International
VDL Bus Chassis is a Netherlands-based bus builder which originated from the bus-building business of DAF.Originally named DAF Bus International after being separated from the truck-building business of DAF, it joined the United Bus in 1990...
(formerly DAF Bus International) of the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
primarily for the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
market.
The SB120 is similar to its major competitor Dennis Dart SLF. Powered by a Cummins
Cummins
Cummins Inc. is a Fortune 500 corporation that designs, manufactures, distributes and services engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission control and electrical power generation systems...
B Series 6-cylinder Euro II engine (later Cummins ISBe 4-cylinder Euro III engine), the SB120 is available in lengths from 8.5m to 10.8m, similar to the Dart SLF. It was initially only available with the Wright Cadet
Wright Cadet
The Wright Cadet was a midibus body built by British coachbuilder Wrightbus, solely on the DAF/VDL SB120; it was sold via VDL dealer Arriva Bus & Coach. For a time, Volvo additionally sold the chassis/body combination, however the body was marketed as the Merit.The Cadet was replaced by the Wright...
body, built by Wrightbus
Wrightbus
Wrightbus is an independent coachbuilder and pioneer of the low-floor bus. Based in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, it was established in 1946 by Robert Wright and currently run by his son William Wright.-History:...
in Ballymena
Ballymena
Ballymena is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland and the seat of Ballymena Borough Council. Ballymena had a population of 28,717 people in the 2001 Census....
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, but since the end of 2005, the Plaxton Centro
Plaxton Centro
The Plaxton Centro is a bus body designed by Bluebird Vehicles and manufactured by Plaxton. It was launched on the VDL SB120 in February 2006. The Centro was also made available on the VDL SB200 chassis in 2006. In 2007 the Centro was made available on the MAN 12.240 and the Volvo B7RLE chassis....
body is also offered.
Unlike the larger VDL SB200
VDL SB200
The VDL SB200 is a light-weight 12m citybus produced from 2001 by VDL Bus International...
, the SB120 has found a sizeable market, especially with Arriva
Arriva
Arriva plc is a multinational public transport company owned by Deutsche Bahn and headquartered in Sunderland, United Kingdom. It has bus, coach, train, tram and waterbus operations in 12 countries across Europe, employs more than 47,500 people and services over 1.5 billion passenger journeys each...
(VDL importer in the UK) in both the UK and the Netherlands. Other sizeable customers include Go North East
Go North East
Go North East is the largest operator of bus services in North East England, United Kingdom. Go North East operates services in the counties of Tyne and Wear, County Durham and Northumberland...
, Birmingham Coach Company and East Thames Buses
East Thames Buses
East Thames Buses was the only government owned bus operator of London Buses. It was sold to London General in 2009.-History:East Thames Buses was formed in 1999 to take over the services operated by the failed Harris Bus Company...
.
The SB120 was also sold in UK by Volvo
Volvo Buses
Volvo Buses is a subsidiary and a business area of the Swedish vehicle maker Volvo, which became an independent division in 1968. It is based in Göteborg....
on the Wright Cadet body. This version, however, was sold as the Merit and does not carry either Wrightbus, VDL or Volvo branding. This version has been sold to several operators including Yellow Buses
Transdev Yellow Buses
Yellow Buses is a bus operator based in Bournemouth, on the south coast of England, owned by the RATP Group, a company owned by the government of France. Although most routes are restricted to the Bournemouth local authority area, an increasing number are expanding into the adjacent areas of...
, Bournemouth. However, with the change to Euro IV emissions from October 2006, Volvo and VDL ended this arrangement.
The SB120 was also sold for use in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. In 2002, eight SB120 with Wright Cadet dual door bodywork were delivered to Arriva in the Netherlands for citybus service in Leeuwarden.
The SB120 chassis was also adopted by Wrightbus for the development of its hybrid-powered midibus, Wright Electrocity
Wright Electrocity
The Wright Electrocity is a type of hybrid bus built by Wrightbus. There were originally two prototypes, one based on Dennis Dart SLF chassis and the other based on DAF SB120 chassis...
.
The successor to the SB120 is the VDL SB180.
See also
Other VDL buses sold in the UK:- DB250VDL DB250The VDL DB250 is a double-decker bus sold in the UK through VDL Bus International's UK dealer Arriva Bus & Coach. A small number of DB250s have also been exported to Istanbul, Turkey.-DB250:...
- SB200VDL SB200The VDL SB200 is a light-weight 12m citybus produced from 2001 by VDL Bus International...
- SB4000
Competitors:
- Dennis Dart SLF
- MAN 14.220
- Optare SoloOptare SoloThe Optare Solo is a low-floor midibus manufactured by Optare in Leeds, UK since 1997. The name "Solo" is a play on the low-floor status of the bus, the manufacturer believing its vehicle having an entrance that is "so low" from the floor, namely 200 mm with kneeling suspension.The innovative...