Volvo B7RLE

Volvo B7RLE
Manufacturer	Volvo Buses
Bodywork	Soon Chow
Years in operation	2007 – 2024
Operator	SBS Transit
Technical Data
Length	12 metre
Engine	Volvo D7E290 EC06
Transmission	ZF Ecomat 6HP 554N
Accessibility	Low Entry & Wheelchair-accessible
Emission Standard	Euro IV (SCR)

The Volvo B7RLE is a low-entry, single-deck city bus built by Volvo Buses. Commonly referred to as the “B7R”, it is the successor of the Volvo B10BLE and built in a similar way to the existing B7L and B7R chassis.

Currently, Singapore’s major bus operator, SBS Transit, has a sole B7RLE demonstrator unit (SBS8030L) in its fleet. Sentosa Development Corporation also operates a small fleet of Volvo B7RLEs for internal shuttle bus services, which were retired in 2019.

The coach version of the chassis, the Volvo B7R, is used by various private bus companies.

Technical Data:

The Volvo B7RLE is a combination of the B7L and B7R chassis with improved performance and a successor of the Volvo B10BLE chassis. Originally equipped with a 7-liter Euro 3 engine, Euro 4 and 5 options were later introduced to fulfil emission standards with the use of Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR), hence requiring the use of diesel exhaust fluid like AdBlue.

Demonstrator Unit:

In 2007, SBS Transit received a new single-deck wheelchair-accessible demonstrator bus from Volvo, at a time when a large number of single-deck orders were being considered. Registered on 18 Dec 2007, the bus was given the registration of SBS8030L.

The Volvo B7RLE is powered by the Euro IV-compliant Volvo D7E290 engine which relied on Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology, the first bus in SBS Transit’s fleet to do so. Hence, it required the use of diesel exhaust fluids.

The bus bodywork was supplied by local bus bodybuilder Soon Chow Workshop Pte Ltd, which had constructed several batches of transit buses for SBS and SBST in the past. The interior of the bus is unique in several aspects – the use of Vogelsitze Pino seats, and the rear section has a conference-style round seating rather than the standard 5-seating forward-facing bench. It was also the first bus to feature two wheel arch seats at the front section of the bus, and remained so only until the arrival of the Scania K230UB Euro Vs. The low-entry bus is wheelchair-accessible, with a manual ramp at the exit door and two wheelchair bays.

Despite the promising design and capabilities of the bus, SBS Transit eventually chose the Scania K230UB over the Volvo B7RLE for its large-scale fleet renewal programme. However, SBST made a decision to procure the bus rather than returning it to Volvo, and it continues to remain in SBS Transit’s fleet today.

At launch, the bus was first allocated to Soon Lee Depot and permanently allocated to Service 174/174e for its first few years. In March 2016, it was redeployed to Ang Mo Kio Depot. After the full transition of the bus industry to the GCM, SBS8030L was converted into a Training Bus based at Hougang Depot, as with other non-standard bus models.

The bus has a licensed carrying capacity of 79 passengers, comprising 28 seated and 51 standing passengers.

The bus was retired after the end of its statutory lifespan in December 2024.

SBS8030L Specification sheet
For more specifications, visit sgwiki.

Gallery:

Sentosa:

External Links and References:

• Volvo B7RLE – Wikipedia
• Volvo B7RLE – SGWiki
• Volvo B7RLE – SGBuses

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