Twenty-three years after it first appeared, the Wright Renown-bodied Volvo B10BLE remains in service in parts of the country. CHRIS NEWTON offers a driver’s view of why it merits a place in a hall of fame
Driving buses for the past 13 years has provided me with an opportunity to sample many vehicle types in service. Short wheelbase, long wheelbase, double-deckers and single-deckers. Dennis Darts, Optare Versas, Tempos and Solos, Leyland and Volvo Olympians, Volvo/Wright Eclipse Geminis and more recently Alexander Dennis Enviro200s.
In my opinion there are some great buses among these, but the one that I have not mentioned here is the one that stands out to me the most. So much so that it has become not just my favourite single-decker but my favourite bus to drive of all time. It is the Wright Renown-bodied Volvo B10BLE.
What do the letters and numbers mean? They are not just thrown together at random, but actually mean something. The first B is for Bus, 10 represents a 10litre (9.6litre) engine, the second B is back or rear-mounted engine and the LE is Low Entry.
Between 1997 and 2002, Wrights built 867 Renown bodies on B10BLE chassis its Ballymena factory in Northern Ireland.
Compare that with the mode…
