SETRA S130S
???, Montbéliard 521 WY 25 - September 2001
The bus version of the old Setra S1xx coach range remained in production
after the coaches had been replaced, but is now a very rare sight in France.
At the time of my first stay in France in 1993-4 a number were in use with my
local bus operator, Cars d'Orsay, Marcoussis, however they disappeared shortly
afterwards. It would be nice to think that
this bus, which I found working in Montbéliard for an unknown operator (a
subcontractor to CTPM) was one of them. It's the only S130S I've seen since
leaving Orsay. Note the use of plug-type doors, unusual on an urban bus. The
S1xx range also included other bus models, including a longer bus (the S140ES)
and the SG180M artic which was
supplied to Nantes, Caen and Montpellier.
SETRA S215SL
RDT13, Aix-en-Provence no. 74 (7615 RF 13) - September 2000
The S2xx range replaced the S1xx range at the beginning of the 1980s, and in
due course a bus version appeared. The standard rigid version is called the
S215SL, and they're pretty common across France. The S215SL isn't
really a 'big fleet' bus, although Brest and Rouen both bought substantial
numbers in the 1980s. The model sold much more widely into smaller, independant fleets. Often these
fleets are also coach operators, and were no doubt drawn to the S215SL thanks to
the good reputation Setra has for the quality of its coaches. Indeed, the S215SL
is rather coach-like to travel on, with a relatively high floor and soft ride.
This bus belongs to a typical S215SL operator, the
Régie
Départemental des Transports des Bouches du Rhône (RDT13 for short). They operate interurban services around Marseille and also bus services under
subcontract to Aix-en-Bus in Aix-en-Provence. Thus RDT13 no. 74 is painted in
Aix-en-Bus livery to blend in with the buses operated by the major operator,
Autobus Aixois.
SETRA SG219SL
Unknown operator no. 1349 (389 CKC 77) - October 2002
There
is also an articulated version of the S2xx range, known as the SG219SL. These
are far rarer than the rigid version and are a rather odd combination of the
S215SL's rather coach-like character in an articulated bus shell. SG219SLs may
be found operating in Tours and in Brest, but are most common in the suburbs
around Paris where they may be found with a number of operators. This bus was
photographed operating for one of the operators contributing to the STiVO pool
in Cergy-Pontoise (in the northern suburbs of Paris). I'm not sure who actually
owns it (of the STiVO operators, both Lacroix, Beauchamp and Giraux, Génicourt
operate SG219SLs), but it has clearly been purchased recently as it carries a Seine-et-Marne (77) registration. Vehicles are supposed to be
reregistered in the département in which they are used within a few months of
changing hands. The orange livery is no clue to its previous owner as many Paris
suburban operators have used this colour scheme in the past.