Foreign Manufacturers - Van Hool (1)

 Belgian manufacturer Van Hool is well represented in the French coach market, and the popularity of Van Hool buses also grew steadily throughout the 1990s. This was originally based mainly on sales of midibuses, however Van Hool has successfully expanded into the sale of full-sized machinery which may now be found in many towns. The most enthusiastic Van Hool operator is Dijon, which has bought midibuses, full-sized single deckers and articulated buses from the Antwerp manufacturer. 

VAN HOOL AU138
TRAM, Mulhouse no. 137 (7844 SX 68) - September 2001
The first Van Hool design to appear in any number on the French market was the little AU138, a side-engined midibus launched in 1980. Styling-wise, it's clearly derived from the successful T8xx range of coaches. As with all small bus designs, it sold in relatively small batches. They are now difficult to find, with some of the few survivors still operating in Mulhouse. TRAM bought nine including this 1987-built example. Only three of AU138s remained in service when I visited in 2001. Two are destined for replacement with new GX117s in 2002. 

VAN HOOL A508
TRACE, Colmar no. 129 (1889 VG 68) - September 2001
The T8xx-derived bus range was replaced in 1987 by a new 'wedge-fronted' range of buses. The direct replacement for the AU138 was the A508, which is very similar in layout to the model that it replaced. The engine (MAN or Cummins) is mounted in a box behind the offside front wheel. This is the same layout used by Heuliez for the GX77H, and the two models competed head-to-head for midibus sales during the early 1990s. A508s are common across France, particularly in smaller towns - this one is one of four to be found operating in Colmar, just down the road from the Mulhouse AU138 depicted above.

VAN HOOL A500
SVTU, Versailles no. 151 (5926 XE 78) - March 1994
The full-sized equivalent of the A508 is the A500, a thunderously noisy but speedy machine which competed in a limited way with Renault's R312 for the 'nearly low floor' market of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Substantial fleets are to be found in Dijon and Clermont Ferrand, but this is one of a pair delivered to Versailles for evaluation against a pair of R312s delivered at the same time. The R312 won the day in Versailles, but the A500s have been retained. They now operate in the white-based Phébus scheme that replaced SVTU's blue, white and grey livery. Versailles also have several A508s.

VAN HOOL AG700
CTPM, Montbéliard no. 160 (5920 WQ 25) - September 2001
The articulated version of the step-entrance 'wedge' range is the AG700. Dijon have a large fleet (66) of them, but this one works in Montbéliard. It was new in 1991 to STGA in Angoulême, but moved to Montbéliard in 1997 when still relatively young. Note that the headlamps on Van Hool buses can be round or rectangular. Like the A500, the AG700 uses a side-mounted MAN engine.

VAN HOOL A600
T2C, Clermont Ferrand no. 514 (3008 VA 63) - September 2000
Spot the difference! This is a Van Hool A600, the rear-engined version of Van Hool's range. A DAF engine is mounted under the floor in the rear overhang - the height of the seats can be seen rising towards the rear of the bus in this photo. A600s only have two doors (front entrance and centre exit), unlike A500s whose side engine allows a flat floor right to the rear of the bus and a third, rear doorway. Otherwise, the bus looks very similar to the A500. This is one of a handful operating for Van Hool fan T2C in Clermont Ferrand - confusingly, they are mixed in with a larger number of A500s. T2C also operate AG300 low-floor artics.

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