Smooth journey SOR Libchavy

SMOOTH JOURNEY

SOR Libchavy, a leading Czech bus manufacturer has grown into a key player in the Central European market. A focus on innovation, a ‘green’ operation and passenger safety and comfort are only a few of the attributes that have driven SOR’s success and growth.

SOR Libchavy is the second largest manufacturer of buses and coaches in the Czech Republic, drawing on a long history of engineering production. The company launched its flagship low-entry urban buses in 2008, and a year later, SOR won the largest ever public tender for standard and articulated buses for the largest city bus operator in the Czech Republic, the Prague Municipal Transport company.

Other prime customers soon followed, both in the Czech Republic and further afield. Prestigious contracts included the delivery of urban buses to Iran, Serbia, Poland and other counties. This success is a reflection of the company’s strategy to develop and manufacture buses that are safe, eco-friendly and cost-effective, achieved primarily by the light vehicle structure with maximum unification across all bus models.

Today, SOR operates a state-of-the-art plant equipped with the latest technology, including polyurethane bonding, laser cutting and robotic welding. The company has held the 9001 ISO Quality Certificate since 2001.

Optimum solution

Currently SOR Libchavy manufacture buses 8.5 m, 9.5 m, 10,5 m, 12 m, 12.5 m and 18 m in length, designed for urban, intercity and long distance transport. They are equipped with engines meeting the EURO 6 standards.

The customer may select the type of drive – either compressed natural gas (CNG) or electric. Both automatic and mechanical gearboxes are available, as well as independent axles, retarders, disk brakes, air-conditioning and other features.

The key advantages of SOR buses include low unladen weight, low average fuel consumption (14.5% lower than that of other vehicles on the market throughout the vehicle’s service life), higher specific output and an effectively designed vehicle interior, including the driver’s cabin.

All SOR buses are equipped with disk brakes on all axles. The lower part of the chassis structure is made from stainless steel profiles, and the body shell is made from plastic materials. Stainless steel materials are used for the bottom part of the bus at the places most prone to corrosion (underneath the vehicle floor, step plates, the area around the wheels, etc.). Parts subject to external stress are supplied by manufacturers who guarantee a long service life, including under harsh conditions.

Over time, the company has also developed buses powered by compressed natural gas (CNG), electric buses and trolleybuses. Two experimental hybrid buses have also been created.

The eco-friendly range includes the SOR NS electric - a modern all-low-floor electric bus designed for clean passenger transit in urban environments; the SOR EBN - suitable for transporting people in tourist areas, protected national parks or mountain resorts; and the SOR TNB - a modern, emission-free all-low-floor trolleybus designed for mass transport of people in urban areas.

Within the inter-city range, SOR Libchavy offers the SOR CNG, a modern, ecological partial-low-floor bus powered by CNG, a showcase of new technology, high quality, reliability and unique design solutions resulting in economical operation. A wide variety of design features and colour options are available, allowing the company to offer customers the optimum solutions for their needs.

Green and Clean

Although the company has not been spared the impact of the pandemic, production continued and new business has been secured. The company won a contract to supply a set of buses to a Czech customer, to be delivered at the end of 2021 - the 12-metre SOR NSG bus has a capacity of 101 passengers, 33 seats and is equipped with air conditioning.

The most recent contract was signed in April, when SOR Libchavy won a public tender from the Transport Company of the City of Prešov, Slovakia, for the supply of 10 articulated 18-meter and 5 standard 12-metre diesel buses. The low-floor vehicles, to be delivered over the next 21 months, will be equipped with a modern information system including LCD monitors, a check-in system for card payment, a camera system, automatic passenger counting and USB chargers.

SOR Libchavy has managed to develop a range of products that meet current needs, as the development of public transport is one of many initiatives that decrease negative impacts on the environment and increase urban sustainability.

The electrification of public transport is a crucial element in improving energy efficiency, limiting emissions and reducing noise pollution. The electrification of public transport fleets is growing faster than that of passenger cars, and market penetration in Europe is expected to reach 75% by 2030.

As European cities are starting to make headway in green technological initiatives and are transforming urban spaces to reduce carbon emissions, the future of SOR Libchavy and its modern, advanced and eco-friendly vehicles seems highly promising. n

Kovoplast Chlumec nad Cidlinou, a.s

Rear-view mirrors are one of the important elements of the bus, as they ensure the correct view of the driver around the car. They have an impact on safety. Kovoplast develops and manufactures mirrors with an emphasis on safety and quality and offers a wide range of manually operated, electrically operated, heated mirrors, etc. In addition to our standard catalog solutions, we develop and manufacture mirrors at the customer’s request. We are a proud supplier of mirrors for SOR cars.