Volvo B7RLE (Custom CB60 Evo 2)

In 2009, Hillsbus ordered 15 buses on a Volvo B7RLE chassis inside a Custom Coaches CB60 Evo 2 body. They are powered by diesel with an additional AdBlue fuel tank to meet Euro 4 specifications.

## Fleet Numbers

All 15 buses are still in service today. Their plate numbers are M/O 9732-9738 and 9959-9966.

**Of these buses, only 6 remain with Hillsbus.** These buses are M/O 9733, 9734, 9736, 9738, 9962 and 9964. 9738 is the only vehicle remaining at Northmead Depot while all others were moved to Hillsbus Seven Hills depot following the 2023 fleet restructure.

### Acquisition by Transit Systems NSW

9 buses were transferred to Transit Systems NSW to cope with increased capacity on their routes following their takeover of several new sectors in Sydney. The acquired buses are M/O 9732, 9735, 9737, 9959-9961, 9963, 9965 and 9966. The buses are based at Transit Systems' Hoxton Park depot.

The buses have been given new fleet numbers of 1249-1257 respectively. They still have their original plate numbers.

Buses m/o 9732 (1249), 9735 (1250), 9960 (1253), 9961 (1254) and 9965 (1256) have been repainted into Transport NSW livery and all have had their bottom 3 rear lights replaced with Volgren spares.

## Specifications

* These buses have Volvo's D7E engine producing 290 brake horsepower as well as a ZF Ecomat with 5 speed transmission gearbox.
* They have the newer 7.1 litre engine and are rated at Euro 5 emission standards.
* These buses are licensed to carry 69 passengers, 45 seated, 24 standing along with 2 wheelchair spaces.
* They have bench seats.
* These buses are shorter than the Volgren made buses, being 12 metres long instead of 12.5. This is because the Volgren buses have large baskets above the front wheel hump while the Custom ones have much shorter ones. In addition, these buses have only 6 folding seats instead of 7 on the Volgren buses (excluding the 2nd generation of the Volvo B7RLE (Volgren Optimus)).
* These buses have a Cooltek air conditioner.
* Their exhaust pipe is below the bus on the left hand (door) side.
* The buses have fog lights on the front bumper.
* These buses have green Mobitec flipdot displays on the front, side and rear.
* These buses have flush fitting windows which provide a better view but are harder to replace when broken. They also have tinted glass.
* The buses have 2 doors. The front door is a double leaf door while the rear one is a single leaf door.

## Trivia

* Most buses are still in the Hillsbus Canary Yellow livery, however as of November 2021, buses M/O 9734 and 9962 are in the Transport for NSW livery.

* These buses, along with the Scania K280UB 14.5m (Custom Coaches CB60 Evo II), are slightly taller than the other single deck buses in the fleet.
* These buses have the distinctive Custom Coaches curved awnings with long fluorescent lights. The lights dim when the doors are closed.
* These are currently the newest and last buses from Custom Coaches ordered by Hillsbus.
* The diesel fuel cap is behind the rear wheel while the AdBlue cap is in front of it. Both are on the driver side.
* These buses are among the most favoured among commuters as they do not vibrate much and due to the higher floor at the rear, have more leg room. They also have a quiet engine.
* There is 1 wall-mounted stop bell on this bus at the front. It is on the driver side seat on top of the wheel hump. All other stop bells are mounted on poles which provide standing passengers additional support.