Volvo B10MA

The Volvo B10MA is a model of articulated bus used by Hillsbus. There were 5 buses with the plate numbers M/O 1454, 8269, 8435, 8466 and 8467. While previously a staple on the City Express Routes, because of DDA regulation, all vehicles are no longer in revenue service with Hillsbus.

They are licensed to carry 92 passengers (80 seated and 12 standing), although bus drivers often allow more people on as there is plenty more standing room than licensed. The buses are in a Custom Coaches CB50 body and share the same awnings as the Mercedes Benz O405NH, although the lights are more like those on the Volvo B10BLE buses. The buses are powered by diesel and are fully high floor, like the Mercedes Benz 0405. The engine of the bus is located in the front section just behind the front wheel, with the exhaust pipe protruding up through the cabin and out through the roof. The section above the articulated section is also bendy, so it can bend with the joint. The exhaust pipe then travels the length of the rear car until it reaches the end, where it releases its exhaust. The pipe is opposite the door side. The buses have a Mobitec flipdot display. They have 2 double leaf doors, at the front of each car. These doors are the narrowest double leaf doors in the whole fleet. In addition, the buses have 2 Denso air conditioners, one on the first section just in front of the bend and one on the second section just behind the bend.

## Operation

Services in 2022:

Note that because of DDA regulation demanding all services be wheelchair accessible wherever possible by 31 Dec 2022, the B10MA is often replaced by tri-axles on these runs.

601 ex parramatta 8:15, 9:30; ex rouse 6:50 (changes to 8:15 601 ex Parramatta), 7:50 (changes to 9:30 601 ex Parramatta)

607X ex QVB 7:30, 9:30, 15:30 (changes to 16:35 607X ex Bella Vista), 17:38; ex Bella Vista 6:20, 6:30, 8:30, 16:35 (changes to 17:38 607X ex QVB)

610X ex QVB 17:48; ex castle 7:36, 7:52, 15:00, 16:50 (changes to 17:48 610X ex QVB)

612X ex Nth Sydney 15:40 (changes to 16:50 610X ex Castle Hill), 17:05

616X ex QVB 15:24, 16:37, 17:32, 18:52, ex kellyville ridge 7:50

Note this bus does not operate at night.

Despite only being delegated to these routes, they can rarely be found on other services, like the 614X and the 662, despite them having a fully accessible timetable.

## Trivia

Although the bus's only turning axle is at the front, the rear wheels have the same design as the turning wheels.

All buses are in the Transport for NSW livery. Before they were repainted, these buses had very big Hillsbus logos on the sides.

Despite having 2 ACUs, the buses have opening windows.

These buses are not wheelchair accessible.

The vehicles were important for increasing capacity on routes like the 601 which have height and weight restrictions, and therefore cannot be operated by double deckers.

These buses have 2 stop button lights, one at the front and one after the bend. These are the old light type, featuring a long oval with the word 'Stopping' in the middle of it and when lit, 2 blue lights inside light up. They are double sided and can be seen from both sides, although not very visible when the bus is crowded. They make a short, high pitched sound when activated.

These buses have the old single seats, which are not favoured among passengers due to the lack of padding.

This bus was used alongside the Tri Axle Buses and Bustech CDi on high patronage routes.

M/O 1454 was de-registered in March 2019 and still sits at Hillsbus Foundry Road Depot without plates, unused. This is probably because Hillsbus forgot to renew its registration.

At the start of 2023, all four remaining vehicles were transferred to CDC Charterplus St Marys. They can occasionally be found on charter routes and on Hillsbus Routes 5A/5B.