Neoplan Jumbocruiser – the largest double-decker bus in history

The Neoplan Jumbocruiser has long ceased to be the most capacious bus in the world. In 2016, this honour went to the Volvo Gran Artic 300, which theoretically could accommodate up to 300 passengers. However, the Jumbocruiser is not a city bus, and its passengers did not need to stand. Here are some interesting facts about this giant.

In the early 1970s, Neoplan decided to make the biggest bus possible. This was not as ambitious a goal as it seems, because the dimensions of the largest bus were not defined by technical limitations, but by German laws.

The Neoplan Jumbocruiser, presented in Hanover in 1975, was truly huge. The double-decker bus, 18 metres long, 2.5 metres wide, and 4 metres high, was the largest in the world and was recognised as such by the Guinness World Records agency. Neoplan was never going to start serial production of the Jumbocruiser – from the beginning, it was assumed that these buses would only be made to order.

Of course, Neoplan engineers had to solve numerous technical challenges. The Jumbocruiser has four axles and is a large bendy bus. The first 10 of the 11 Jumbocruisers ever made were mid-engined, with either the 12.1 or 18.1-litre diesel engine located in the middle. This, by the way, meant that access to the back of the bus was only possible on the second floor. This limited the accessibility of the rear lower section, so the passengers were not seated here – it was where the bar, toilet, and luggage compartment were located.

Since the Neoplan Jumbocruiser was only made to order, it gave the buyers the freedom to change some of the characteristics of the bus according to their needs. For example, the ninth Jumbocruiser, produced in 1983, was intended for the Japanese market. Therefore, it was a right-hand drive and 20 cm lower in height. The 11th and the last Jumbocruiser was even more different – its engine and drive axle were at the very back.

The Neoplan Jumbocruiser was by far the largest bus in the world, not only in terms of length and the number of seats but also in terms of usable area. All Jumbocruiser compartments combined had an area of about 85 square metres. Initially, Neoplan offered a luxuriously equipped 99-seater bus, but later 80-110-seater options were also offered. Theoretically, the Jumbocruiser could have up to 144 passenger seats, but no one ordered this bus with that seating arrangement.

Between 1975 and 1992, Neoplan produced 11 Jumbocruiser buses. Many of them were used for high-end international travel. For example, one 80-seater Jumbocruiser ran between Belgium and Spain. However, not all Jumbocruisers were well received.

In France, bendy buses were considered not safe enough to drive on the highways. Over time, the popularity of luxurious international coach travel has started to decline, with people preferring flying over taking a bus. However, the Neoplan Jumbocruiser was still more successful than its competitors.

The VDL Berkhof Excellence 2000 HDA was another double-decker bendy bus, but its production peaked at two. Meanwhile, the Van Hool TG 822 Altano was also very tall and long, but only had one passenger floor. The success of the Neoplan Jumbocruiser is also marked by the fact that most of these impressive machines have survived to this day, even if none of them work as they used to.

At least two Jumbocruisers have been converted into huge RVs. A couple more were customised for events. One Jumbocruiser became a tour bus for the The Kelly Family music group. One more was used for advertising.

The Neoplan Jumbocruiser is like the Airbus A380 of the bus world – big, memorable, but impractical for these times.