12m Volvo Super Olympians

Starting from 1999, KMB began to buy 12m Volvo Super Olympians as an alternative choice of low-floor buses.

The demonstrator, which is actually the first Volvo Super Olympian in Hong Kong with Alexander ALX500 body, arrived at Hong Kong in early 1999. It had been tested before service, and the bus had once overturned in a trial. Luckily it was not seriously damaged and after the test was successful, it began to enter service on KMB routes. As this bus is the third registering Volvo Super Olympian, it is allocated the fleet number 3ASV3(JE1672).

In fact, after the series of tests, KMB has found that Volvo Super Olympians have quite a lot of advantages, e.g., its quietness and air suspension, thus deciding to buy more of them. The first batch include 3ASV1, 2 and 4-61. They are equipped with Volvo D10A engines and ZF5HP590 gearboxes. They were all assembled in KMB's Tuen Mun Depot. Soon after their entering of service, they are allocated to routes like 68X, 111 and 968 because this model is suitable for running routes involving a lot of highways.

The second batch, 3ASV62-91, entered service in mid-2000. The only difference between them and the first batch is that 3ASV62-91 have Hanover electronic route displays.

The third batch includes 3ASV92-141, which came together with NWFB's 5041-5060. They are still with electronic route displays, but the difference in their general appearances is that there is an extra engine vent put at the right back engines cover. They are also equipped with Volvo D10 engines and ZF5HP590 gearboxes, except for 3ASV141, which has been equipped with a Volvo D10 Euro III engine for evaluation purpose.

The fourth batch include 25 Alexander-bodied Volvo Super Olympians with Cosmic Fanisa seats which make travelling experiences more comfortable. They are the first batch of Euro III Volvo Super Olympians manufactured. Starting from this batch, all new Volvo Super Olympians are fitted with elastic edges on emergency doors. These buses were assembled in England.

The fifth and the sixth batches include 105 and 60 Volvo Super Olympians with Alexander ALX500 bodies respectively. Some of them were assembled in KMB's Tuen Mun Depot while others were assembled in mainland China. They are fitted with Volvo D10A Euro III engines and ZF5HP590 gearboxes. Buses from the sixth batch have holes for fog-lamps on the bumper.

However, buses from these three batches entered service simultaneously that there has been a mess on the fleet numbers and we cannot distinguish which batch the bus belongs to by just looking at the fleet number.

The seventh batch, 3ASV332-381, are powered by Volvo D10A Euro III engines and ZF5HP590 gearboxes. However, although Alexander ALX500 bodies are fitted on them also, the air-conditioner vent has been enlarged and the siding materials of it are of whole pieces instead of broken-down materials used before. This new design has been used of Duple Metsec bodied Dennis Tridents. It can make the bus look much more beautiful because there will be no black water gaps any more. However, this is rather expensive and difficult to maintain because when the bus is involved in a serious accident in which the siding is damaged, the whole piece of siding material has to be replaced.

The eighth batch includes 70 Alexander-bodied Volvo Super Olympians. They are known to be the first Volvo Super Olympians in Hong Kong which are equipped with ZF6HP592 6-speed gearboxes. Although these buses use whole-piece body sides, there is a great difference in the appearance between these buses and the previous batch, for this new batch of buses use LED rear lamps. Besides, floors are of a new colour.

Apart from these 451 Volvo Super Olympians mentioned above, KMB has ordered another 145 Volvo Super Olympians. 125 of them are Alexander-bodied. They are known to have new peach-red seats. 20 of them will be bodied by Volgren. They are assembled in Australia and a few of them have entered service already. KMB chose to use Volgren because they have ordered 17 Volgren-bodied MAN 24.310s and they have found that the quality of Volgren products are as good as that of Alexander. It has been known that KMB will have more than 500 Volvo Super Olympians by the end of 2002.

This page includes some photographs of 12m Volvo Super Olympians. More photographs will be added in the future.

	3ASV3 3ASV3 is the Volvo Super Olympian demonstrator in Hong Kong. It is now a scheduled bus of route 111. Date: 13/12/2001
	3ASV10 3ASV10 is one of the very first Volvo Super Olympians in KMB. In my memory it has been on route 81C since 1999. Date: 26/08/2001
	3ASV56 This bus is known to be a spare bus of Kowloon Bay Depot (K Depot), and it often appears on route 89X, 111 and 641. Date: 28/07/2001
	3ASV74 Most of the Volvo Super Olympians from the second batch are allocated on route 89X and 101. Date: 22/09/2001
	3ASV77 3ASV77 is wearing a beautiful all over advert of Thai Tourism. However, for some reason the part of advert on the bumper has disappeared, thus making the bus a little bit worse. Date: 14/04/2002
	3ASV78 3ASV78 is the 3000th Alexander-bodied bus in KMB. It looks good all the time. Date: 14/04/2002
	3ASV82 This bus has been wearing an all-over advertisement of an insurance company since April 2001. Date: 12/12/2001
	Offside of the advertisement. Date: 31/12/2001
	3ASV83 This bus is wearing an advertisement about Thailand tourism. Date: 12/12/2001
	3ASV88 Like 3ASV83, this bus is also wearing an advertisement about Thailand tourism, but it is purple in colour instead of orange. Date: 12/12/2001
	3ASV99 Volvo Super Olympians rarely appear on route 1A because the model does not perform very well on Nathan Road. Date: 26/08/2001
	3ASV116 In due course of 2001 a number of early Volvo Super Olympians have moved away from this route and the electronic-route-displayed ones have become their successors. Date: 26/08/2001
	3ASV121 Volvo Super Olympians have played an important role on roue 106 since 2001. Date: 12/12/2001
	3ASV141 3ASV141 is the first Euro III franchised bus in Hong Kong, and this bus is wearing a "Beleaf in KMB" all over advertisement. Date: 18/01/2002
	3ASV183 After the bus had registered for three weeks, I caught a photo of it serving route 1A when turning from Nathan Road to Salisbury Road and showing its maximum air suspension. Date: 26/08/2001
	3ASV189 After September 2001 the scheduled buses of rt. 107 have changed to Euro III Volvo Super Olympians instead of Dennis Tridents. Date: 13/12/2001
	3ASV199 Already there are a lot of Euro III Volvo Super Olympians in the Kowloon Bay Depot. They are seen on many different routes. Date: 13/12/2001
	3ASV234 Most of the new Volvo Super Olympians in KMB have no advertisements. Date: 13/12/2001
	3ASV242 Euro III Volvo Super Olympians can also be seen on route 11, which had previously been operated by Dennis Dragons and Volvo Olympians. Date: 13/12/2001
	3ASV259 3ASV259 is the first Volvo Super Olympian with the fog-lamps present in KMB. Date: 13/12/2001
	3ASV275 3ASV275 is one of the Volvo Super Olympians with Fanisa seats, which first appeared on Berkhof MAN 24.310s. Date: 19/01/2002
	3ASV297 3ASV297 is the fifth Green Bus in the KMB fleet. It is scheduled for route 104. Date: 14/04/2002
	3ASV391 Shortly after entering service, the bus had been wearing banners on its sides and a megarear promoting a certain housing estate. Date: 16/08/2002
	3ASV392 3ASV392 is wearing an all-over advert promoting Nike's sports equipments. Date: 16/08/2002
	3ASV393 Many of route 102's new scheduled buses began to wear advertisements shortly after entering service, including 3ASV393, which wears an all-over advertisement promoting certain housing estate in Ma Wan. Date: 16/08/2002
	3ASV426 On the first day of service, this bus was allocated to route 85K. Date: 31/08/2002
	3ASV427 Also on the first day of service, the bus has "PRIVATE" displayed on its route display screen. Date: 31/08/2002
	After a long rest this bus served route 89X. I was one of the passengers of this bus on that day. Date: 31/08/2002