Riviera Tour took over the new bus Neoplan Cityliner

At the end of July 2017, Pavel Číž, director of Riviera Tour, took over a new NEOPLAN CITYLINER bus in the latest full version from MAN Czech Republic for transporting clients on tours with RIVIERA TOUR. The vehicle was custom-made according to the owner's requirements, which are mainly based on the comfort and convenience of clients during transport to and from the port. Understandably, all in the company's blue colours. 

Bus tailored to clients

During the first 14 days, the vehicle was worked on very hard. The vehicle was equipped with a camera system, audio and video system, etc. The whole bus is also equipped with carpets to make the customers feel at home in the bus. 

Pavel Číž, director of Riviera Tour, said about the new bus: "We started from the needs of our clients. The journey to the port is long and we realize that we need to make this journey as pleasant as possible for our clients. That is why we have invested a lot in the interior of the bus, especially the seats. All seats are made to individual order. We believe that clients will appreciate the special padding and reinforcements in the back area, adjustable headrests, comfortable seats, sockets for charging mobile phones and PCs in each seat, interactive journey tracking either visually or on a map via LCD. We have also invested heavily in safety systems and the use of the latest engines ensures the ecological aspect of the bus operation.We have invested in the best that the coach market has to offer because we really care about our customers." 

Traffic and road safety is very important. After all, the bus transports up to 7,000 clients of Riviera Tour every year.On Thursday, 17 August 2018, the new bus was blessed in front of the Roman Catholic Church of St. Catherine by the local priest P. Petr Martinka.

Eco-friendly bus

The Neoplan Cityliner with the Euro 6 engine broke the fuel consumption limit of 20 litres per 100 km on a long-distance route. MAN demonstrated how fuel-efficient modern tour buses can be with the Cityliner with the 324 kW Euro 6 MAN D26 six-cylinder engine. In cooperation with TÜV Süd, a total of 1,320 kilometres was defined which can be considered representative for a bus tour. The route sections were divided into motorway, class 1 roads and urban sections.

The tested Cityliner was loaded accordingly according to its capacity and permissible total weight. The test drive was carried out with a professional bus driver and took place over two days a week in real traffic conditions. There were no interruptions or similar situations during the test runs.

After evaluating the data collected during the drive, the Cityliner was certified with a fuel consumption of 19.8 litres per 100 km. Low fuel consumption also means low CO2 emissions.

At 60% utilisation, the Cityliner achieves very low CO2 emissions of around 18 grams per passenger-kilometre. This is an excellent figure compared to aircraft (230.7 g CO2/person-km), passenger cars (142.3 g CO2/person-km) and rail (45.2 g CO2/person-km), as shown by figures published by the Federal Environment Agency. If the bus is fully loaded, CO2 emissions fall to 11 g/passenger-km.

The Cityliner's excellent fuel economy figures are achieved thanks to a combination of several factors. These include, for example, the design of Neoplan buses, which decisively influences the aerodynamic performance of the vehicle. In the case of the Cityliner, an extremely low coefficient of air resistance (cW) of around 0.35 has been achieved.

Modern design

The consistently lightweight construction ensures that no heavy weight has to be transported. In combination with the efficient MAN Euro 6 engine, the MAN TipMatic automated transmission and the economical driving style, bus operators save significantly on refuelling.

Visually and technically, the all-new Cityliner sets new standards in its category. The top model of the touring bus category is available in a two-axle chassis with a total length of 12.24 m - Cityliner HD, a three-axle model with a total length of 12.9 m - Cityliner HDC and a Cityliner HDL model with a total length of 13.9 m.

The Cityliner model range is exclusively available in 3.7 m height. Designer Michael Streicher has given the vehicle a modern look and feel, while still maintaining its link to the tradition of classic tour buses. In shape, the Cityliner is related to the flagship of the NEOMAN division, the ultra high-decker Starliner.

The original design of the car's body is also linked to the interior. The four-star version of the 12.24 m long double-axle Cityliner HD bus is equipped with 46 seats and the three-star version with 51 seats. The three-axle, 12.99m-long HDC has a minimum of 50 or 55 seats and the HDL 54 or 59. All passenger layout options remember the built-in lavatory.

The basic body structure is based on the experience of building the Starliner model series. The rear fascia and front arch, including the transverse bracing, are able to withstand even very stringent strength tests with a large margin. All these improvements have a direct effect on the torsional and flexural strength of the body, which exhibits very low noise loads. The use of a modular design concept and the standardisation of subassemblies guarantees a high degree of interchangeability of spare parts and at the same time a high degree of product quality.

Engines and chassis

The NEOMAN Cityliner HD is equipped as standard with a ten-and-a-half-litre six-cylinder engine of the MAN D2066 LOH model series in Euro 3 or Euro 4 emission specifications. In the variant that meets the latest emission standards, the engine is equipped not only with an EGR exhaust gas recirculation system, but also with the original maintenance-free soot trap - PM-KAT®. The standard engine for the HD version has an output of 294 kW/400 hp. On request, an engine with a maximum output of 324 kW/440 hp can also be fitted. The same engine output variant is used as standard in the three-axle HDC/HDL model. The new MAN D2676 LOH 02 common rail six-cylinder engine with a displacement of 12.4 litres and a maximum output of 353 kW/480 hp is also available. Other power and engine variants of the Cityliner are equipped with a six-speed manual gearbox.

 The Cityliner chassis is equipped as standard with the ESP electronic assistance system, which ensures driving stability and protects against dangerous tilting and thus rollovers. At an additional cost, the bus can be equipped with electronic suspension control - the CDS (Comfort Drive Suspension) system is able to maintain a constant ride comfort of the vehicle. Various other electronic assistance systems contribute greatly to the safety of the crew and passengers. MAN was one of the first major manufacturers to introduce many of these into its vehicles. And it already has a great deal of experience and practical information on many of them. These include brake assist, the MSC maximum speed control system, which can maintain the selected maximum speed even when driving downhill, active cruise control ACC and the lane keeping system - LGS. A new feature is that the Cityliner is the first bus in its class to be equipped with an innovative lighting system - swivel headlights. These provide more illuminated space in bends. The headlights can be equipped with bi-xenon technology at an additional cost. Proven design components and a high proportion of maintenance-free parts benefit the customer, as do the low fuel consumption of the EGR Euro 4 engines and the particularly long engine oil change intervals - up to 120,000 kilometres.