Chapter 8: Den Oudsten Alliance Buses

by John Veerkamp

Chapter 8: Den Oudsten Alliance Buses (text by John Veerkamp):
Dutch bus builder Den Oudsten started in 1926. Before the second world war the company was known as Den Oudsten & Domburg, but after 1945 the partners split up, each one continuing as a bus body builder. Den Oudsten's production was primarily directed at the Dutch bus operators, and since the 1950's more specifically at the regional operators, most of whom were subsidiary companies of Netherlands Railways. In the 1960's and 1970's bus production was highly standardized, and Den Oudsten became the main producer of the Dutch regional bus model from around 1970 to 1988. Several attempts at producing new models were unsuccessful, including the integral B79 in 1979, the low-floor B84 and similar B86 midibuses in the 1980's, and a coach called the Rembrandt.

By the end of the 1980's, the standard regional bus had become outdated, and prototypes for a new model were developed by DAF, Hainje and Den Oudsten. Den Oudsten's model became known as the B88. This model only had a relatively short production history as de-standardization, deregulation, and more open competition on the European market forced the various bus builders to become more competitive. The last B88's were sold in 1995.

The Den Oudsten family bought the Flyer company in Canada in 1986. A few years later they sold their shares in the Dutch company to allow Den Oudsten to team up with DAF Bus (Netherlands), BOVA (Netherlands), Optare (UK), and DAB (Denmark) to create United Bus, an ill-fated adventure that the participating companies barely survived. Den Oudsten was bought back by the Den Oudsten family and continued as Den Oudsten Bussen.

In addition to the B88, which was supposed to become the standard bus, Den Oudsten developed its own model, called the Alliance. The first Alliance, a B89 test bus presented in 1989, was built on a DAF SB220 chassis. In 1991 two integral low-floor prototypes followed, called the B90. In 1992 production of the Alliance took off, and from 1995 it has been the only Den Oudsten model. Den Oudsten has been successful in maintaining itself as the major Dutch bus builder, while export now accounts for some 50% of the production, with Alliance buses going to Belgium, Luxemburg, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Greece and Palestine. An agreement was reached with Ramseier & Jenzer in Switzerland for the sale of the Alliance under the R&J name, but only a small number of demonstration buses seems to have been delivered. Recently, Den Oudsten presented a new midibus model, called the Avance, and a hybrid bus, called the X97. Den Oudsten has also produced the low floor prototype that led to the development of the New Flyer low-floor buses, and produced the prototype New Flyer D45S suburban. Den Oudsten's production has passed the 11,000 mark, since its inception in 1926. The average production since 1975 has been 250-300 buses.

Externally the Alliance model has changed little over the years, the most obvious change has been to the destination box, which initially was placed behind the curved windscreen. A new, separate destination box has improved legibility. The Alliance models produced are:

  • B89 12-meter bus. The first B89 was presented in 1989. It was built on a DAF SB220 rear-engine low-floor chassis. After thorough testing of the new model, series production started in 1992. The B89 has been built on the above mentioned DAF SB220, on the mid-engine high-floor DAF MB230, on Volvo B10M, and on IVECO 391.12.29A. The last B89 were delivered in 1996, after which Den Oudsten concentrated on integral buses.
  • B89 articulated bus. An articulated version of the B89 on DAF SBG220 chassis was produced in 1992. Only 10 were built for two Dutch operators. The bulk of articulated bus production for the Netherlands has since gone to Berkhof, who built them on Volvo B10M chassis and to the integral Mercedes Benz O405G. Den Oudsten has recuperated part of this market segment with the introduction of the integral B93.
  • B89 15-meter bus. In 1994 the Dutch public transport organizations introduced a new high quality bus system called "Interliner", complementing the railway system. As distances in the Netherlands are relatively short, even on those services, the idea was to have luxury buses providing a seat for every passenger, rather than using coaches. As articulated buses were deemed not comfortable enough, the opportunity was taken to develop 15-meter buses, which had just become legal in the Netherlands. Den Oudsten adapted the Alliance bodywork to the new 15 meter rear-engine DAF SBR3000 (later SBR3015) chassis. So far, Den Oudsten built 22 of these buses on DAF chassis, and 6 on the mid-engine Volvo B10M-chassis.
  • B90 integral low-floor citybus. The B90 is the low-floor city bus version of the Alliance. It has 2 or 3 doors, and a rear vertical DAF or MAN engine and independent front wheel suspension. Two prototypes were built in 1991 and tested by various operators. One was later sent to New Flyer in Canada. Several more prototypes were built and tested by operators in Germany and Switzerland. In 1992 the first series was delivered to a Dutch operator and to a private operator in Berlin. More orders from the Netherlands and Germany followed, while one large order of 70 buses was for Athens in Greece. In 1996, the model was improved and continued as the B96.
  • B91 integral intercity bus. The B91 is the regional bus version of the integral Alliance. It has a normal high floor and a rear DAF or MAN engine. The first prototype was delivered at the beginning of 1992, with a second one going the same year to Ramseier & Jenzer in Switzerland, and over 20 going to Germany as demonstrators. Most of those came back and were sold secondhand in Luxemburg, Belgium and the Netherlands. Subsequent orders came from Germany, Luxemburg and the Netherlands, with one large order of 75 buses for Palestine partly being funded by Dutch development aid. The B91 was superseded by the B95 from 1997 onwards.
  • B93 integral low-floor articulated city bus. The prototype of the articulated version of the Alliance was developed in 1993 and went to private operator Hartmann in Berlin for testing. Production started in 1997. Deliveries so far have been limited to 17 for the town of The Hague, 18 for the town of Almere (both in the Netherlands), and 21 for Gothenburg in Sweden.
  • B95 integral intercity bus. Several improvements in the B91 led to the development of the new B95 integral intercity bus. Externally the models look very much the same; the improvements are mainly to the engine. Most B95 have so far been sold in the Netherlands, with small numbers going to neighboring countries and Gothenburg in Sweden.
  • B96 integral low-floor city bus. The B96 is the successor to the B90. Main changes are the replacement of the independent front suspension by a fixed axle that provides a more stable ride and the use of a horizontal rear engine. Since 1996 the B96 has been delivered to various Dutch and German operators, and to Gothenburg in Sweden.

View Den Oudsten Alliance Photographs