The Récréo was the school version of the Karosa 900-series intercity buses, built by Karosa in Vysoké Mýto and sold at different times as the Renault Récréo, the Irisbus Récréo and the Karosa Récréo. Production ran from 1997 to 2007, and the vast majority of the buses went to France.
Irisbus Recreo at a glance
| Maker | Karosa, Vysoké Mýto |
|---|---|
| Names | Renault Récréo, Irisbus Récréo, Karosa Récréo |
| Production | 1997–2007 |
| Based on | Karosa C 935, then C 955 |
| Class | school version of an intercity bus |
| Length | about 11.3 m (C 935), 12 m and 12.7 m (C 955) |
| Doors | two double hinged doors on the right |
| Main market | France |
The bus was built by Karosa and carried three names in turn; the English Wikipedia article covers the whole history, the Italian one gives the Irisbus years.
History of the Irisbus Recreo
From the C 935 to the C 955
Structurally the Récréo was indistinguishable from the Karosa C 935 and C 955 intercity buses on which it was based. The original C 935 Récréo was a two-axle bus with a semi-self-supporting body of panel construction; the engine and manual gearbox sat behind the rear axle in the area of the rear panel, and the right side had two double hinged doors, the first ahead of the front axle and the second ahead of the rear axle. Compared with the standard C 935 it differed mainly in its passenger seats, the absence of luggage racks above the seats and other details, and its length of about 11.3 metres was almost identical.
The C 955 generation
After the C 935 finished and production of the C 955 began, the school buses were built as the C 955 Récréo. Structurally it was very similar to its predecessor, but the body panels were not prepared separately: they were assembled into the shell, which then went through the dip stage, painting and sheeting. It also differed slightly with a modified front and a flat rather than bulging rear face, and the wheelbase was extended so that the bus reached 12 metres, the same as the C 955. At the same time production began of higher-capacity versions with a length of 12.7 metres.
Mostly for France
The buses were produced between 1997 and 2007, first as a variant of the C 935 and from 2001 as a modification of the C 955. The vast majority were designed for export, especially to France, where the type served as a school bus, and several thousand Récréo buses were made. Before production of the 900 series ended, Irisbus introduced a new Recreo derived from the Crossway, which took the name into the next generation of the range.
Design and features
- School specification: seats for pupils and no luggage racks above them.
- Two generations: based first on the C 935 and from 2001 on the C 955.
- Long body: about 11.3 m in the first version, 12 m and 12.7 m later.
- Two doors: double hinged doors on the right, one at each end of the saloon.
- French export: the great majority of the production went to France.
Irisbus Recreo versions
- C 935 Récréo (1997–2001): the first school version, on the two-axle C 935.
- C 955 Récréo (from 2001): the second generation with a modified front and flat rear.
- 12.7 m versions: higher-capacity buses built alongside the 12-metre type.
- New Recreo: the later Irisbus model derived from the Crossway.
The Récréo was replaced in the Irisbus range by a model derived from the Irisbus Crossway; smaller buses of the period included the Irisbus Europolis. More buses are in the Irisbus collection.
Sources
- Karosa Récréo, English Wikipedia: construction, production, export
- Iveco Bus, Italian Wikipedia: Irisbus model list and years
