The MAZ-206 is a semi-low-floor city and suburban bus of the Minsk Automobile Plant, intended for large and medium towns with average or moderately reduced passenger flows. It has been in series production since 2007, and by the summer of 2023 at least 4,300 had been built.
MAZ-206 at a glance
| Maker | Minsk Automobile Plant (MAZ), Belarus |
|---|---|
| Production | series production since 2007 |
| Class | medium city and suburban bus |
| Layout | semi-low floor, engine at the rear under the floor |
| Seats | usually 25; 22 with the liquefied gas tank |
| Engines | MMZ D-245.30, Mercedes-Benz OM904LA four-cylinder turbodiesels |
| Gearboxes | ZF 6HP 504 automatic or ZF 6S 700 BO manual |
| Suburban version | MAZ-226, 31 seats |
| Built | at least 4,300 by the summer of 2023 |
| Restyling | new front from 2021 |
The MAZ-206 is covered only by the Russian Wikipedia article; this page is based on one source.
History of the MAZ-206
Presented in 2006
The bus was shown to the management and workers of the Minsk Automobile Plant on 14 June 2006, and in August 2006 it was named best city bus at the Moscow motor show. Series production began in 2007. Its length and capacity are greater than those of the MAZ-256 but smaller than those of the large MAZ-103, so the MAZ-206 fits quiet city routes, service and VIP work and suburban lines.
Inside the bus
The floor is low in the front part, where there is a large standing area with room for a wheelchair and a small number of seats. Behind the second door the floor rises and two rows of seats are fitted on each side, usually for 25 passengers in all. In the versions built for liquefied natural gas only 22 seats remain, because the last row is replaced by the cryogenic tank, and those buses have no rear window. The MAZ-226 raises the number of seats to 31 by fitting seats in the standing area. The engine sits at the rear under the floor of the saloon and can be the MMZ D-245.30, the Mercedes-Benz OM904LA or another four-cylinder turbodiesel; the gearbox is either a six-speed ZF automatic with a torque converter, hydraulic retarder and three planetary sets, or a six-speed ZF manual.
Suburban and export versions
In 2007 the suburban MAZ-226 was added, with up to 31 seats near the second door and an optional luggage compartment. In 2012 a MAZ-206 in Ivanovo was converted into a trolleybus, the MAZ-206T, and later moved to Vidnoye. In 2017 a batch of MAZ-103 and MAZ-208 buses went to Hanoi; the MAZ-208 is at least 50 mm narrower than the original. In 2023 the first MAZ-226.047 was built for the bus depot of Baranovichi.
The restyled front
In 2021 MAZ-206.486 buses with a restyled front, with headlights resembling those of the NefAZ-5299, entered service in Moscow, and from August 2021 MAZ-206.945 and MAZ-206.947 buses of the same design worked in St Petersburg. In 2022, as part of the new transport scheme there, 889 MAZ-203 and MAZ-206 buses on compressed and liquefied gas were delivered. From February 2023 restyled buses appeared in Belarus, the first three MAZ-206.047 going to Pinsk.
Design and features
- Rear engine: the diesel sits at the rear under the saloon floor, which keeps the front low.
- Low front section: a large standing area with space for a wheelchair.
- 25 seats: two rows on each side behind the second door, 22 in the gas version.
- Two gearboxes: a ZF six-speed automatic or a ZF six-speed manual.
- Suburban stablemate: the MAZ-226 with 31 seats and an optional luggage compartment.
MAZ-206 versions
- MAZ-206: the standard city and suburban bus.
- MAZ-226 (2007): suburban version with 31 seats.
- Gas versions: liquefied natural gas, 22 seats, no rear window.
- MAZ-206T (2012): a single trolleybus conversion made in Ivanovo.
- MAZ-208 (2017): a narrower version for Hanoi.
- Restyled buses (from 2021): MAZ-206.486, 206.945, 206.947 and 206.047 with a new front.
The larger MAZ-203 and the older MAZ-103 complete the city range, and the high-floor MAZ-104 was the cheaper alternative of the previous generation. More are in the MAZ collection.
Sources
- MAZ-206, Russian Wikipedia: presentation, layout, engines, versions, deliveries
