The Scania N-series is a line of low-floor bus chassis with a straight-up, transversely mounted Euro IV or newer engine at the rear. Scania has built it since 2006, when it replaced the N94, and it comes in single-deck, articulated and double-deck forms.
Scania N-series at a glance
| Built since | 2006 |
|---|---|
| Replaced | Scania N94 |
| Engine | transverse, straight-up, at the rear |
| Single-decker | N UB: N230UB, N270UB, N280UB |
| Articulated | N UA: N310UA |
| Double-decker | N UD: N230UD, N250UD, N260UD, N270UD, N280UD, N320UD |
| Main double-deck market | United Kingdom |
| Best-selling variant | N230UD, largest customer Stagecoach |
| Main model from 2015 | N250UD with Alexander Dennis Enviro400 MMC |
| Gas double-decker | N280UD, launched 2016 |
based on one source
History of the Scania N-series
Chassis for city buses
The N-series succeeded the N94 in 2006 and is built around a transverse engine mounted straight up at the rear, a layout that leaves a low floor through the bus. It is offered as the two-axle single-decker N UB in N230UB, N270UB and N280UB form, as the tri-axle articulated N310UA, and as the two-axle double-decker N UD in N230UD, N250UD, N260UD, N270UD, N280UD and N320UD versions.
The British double-decker
The double-deck variant is mainly built for the United Kingdom. At first it was available both as an integral product, the Scania OmniCity, and as a separate chassis with Alexander Dennis Enviro400 bodywork. The N230UD became the best-selling variant of the whole N-series, with Stagecoach in the United Kingdom as its largest customer. In 2015 the updated N250UD took over as the main model, launched with the updated Enviro400 MMC bodywork, and that also marked the official end of the double-deck Scania OmniCity.
Gas power
A gas-powered double-decker, the N280UD, was launched with Enviro400 MMC bodywork in 2016. Reading Buses was the first customer of the United Kingdom’s first gas-powered double-decker bus. The largest British fleet of N280UDs is with Nottingham City Transport, where the total reached 120 by the end of 2019; those buses have Enviro400 City bodywork.
Design and features
- Low floor: a transverse rear engine leaves room for a flat passenger area.
- Three body types: single-decker, articulated and double-decker chassis.
- British double-deckers: integral OmniCity or Alexander Dennis Enviro400 bodywork.
- Gas option: the N280UD double-decker of 2016.
Scania N-series versions
- N230UB, N270UB, N280UB: two-axle single-deckers.
- N310UA: tri-axle articulated bus.
- N230UD – N320UD: two-axle double-deckers for the UK.
- N280UD: gas-powered double-decker with Enviro400 MMC bodywork.
The integral bus built on the earlier N94 was the Scania OmniCity, and the double-deck bodywork of the period is described in East Lancs OmniDekka. For coach chassis see the Scania K-series; more vehicles are in the Scania collection.
Sources
- Scania N series, English Wikipedia: variants, customers, gas model
