The Scania OmniExpress was a series of semi-integral single-deck coaches, intercity buses and city buses built from 2007 to 2017. The bodywork came from the Finnish manufacturer Lahden Autokori in Lahti, which is why the chassis names carry an L prefix, as in LK EB or LK IB.
Scania OmniExpress at a glance
| Production | 2007–2017 |
|---|---|
| Type | semi-integral single-deck coach, intercity and city bus |
| Body builder | Lahden Autokori, Lahti, Finland |
| Heights | 3.20 m, 3.40 m and 3.60 m |
| Chassis names | LK EB, LK IB and LK UB |
| First heights | 3.40 and 3.60 m |
| 3.20 launched | April 2011, floor 860 mm |
| Low-entry version | 3.20 LE on K UB chassis, from 2014 |
| Successor | Scania Interlink, announced 15 October 2015 |
based on one source
History of the Scania OmniExpress
A Finnish partnership
In the spring of 2007 Scania announced a collaboration with the Finnish bus and coach bodywork manufacturer Lahden Autokori to build a series of semi-integral coaches to be known as the Scania OmniExpress. The two companies had worked together since 2001 on the low-entry city bus Lahti Scala, built on L94UB and later K UB chassis, and a new production plant was built in Lahti for the new line. From the beginning the OmniExpress was available in two heights, 3.40 and 3.60 metres, replacing Lahden Autokori’s own Lahti Falcon and Lahti Eagle. A pre-production batch was made for demonstrators and selected customers in Finland and Sweden, and normal production began in late 2007.
The 3.20 and the end of the Scala
In April 2011 the 3.31-metre-high OmniExpress 3.20, with a floor height of 860 mm, was launched. It replaced the Lahti Flyer 520 and also served as a replacement for the Scania OmniLine, which had been discontinued in 2009. In August 2013 the last Lahti Scalas were delivered, meaning the last bus had been built in Lahden Autokori’s old plant at Villähde in Nastola, and at the same time the new OmniExpress 3.20 LE was announced to replace the Scala. A few weeks later, in September 2013, Lahden Autokori declared bankruptcy, which left future Scania production in Finland uncertain. All existing orders were completed, and in April 2014 it was announced that Scania would take over the Lahti plant through its new subsidiary SOE Bus Production Oy from 1 May; production of the 3.20 LE started shortly afterwards.
Gas, Poland and the successor
In April 2014 two CNG-powered LK 305 IB4x2NB OmniExpress 3.20 buses were delivered to Trelleborg Municipality for school services, making Scania the first manufacturer to offer step-entrance CNG-powered buses in the Nordic countries at that time. In late 2014 the first OmniExpress was built at Scania Production Słupsk in Poland; by August 2015 only the step-entrance 3.20 was known to have been built there, while all models were still produced in Finland. On 15 October 2015 Scania launched the Interlink as the successor to the OmniExpress range at Busworld Kortrijk.
In Norway
The first OmniExpress in Norway, a 3.60, arrived as a demonstrator in November 2007 in the livery of NOR-WAY Bussekspress and ended up as a school coach in Bardu Municipality in 2009. The first substantial order was 13 OmniExpress 3.40 for Concordia Bus Norge in July 2009, followed by 27 for Nordlandsbuss in December. In August 2013 Boreal Transport received 61 OmniExpress, then the largest single order for both Scania in Norway and Lahden Autokori, and by August 2015 just over 400 OmniExpress had been delivered to Norwegian customers.
Design and features
- Semi-integral construction: Scania chassis with bodywork from Lahden Autokori.
- Three heights: 3.20, 3.40 and 3.60 metres for intercity, coach and city work.
- L prefix: LK EB, LK IB and LK UB show the Lahti origin and the chassis type.
- CNG option: gas-powered 3.20 buses for Nordic operators from 2014.
Scania OmniExpress versions
- OmniExpress 3.40 and 3.60: coach and intercity buses on K EB and K IB chassis.
- OmniExpress 3.20: 3.31-metre intercity bus with an 860 mm floor, from 2011.
- OmniExpress 3.20 LE: low-entry city bus on the K UB chassis.
The intercity bus it replaced is the Scania OmniLine, and the chassis it uses are described in Scania K-series. The city bus of the same family is the Scania OmniLink, and more vehicles are in the Scania collection.
Sources
- Scania OmniExpress, English Wikipedia: history, models, production, Norway
