CUW-Autobusbedrijf Curacao-ABC

N.V. Autobusbedrijf Curaçao-ABC

“Autobusbedrijf Curaçao N.V. (ABC Busbedrijf or ABC) is a public transport company that was founded on December 1st, 1943, as a service of the central Government. The goal was to maintain the transport service in the Punda and Otrabanda regions and to start organising public transportation. Initially, there was only 1 route and 20 employees. Today the company has grown and has 137 workers; 81 of whom are drivers. The company has 35 busses that drive a total of 21 routes every day.” (ABC-site)

The current timetable can be found on the company website.

There are two route maps, for the eastern (Punda) part of the country and the western (Otrobanda) part of the country.

The current (December 2024) fleet consists of two Hyundai Aerocity buses (001-002), twelve Volvo B7R -Marcopolo Gran Viale buses (003-005 and 020-028), 14 Agrale -Marcopolo Senior midibuses (006-019), all dating from around 2010, and eleven Volvo B290R or B330R -Marcopolo Torino G7 buses (029-039), acquired after 2015. A new series of ten buses will probably be bought soon. As several vehicles are out of service the actual serviceable fleet is around 30-35 vehicles. Two Volvo B10M -Marcopolo coaches, 092-093, are also still present.

Fleet development:
The fleet list gives details, as far as known, on the buses ABC used since its inception.

From the 1940’s until 1972 mainly US buses were used, school buses but also some transit buses. Three DAF buses are known to have existed. Not many details are known about this period.

End of 1974 a series of 16 DAF Sb1600 -Jonckheere buses was purchased by the government, creating a more modern fleet. Numbers 1-16.

In 1975 five International school buses came, probably used for contract transport. Numbers 19-23 (numbers 17 and 18 were two renumbered US school buses)

In 1977 the change to Volvo was made, which is still the main supplier of new buses to ABC. In 1977-1979, a total of 14 Volvo B58 -Jonckheere buses came of the same typical squarish design of the period. Series 25-37.

Unfortunately, ABC then got into the habit of renumbering buses and filling op open numbers. As not all renumberings are known, there is some confusion on series and numbers of buses. It appears the Volvo -Jonckheere 25-37 were (at least partially) renumbered into 017-028.

The attention for supply of buses changed from Europe to Latin America and most new buses since then have come from Brazil.

In 1981 nine Volvo B58 -Marcopolo San Remo II buses, numbered 029-037, strengthened the fleet, followed in 1985 by four virtually indistinguishable Volvo B58 -Marcopolo Torino G3 buses. And here the numbering system goes off the tracks. They became 002, 003, 009, 016.

Subsequently, difficult years followed, with a variety of small batches of buses:
-nr 008 came in 1986 from Venezuela, it was a 1983 German Mercedes-Benz O307, probably had been a demonstrator to Venezuela.
-nrs 028, 038-040 were four ENCAVA from Venezuela in 1987. They didn’t last long..

In 1988 the contract services of DOW (Department of Public Works) were taken over, together with ten International and Chevrolet school bus-type vehicles, which received numbers 041-050.

In 1990 six US-built Thomas CL960 buses came, numbered 005, 007, 011, 023-025. By 1994 they were out of service because they were technically too complicated. However, in 2003-2004 two of these buses, repainted into the blue livery, were seen with numbers 026 and 027.

ABC wanted to buy new buses but lacked the funds. As an interim measure, Volvo provided eleven secondhand Dutch DAF MB200 standardbuses with Den Oudsten bodywork in 1992. They entered service “as is” with the numbers and liveries of their former employer, VAD. Two, numbers 120 and 123, were semi-coaches in a blue-white livery, the others were standard buses in the well-known Dutch yellow livery for regional buses.

There is some confusion, but it could be that a series of Volvo B10M -Marcopolo Torino buses entered service in 1994, numbered 051-058. It could als be that teh buses seen had been renumbered.

By the end of 1993/beginning of 1994, 17 new buses entered service, Volvo B10M -Caio Vitoria from Brazil. They received numbers 059-075 with the numbers probably continuing from the previous series still present.

In 1998 four new buses came, Volvo B10M -Busscar Urbanus, again from Brazil. Those received numbers 87-90, leaving an unexplained numbering gap. These four buses were still present, albeit out of service, in December 2024.

In 1999, ABC received, probably as a donation, three ex-HTM, The Hague, standard Dutch DAF SB201 -Hainje city buses. They retained their number 474, 513 and 514. Number 513 was painted white and for a while used in public service. Numbers 474 and 514 were rebuilt as “fun buses”, with windows removed, wooden benches and a colourful livery.

Lack of funds led again to the import of secondhand Dutch buses in 2003-2004. Nine ex-NOVIO, Nijmegen, DAF SB220 -Hainje/Berkhof ST2000 buses dating from 1989 and 1991 received numbers 040-048 and served several years.

Two new buses, Volvo B7R -Marcopolo Torino G6, came in 2006 and became 054-055.

From 2009 onwards new buses were bought, forming the current fleet as mentioned above.

Two of the party/fun buses were mentioned above (numbers 474 and 514). But there were also the typical American “trolley’s” which appeared in 1997. Known are numbers 079-082 and 086-07. All these buses have been scrapped, with two trolleys still lingering round in the yard in December 2024.

ABC also used some coaches. The first one seen was 091, a Volvo B10M -Marcopolo Paradiso GV1450 with number 091 came in 1993. Two more coaches, Volvo -Marcopolo Viaggio 1050, came later and were still present in December 2024.