ELBA buses

ELBA
Amman, Jordan

THIS IS NOT THE OFFICIAL ELBA SITE, the official site can be found at: www.elbahouse.com
BACK

ELBA HOUSE started producing prefabricated buildings and steel structures and added a new line for manufacturing of transport vehicles like trailers, low-beds, tippers and tankers. In order to further diversify its production, bus body building was added in 1991, using technology obtained from Auwärter in Germany, with production starting in 1992. Buses and coaches have been built on a variety of chassis: Mercedes, MAN, Scania, IVECO, TATA, Mitsubishi, Toyota and Volvo. ELBA received a licence from Mercedes-Benz to assemble Mercedes chassis and currently supplies the O500M city bus chassis and O500R and O500RS coach chassis with different engine ratings.

The first urban model was a rather squarish large high floor bus of which some examples on Mitsubishi, Volvo and Mercedes-Benz chassis could still be found in Amman in 2009. Coaches were somewhat more stylish and were mainly built on Mercedes-Benz and Volvo-chassis. The coach model gradually developed into the current distinctive designs. Around 2007 a new model range was introduced under the Star name. The new urban bus, still built on Mercedes-Benz O500M chassis, is called the Silver Star. It exists in normal floor and low-entry form. The coach model was redesigned. The Royal Star is a 3.39 meter high vehicle built om the O500R chassis and the the Grand Star is a 3.56 meter high vehicle on the O500RS chassis. Midibuses are built in an urban version with straight windshield, still to be seen with Autobus in Amman, and in a version for contract or coach work. ELBA also builds special vehicles like prison buses, armoured buses and mobile homes. ELBA's website shows several and gives etchnical details of the buses and coaches.

Interestingly ELBA recently (2010) updated ist website and has considerably extended its bus range. The Mercedes-Benz O500M Silver Star urban bus, the Royal Star and Grand Star coaches are still offered. But additionally there is a double deck bus (Twin Star) with MAN components, an Airport bus with Deutz engine, a top end coach, Platinum Star, on IVECO Eurorider chassis, two new urban buses with Cummins engines, Light Star and Low Star, the latter in low-entry configuration, and an articulated bus in two designs with a Mercedes engine. There also is a range of smaller buses and coaches: the Town Star on Mercedes-Benz LO915 chassis, the Elite Star small coach with Cummins engine, the similar Desert Star as an intercity bus and the 7-meter Mini Star as a school bus. See www.elbahouse.com.

NEWS: Mid 2012 ELBA is building 60 new double-deckers for Baghdad, Iraq's capital! They should be in service by June 2012.

ELBA coach and regional bus models, 1992-current
*Pages will be linked to more pictures, please click on link when available.*
IVECO EuroRider Cursor 8 -ELBA Platinum Star 2010-current The Platinum Star is a new high end coach on IVECO chassis.	.	.
Mercedes-Benz O500RS -ELBA Grand Star 2007-current The Grand Star is ELBA's top end coach. In a short time it became popular in Jordan and also attracted export orders from, among others, Quwait and Sudan. It is 12 meters long en 3.56 meters high.
Mercedes-Benz O500R -ELBA Royal Star 2007-current The Royal Star is a 12-meter long, 2.39 meter high coach and bus.
Mercedes-Benz O500R -ELBA 200? This model is basically the same as the onw below but has a re-designed front and first and last side windows. A large number was sold to KGL in Kuwait.
Mercedes-Benz O500R -ELBA 200? The mid-2000's coach model in the high, luxury version. KGL in Kuwait bought a large batch of these vehicles.
Mercedes-Benz -ELBA 200? The mid-2000's coach model in the lower version with the typical sloping first window pillar as used on earlier models.
Mercedes-Benz -ELBA 200? Though similar to the bus below, this behicle, seen in Quwait, has a different first window and a normal last window.
Mercedes-Benz -ELBA 199?/200? This bus model, similar to the one below, does not have the special first window pillar but a normal window with sloping lower part. Also, the last window is not square but has a sloping rear side.
Volvo B7R -ELBA 199?/200? The 1990's coach on a Volvo b7R chassis. This vehicle lacks the large, sloping first window pillar.
Mercedes-Benz -ELBA 199?/200? This model probably dates from the 1990's. The front end is reminiscent of the Mercedes-Benz O404. The coach seen here has a typical large first window pillar.
Mercedes-Benz -ELBA 199? An older model bus on a Marcedes rear-engine chassis.

**ELBA urban bus models, 1992-current**
		Agrale -ELBA ca 2007 ELBA imported 40 Agrale chassis from Brazil and bodied them as buses. The model is largely similar to the Silver Star, apart from the front end which has a distintive styling. In May 2009 some 20 of these buses were parked in front of the factory.
		Mercedes-Benz O500M 1726 -ELBA Silver Star 2008/2009 The last 13 Silver Star vehicles delivered to Autobus in Amman end of 2008/beginning of 2009 were of a low-entry design. The difference with the normal version (below) can be clearly seen.
		Mercedes-Benz O500M 1726 -ELBA Silver Star 2007/2009 ELBA's new urban bus in 2007 was the Silver Star, built on MercedesBenz 1726 (O500M) chassis. Autobus in Amman bought 116, though the last 13 were built as low-entry buses. Similar vehicles were built for KGL in Kuwait and SAPTCO in Saoudi Arabia. One demonstration vehicle on Volvo chassis was built for KBTC in Kuwait.
		Mercedes-Benz / Volvo B7R / Mitsubishi -ELBA 199?-ca 2003 ELBA's older urban buses were large, rather squarish vehicles, built for the private companies in Amman (and elsewhere?). Some newer vehicles have windows going up all to the roofline.
		Mercedes-Benz -ELBA 199? An older model of ELBA bus wth a 2-door urban layout.

**ELBA midi bus models, 1992-current**
Mercedes-Benz LO-ELBA 200? ELBA's midibus, built on Mercedes-Benz chassis. These buses are used by private companies and institutions. They were also seen in Kuwait.
Mercedes-Benz -ELBA 200? Autobus in Amman has a small number of these urban midibuses.
TATA -ELBA 200? Small TATA buses with ELBA bodywork were seen in Quwait in 2008.