The world’s largest annual motor coach exposition was held last week in Brussels – Busworld 2025. How I wish I could have attended. Fortunately, there is a lot of info posted online highlighting all the manufacturers that participated and their respective models. This one stood out to me because; one, it’s a very impressive bus, and two, I’ve never heard of this specific manufacturer. Step inside the Ayats Twiliner.
First let’s talk about the company that operates this bus. Twiliner is a Swiss startup that will offer luxury overnight bus service across Europe as an eco-friendly alternative to short-haul flights. It plans to begin operations later this year. Initial routes will be between Zurich and Amsterdam (via Basel, Luxembourg, Brussels, and Rotterdam) and between Zurich and Barcelona (via Bern and Girona). The company aims to expand its network to 25 major European cities within three years. The emphasis is on providing a “high-end onboard experience.”
They aim to achieve that objective with this bus – manufactured by Carrocerías Ayats S.A., a Spanish bus and coach builder specializing in double-decker vehicles. They are one of Europe’s oldest transportation companies, being in business since 1905. I thought they were only a coach builder and used a chassis from one of the existing OEM manufacturers, but they make the “whole” bus – chassis and body.
It’s quite impressive:
Length: 14.85 meter/49 feet
Width: 2.5 meters/8 feet
Height: 4 meters/13 feet
The only engine information provided was that it was from Scania, but I’ll take a stab and say it’s likely one of the company’s latest D13 models; a 13 litre inline six cylinder diesel with up to 560 hp and 2800 nm/2065 ft lbs of torque. They also mentioned the bus was designed for later electrification.
I was curious about the coach’s overall length since EU regulations limit that to 12-meters, but then discovered Germany, Belgium, Spain, Austria, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands permit 15-meter buses on their roads.
The inside is just as impressive with reclining “business class-like” seats for 21 passengers. The seats were specifically designed for Twiliner. There is a beverage and snack area on the first level along with a bathroom that is large by bus standards.
It will be interesting to see if the company can make a go of it. With what I’ve experienced at airports recently, this would certainly be an option I’d look into.
Flying probably will be cheaper, faster and saver.
Sleeper trains are also making a comeback in Europe, for the same reasons. The Austrian OBB is making major initiatives in buying sleeper cars and creating routes between major central European cities. So why not buses? And traffic is of course much lighter at night.
I didn’t realize those countries allowed 15 meter buses. I can’t even imagine one that long navigating the old inner cities but then I doubt they even try. I wonder if we’ll see 50′ non-articulated buses in the US?
There are also 15m city buses. For example, in several municipalities in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Thanks to their steerable trailing axle, the vehicles are more maneuverable than one might think. I assume that long-distance buses like the one shown are also designed that way.
I’m a bit confused about “EU regulations limit (bus length) to 12-meters, but Germany, Belgium, Spain, Austria, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands permit 15-meter buses on their roads.” It would seem then that EU regulations don’t have any teeth if member countries don’t have to abide by them.
EU regulations are essentially minimums; individual countries can have longer limits. It means that no EU country can bar a 12m bus from entering. The same thing is true for trucks: there are EU minimums on their length and other dimensions and weight so that truckers can run the same rigs in all EU countries for obvious good reasons. But some countries allow longer and heavier trucks, the Netherlands being a key exception, as Johannes Dutch has shown us here many times.
It’s actually the same in the US; there’s fed minimum limits so that truckers can haul 53′ trailers in all the states, but some states allow longer and heavier trucks. Oregon allows triples trailers, for instance.
Oh my… as a regular customer of Emile Weber and sadly also their Ayats Horizons – those are quite the downgrade to Setra double decker coaches they are supposedly meant to replace. If the Carrocerías is not able to up their quality control game rather significantly, I cannot imagine anyone aboard of those being able to sleep without the assistance of E.R. grade anaesthetics.
I’m talking about horrifying sounds implying self destruction of chassis and running gear and interior panels actually disintegrating on vehicles that entered service just a few weeks prior. And the Luxembourgish are rather easy on their commons.
Since the transportation is free of charge in the Grand Douchy and hardly anyone gets or needs to ride for longer than an hour, all this is borderline tolerable, but I can vividly imagine a mutiny of paying customers to occur not even half way through Switzerland.
Very interesting concept – I’m curious if they can make it work with a 21-passenger capacity. I suppose the tickets would sell at a premium, but cutting out the airport hassles might make it worthwhile. Those seats look mighty nice. Thanks for this review; I’d never heard of Carrocerias Ayats.
All new to me, never heard of Ayats (or Twiliner) before. Long distance coaches here are either domestic (VDL), Belgian, or German, simply said. Like this Ayats, these 15 meter coaches always come with a 6×2*4 drivetrain (counter-steering tag axle). At some point they have to take a corner, you know. The relatively short wheelbase -see overhangs- also helps.
All looks impressive enough, but there remains the important issue of passenger safety. A passenger occupying a fully reclined seat and from what I can see, unable to wear or simply not wearing a full lap / sash seat belt, will very likely be killed, seriously injured or that persons body in an accident, will be thrown around the bus and as a consequence threaten other passengers safety.
Mind you, when I have used passenger buses in the United States, I am often one of only a few passengers who bother to use seat belts. The attitude seems to be that seat belts are not required in large buses, but this of course is not correct.
A bus accident / roll over will kill or seriously injure passengers not restrained by lap / sash seat belts.
The above would very likely prevent buses like this one operating in Australia.
Oddly enough, there are belt receivers (see the photo with the bloke lying down), so perhaps there’s some way a belt goes over you when lying down to at least keep you from flying about in a crash (though hardly stopping other, sliding-forward injuries to you).
Japan also has sleeper buses. As one might expect, they are very nice and clean.
Quite fascinating, as ever from yourself, Mr B.
Huge bastard of a thing for just 24 souls, when you think about economies of scale and such. Tickets would have to be a fair bit, yet the fit-out is somewhat more Hospital Class than First.
Personally, I can already feel the carsickness from the horizontal swaying about at 10 feet up in the air from here.