Category:Neoplan Jumbocruiser

English: The Jumbocruiser or N138/4, was a quad-axle double-decker coach built by German manufacturer Neoplan. Only 11 examples were built, No.s 1 to 10 between 1975 and 1986, and No.11 in 1992. The first ten were 'puller' (engine & driving axle in the front portion) types, while No. 11 was a 'pusher' (rear), leading to various design differences between the two, most notably a different axle configuration (see sub-categories for full details). The first 10 buses exploited the then maximum dimensions of 4m high, 18m long and 2.5m wide, to produce a bus with a maximum capacity of 144. No.11 was slightly wider at 2.52m. The Jumbocruisers were delivered to various companies, with most to a luxury spec with lower than maximum seating, and one as a sleeper bus. Customers were as follows:

• No. 1 - Globus Travel of Cologne, Germany
• No. 2 - TRD Travel of Dortmund, Germany
• No. 3 - Hallo Travel of Essen, Germany
• No. 4 - Mundstock Travel of Peine, Germany, now Treberhilfe, Dresden
• No. 5 - TRD Travel (2nd)
• No. 6 - Car-O-Tel (the sleeper bus)
• No. 7 - Hallo Travel (2nd), deconstructed
• No. 8 - Sola Ruten of Norway
• No. 9 - Chuo Kanko of Osaka, Japan
• No. 10 - TRD Travel (3rd)
• No. 11 - Best Tours of Brussels, Belgium

The market for the Jumbocruiser evaporated after some countries changed their regulations on articulated coaches, and also after the legal maximum for rigid vehicles was increased to 15m in Germany in 1993, to allow use of rigid high capacity vehicles like the 4-axle double-deck Megaliner N128/4, which employed steering on all four axles to keep the turning circle within the regulations.

No.1 has since been converted into the 'world's largest motor home', named 'Der Bus' (German:The Bus). Painted white with blue Der Bus fleetnames, it features a storage area and small vehicle/bike garage with loading ramp (downstairs rear portion), a lounge/bar area and an 8 seat passenger cabin (downstairs front), bathroom & 2 guest bunks (upstairs rear) and kitchen, living room and 2 berth main bedroom (upstairs front).

No.s 10 and 11, were later purchased by a British company (Atlantic Coast plc, later spun out as Jumbocruiser Ltd of Newport, South Wales) for conversion into sleeper buses.