Riding on a MAN truck chassis, the Hafencity Riverbus takes what’s best from both worlds and throws it together in a rather unusual tourist attraction as an amphibious vehicle.
The entire project began 18 years ago, when owner Fred Franken saw a similar attraction in Singapore and wanted to bring it to German shores. However, due to the European country’s strict regulations, it took a while for it to be granted a permit, since the traffic law does not provide for amphibious vehicles, but everything eventually piled up into a positive response.
Maintenance is one of the biggest challenges when it comes to the waterproof vehicle, whose body was provided by a Hungarian company, as since it’s neither a boat nor a bus, the staff who has to makes sure that everything functions properly needs “an extremely high level of technical knowledge in order to quickly get to any parts in need of repair“, as Mike Vannauer, the Regional Manager Bus Sales North at MAN Truck & Bus Deutschland GmbH, said.
Once the main concerns have been overcome, the Hafencity Riverbus has been allowed to take people on tours of the port city on the Elbe, Hamburg, and in the first two months of operations, 6,000 passengers have been along the scheduled route.
The amphibious bus could eventually make its way into other cities, as officials have been keeping an eye on the developments in Hamburg’s harbor, and orders for an additional five to seven similar vehicles are already in the pipeline.
PHOTO GALLERY
