Lviv Bus Plant (LAZ) was founded in May 1945. For ten years, the company produced truck cranes and car trailers. Then the production facilities of the plant were expanded. In 1956, the first LAZ-695 bus left the assembly line, a photo of which is presented on the page. He topped the long list of models for subsequent releases. Each new modification improved the technical parameters and became more comfortable compared to the previous one.
Magirus and Mercedes
As a prototype for the construction of the LAZ-695, the German Magirus purchased abroad was used. The machine was studied throughout 1955, the design was considered from the point of view of technological application for conveyor assembly in the conditions of the limited capabilities of the Soviet Avtoprom. In the process of preparing the LAZ-695 bus for serial production, the exterior and all external data were borrowed from Magirus, and the chassis, chassis and powertrain with transmission were taken from the German Mercedes-Benz 321 bus. German cars cost the Soviet government inexpensively, since in the West automobiles are written off early, replaced with new ones. Magirus, Neoplan and Mercedes-Benz were bought for a third of the price, and all the buses were in excellent condition.
Production start
The LAZ-695 bus, the technical characteristics of which were recognized as quite reliable, was produced for two years, from 1956 to 1958. Initially, the car was used on urban routes, but it soon became clear that its interior does not meet the requirements of intensive passenger traffic, the interior was uncomfortable and cramped. LAZ-695 bus began to ply on suburban routes, this time having established itself as a comfortable and fast carrier. Its technical data fully met the tasks of operation. In addition, tourist groups rented the bus with pleasure, the car moved smoothly, the ZIL-124 brand engine worked almost silently. Later, the LAZ-695, the technical characteristics of which did not need to be modified, was serviced by the Cosmonaut Training Center in Baikonur.
The technical requirements for the bus were somewhat specific. The astronauts had to move from one module to another, following the preflight training program, so the cabin was half freed from the standard seats, and in their place were seats like aircraft, on which it was possible to lie.
In addition, the interior of the bus was easily converted for emergency medical needs. Devices for monitoring the general condition of the human body were installed in it: electrocardiographs, a tonometer for measuring pressure, equipment for the simplest blood analysis and much more. Such transport was serviced by a team of doctors of three people (modeled on a conventional urban-type machine).
Soviet period
Lviv Bus Plant continued to produce the model in various versions until 2006. The machine was constantly improved, and the demand for it was kept at a fairly high level. Bus prices were constant during the Soviet era, and this suited consumers. Until 1991, the so-called routines were distributed in the USSR, according to which vehicles, including buses, were centrally distributed. Payment for equipment was made by bank transfer, and subsequent operation, maintenance and repair due to the auto enterprise.
The planned economy of the USSR implied a phased development of the automotive industry, and city buses were at that time the first in the list in demand in the national economy. Certain hopes were pinned on Lviv models. However, the car with a five-speed transmission and solid rows of seats did not fit into the dynamic mode of traffic. City buses needed a specially equipped cabin, as well as a power plant adapted to frequent braking and stopping. A conventional engine, as a rule, overheated. The height of the produced model also did not fully comply with the traffic standards in the city.
Reconstruction Attempts
New buses leaving the assembly line of the Lviv plant repeated the parameters of the base model, and radical changes in design were impossible. The LAZ design bureau made several attempts to change the interior, but it turned out to be easier to create a car “from scratch” than to change the technical characteristics of an existing model. Thus, all the new buses produced in Lviv were sent mainly to service suburban lines. And on city routes, trolleybuses ran, which were produced at the Lviv Automobile Plant since 1963 (based on a bus body).
First modifications
In December 1957, the LAZ-695B bus was launched into production, an upgraded version of the previous model. First of all, a pneumatic drive was installed on the machine instead of a mechanical one (for opening doors). The side air intakes for cooling the rear engine were discontinued. The central air inlet in the form of a bell was placed on the roof. Thus, the cooling efficiency has increased, and the dust entering the engine compartment has become much less. Changes also affected the exterior in front, the space between the headlights has become more modern. In the cabin, the partition of the driver’s cabin was improved, it was raised to the ceiling, and a door appeared to enter the cabin. Serial production of this model continued through 1964. A total of 16,718 cars were produced.
Along with the release of the 695B modification, the development of the 695E model with the new eight-cylinder ZIL-130 brand engine was underway. Several prototypes were assembled in 1961, but the bus went into production in 1963, and only 394 were produced. Since April 1964, the conveyor has been fully operational and by the end of 1969, 38,415 695E buses were assembled, of which 1,346 were exported.
External changes in version 695E touched the wheel arches, which acquired a rounded shape. From the ZIL-158 bus, the front and rear axle hubs along with the brake drums were borrowed. On the model 695E, electropneumatics was first used to control doors. On the basis of version 695E, the LAZ Tourist bus was produced. This car was perfect for long trips.
Automatic transmission experiments
In 1963, the LAZ plant released another modification - 695Zh. The work was carried out in close collaboration with US, namely, the research center for automatic transmissions. In the same year, the production of buses with an automatic transmission was established. However, over the next two years, only 40 of these LAZ-695 units were assembled, after which the production of the experimental model was discontinued.
The development of automatic transmission subsequently came in handy for urban buses, the LiAZ brand, manufactured in the city of Likino-Dulyovo, Moscow Region.
Upgrading existing models
The creation of new modifications of the buses of the Lviv Automobile Plant continued, and in 1969 the LAZ-695M rolled off the assembly line. The machine differed from previous models with windows of a modern form and style. Glass was built into the window opening without intermediate aluminum frames. The branded air intake on the roof was abolished, instead of it, vertical slots appeared on the sides of the engine compartment. Since 1973, modernized lightweight rims were installed on the bus. The changes affected the exhaust system - two mufflers combined into one. The bus body became shorter by 100 mm, and the curb weight increased.
Serial production of the LAZ-695M lasted for seven years, and during this time more than 52 thousand buses were produced, 164 of which were exported.
"Patriarch" in the LAZ family with thirty years of experience
The next modification of the base model was a bus with the index 695, which was characterized by wide windshields and a top visor, fully unified front and rear doors, as well as a new instrument panel with a more compact speedometer and sensors. Prototypes were presented in 1969, but this model went into mass production only in 1976. A bus was produced for thirty years, until 2006.
Later versions of 695H differ from earlier ones in a set of lighting equipment, headlights, turn signals, brake lights and other light devices. The model was equipped with a large hatch in the front of the body, in the case of military mobilization, the buses were supposed to be used as ambulances. In parallel with version 695, a small number of 695 buses were produced, which were distinguished by increased comfort, softer seats and noiseless double doors.
Gas version
In 1985, the Lviv Bus Plant released a modification of the LAZ-695NG, which operated on natural gas. Metal cylinders withstanding pressures up to 200 atmospheres were placed in a row on the roof in the rear. Gas entered the pressure reducing gear, then mixed with air and was sucked into the engine as a mixture. Buses under the 695NG index gained popularity in the 90s, when a fuel crisis erupted in the territory of the former USSR. LAZ also suffered from a shortage of fuel. Ukraine as a whole also felt a shortage of fuel, which is why many transport companies in the country converted their buses to gas, which was much cheaper than gasoline.
LAZ and Chernobyl
In the spring of 1986, after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, a special bus LAZ-692 in the amount of several dozen copies was urgently created in the shops of the Lviv Automobile Plant. The machine was used to evacuate people from the infection zone and deliver specialists there. The bus was protected by lead sheets around the perimeter, two-thirds of the windows were also covered with lead. In the roof were made special hatches for access of purified air. Subsequently, all the machines involved in the liquidation of the accident at the nuclear power plant were disposed of, since they were unsuitable for operation under normal conditions due to radiation pollution.
Diesel engines
In 1993, at the Lviv Automobile Plant, as an experiment, they tried to install a D-6112 diesel engine from an energy-saturated T-150 tracked tractor on a LAZ-695 bus. The results were generally not bad, but the SMD-2307 (Sickle and Hammer Kharkov Plant) was recognized as a more suitable diesel engine. Nevertheless, the experiments continued, and in 1995 the LAZ-695D bus, equipped with the D-245 diesel of the Minsk Motor Plant, was launched into serial production.
Dneprovsky plant
A year later, the project was radically revised, and as a result, version 695D11 appeared, which was called Tanya.
The modification was produced in small series until 2002, and since 2003, the assembly of buses was transferred to the plant in Dneprodzerzhinsk. It was not possible to immediately establish production at a new place, since the technological processes at two specialized, at first glance, industries were significantly different. Oversized bodies of LAZ buses did not always fit into the framework of the Dneprovets welding units, and this created certain difficulties. There was even some appreciation of LAZ buses that were assembled in Dneprodzerzhinsk, although the build quality was in most cases impeccable. As a result, the balance of price and quality leveled off, and the production of cars began to gain momentum.
Search for a one-stop solution
The design bureau of the Lviv Automobile Plant was looking for options for new developments. Over the entire period of production, several attempts were made at the Lviv Bus Plant to create universal LAZs that could be operated both in the city and on international routes. However, the specifics of passenger traffic did not allow this. On long-haul flights, people need comfort and a special soothing atmosphere in the cabin of the bus. On city routes, passengers enter and exit, a few hundred people visit the car per day. Therefore, it was not possible to bring the two opposite operating modes closer, and the plant continued to produce several modifications simultaneously.
LAZ today
Currently, on the roads of the former Soviet Union, you can find buses of the Lviv plant of almost all modifications. A good repair base throughout the entire production period, starting in 1955, made it possible to keep many machines in good condition. Some LAZ models are outdated and are used as auxiliary transport in various industries.
Many disassembled bodies are orphaned - with the engines removed and the running gear unusable. These are the costs of the automotive industry of the Soviet period, when buses in the auto fleet were written off, and their fate did not interest anyone. The market economy dictates its own rules, decommissioned cars are increasingly falling into the hands of private owners and get a second life. And since the resource of automotive equipment produced in the USSR was quite long, this "second life" can also be long.
Lviv Bus Plant today is going through hard times, the main conveyor was stopped in 2013, many subsidiaries and related companies go through bankruptcy proceedings. The existence of ZAO LAZ will depend on the results. The prospects for a successful resolution of a difficult situation are quite pessimistic. Of great importance for the successful resuscitation of enterprises is the stability of the political situation in Ukraine, but this stability is not.