KAMAZ delivered a batch of low-floor NEFAZ buses to Moscow

Small Deeds Theory

KAMAZ experimented in the middle and small classes more than once, but fortune did not favor its projects. The suburban-urban NEFAZ-3299, which appeared in 2003, never went into large production, even despite the favorable attitude of the government of Bashkortostan, which ordered a batch of these vehicles for Ufa. Its design did not imply a low floor level, which is so important today for participation in government procurement.

The plant made its next attempt to enter the midibus class in 2007, when it introduced the 7-meter vanbus VDL-NEFAZ-32997 Procity. However, the project did not go beyond the prototype due to the high cost.

Equipment

Regardless of the specific modification, the cars are equipped with power steering, which makes the driving process much more comfortable. There is a public address system through which the driver can announce stops and other information to passengers.

The driver's seat is separated from the passenger compartment by a partition. Thanks to it, nothing distracts the driver while working.

Driver's workplace

The equipment in the cabin is the same as that of the newer large NEFAZs of the 5299th model, which are already operating in Moscow. On the driver’s right hand is a tablet for displaying information from cameras; on the ceiling above his head hangs a unit with a CB radio station, a multimedia system head unit, an air conditioning control panel and a tachograph. To the right of the driver is a monitor that broadcasts images from 11 cameras located in the cabin and around the perimeter of the body. Here you already feel like a pilot of a business jet, isn’t there a lot of visual information?

The driver's workplace in a city bus is in many ways similar to the 12-meter NEFAZ-5299. On the right is a monitor for displaying information from 11 cameras

The instrument panel combines analog and digital solutions

On the left tide of the driver's window, plugs for a 12-volt headset and a 5-volt USB socket with a current of 2 A are mounted in the cabin microclimate adjustment panel

The main differences from the Moscow NEFAZ-5299 begin in the details. The completely virtual color instrument cluster has been replaced by a palliative: a central LCD display with indicator lamps and electric dials with dials for a tachometer, speedometer, temperature and fuel tank indicator.

The panoramic windshield slopes steeply to starboard, providing better visibility and safety when approaching pockets. Such solutions are already widely used, but for a long time they did not find understanding among domestic bus manufacturers. This asymmetrical design of the front part is the most noticeable and outstanding detail of NEFAZ.

The workplace is isolated from the salon by a partition

Clusters of instruments hang on the ceiling above the driver: a CB radio, a multimedia system head unit, an air conditioning control panel and a tachograph.

History of creation

This is a completely domestic project, which was launched into assembly and production only in 2000. NefAZ-5299 is one of the most popular passenger buses that are used as public transport in many cities.

Now more than 1,000 units of these models are assembled at the Neftekamsk Automobile Plant every year. This technique is successfully used by fleets throughout the country.

Newbie in full compliance

In 2022, the 9-meter “baby” from Neftekamsk has a completely mature design: independent air front suspension ZF RL55EC, which does not steal the height of the cabin floor in the front part, disc brakes on all axles and a power unit in the rear overhang.

The body assembly is carried out according to the generally accepted canons of the world bus industry: the skeleton of a prefabricated welded frame is welded to the elements of the base of the electric arc floor. Then transmission units and pneumatic drives are attached to it, internal and external cladding and panels are mounted, and finally double-glazed windows are glued in. The internal cavities of the frame pipes are treated with an anti-corrosion coating, and the ends of the pipes are plugged with polymer plugs. The bottom and cavities of the arches are treated with anti-corrosion mastic. Thus, the estimated service life should be at least 10 years. The experience of cooperation with VDL and Mercedes-Benz was very useful here. The curb weight is quite consistent with modern analogs with a length of 9 meters - 8.1 tons.

The panoramic windshield falls to the right for fashion's sake, helping to maintain control of the problem area

Rear styling has recently been taken over by designers.

The 650 mm wide front door is quite convenient for not too intense passenger traffic. The seats in the front part of the cabin are pressed right against the partition of the driver's cabin - so they tried to use the space as efficiently as possible, and it turned out, in principle, not bad. The distance between the seats allows you to get quite comfortable for short city trips.

The base of the bus has a wide doorway (1245 mm). Opposite there is a spacious storage area, space for a wheelchair and a ramp for entry.

The rear part of the passenger compartment goes up in steps, since the KAMAZ-4297 drive axle is not a portal type. But the traditional design serves more reliably on bad roads. The layout of the cabin in the rear made it possible to accommodate 17 seats. Moreover, in the rear part of the cabin, all seats are located in the direction of travel. Now let's take a look at the power unit of a compact city bus.

The layout of the city salon with an upward gallery is determined by the design of the drive axle

Seats for passengers behind the driver are arranged in a cascade

The salon is equipped with air conditioning ducts, a blinker display with a ticker and a video camera

Big politics and the battle for millions

The prerequisite for the appearance of the new product was Russia’s accession to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2008. In 2012, when the process was given legal force in the form of ratification, a passport of the state program of the Russian Federation “Accessible Environment” was issued. The progress of implementation is monitored by 12 ministries, 3 agencies, 2 foundations and the state statistics service.

One of the key participants in the program is the Russian Ministry of Transport. In 2011, out of 33 million federal rubles, 17 million rubles were allocated to him. Subprogram 1 “Ensuring conditions for accessibility of priority facilities and services in priority areas of life for people with disabilities and other low-mobility groups” includes not only transport (buses, trams, passenger trains), but also station and road infrastructure. This can be considered the start of the introduction of new buses, electric buses and trams.

Folding ramp for wheelchair access

The city semi-low-floor diesel bus NEFAZ-4299-30-52 can be an excellent solution for routes with low passenger traffic (capacity 72 people). Moreover, the bus fully complies with the “Accessible Environment” program of the fifth environmental class, is equipped with an automatic gearbox, and the entry of a wheelchair, unlike high-floor buses of the PAZ “Vector 3” type, does not require complex manipulations with a hydraulic lift.

The quality of life in the regions can be judged by the fleet of city buses. For the development of urban transport, especially in the outback, money is allocated on a residual basis. And locally, the municipality determines where to spend the funds provided. When it comes to Accessible Environment buses, they invest in the purchase of full-size minibuses such as GAZelles or Sprinters, or oblige them to have on line vehicles adapted for this program. Mayors, deputies, city assemblies understand that such vehicles, after operation, have high liquidity on the secondary market, while for a city low-floor midibus, a local passenger carrier will earn only a modest amount for disposal in 10 years. No one at the mayor’s office will want to offend a fellow countryman from an individual entrepreneur who is pulling out unprofitable routes on his own back and who knows well the difference between 1.5 million rubles for a “groove” and 3 million for a “low-floor”.

A separate seat to the right of the middle door is the most convenient place for a disabled person

Extensive middle storage area for door formula

The choice of individual entrepreneurs is not difficult to understand, since the leaf spring suspension is simple and unpretentious, and handy drivers at local car depots can easily repair such chassis literally during their lunch break. In addition, not every regional center has preserved convoys with a specialized city bus fleet designed for mass transportation. So rural “grooves”, Hyundai County service vans and office vans of Ford Transit, Peugeot, Mercedes-Benz and others like them travel along the bumpy routes of cities of 100, 300 thousand people.

That is why front-engine high-capacity buses operating on city routes in most Russian cities are ineradicable, and in some regional centers they recently accounted for up to a third of the fleet! In theory, in a normal Russian city with a population of under 100 thousand, there should be no vanbuses or frame buses on the chassis of commercial trucks with spring suspension on the routes. And in the age of the Internet, there can be no individual ticketing of each passenger by the conductor. Moscow managed to get rid of the rudiments of a developing economy on passenger routes and introduce turnstile-free service on buses through a validator. KAMAZ PJSC will have to work hard in this unplowed field. At least the contract resource of the new product is very rich.

As part of its obligations, the concern predicts high profitability for its brainchild: the company’s next proposal promises moderate maintenance costs and a long service life. Warranty – 24 months or 150,000 km.

Front suspension ZF RL55EC

The main lighting equipment is divided into two blocks, and not into one, like the large NEFAZ-5299 buses

Rear drive axle of KAMAZ-4297 model

Duet with German and American roots

Localized at production in Naberezhnye Chelny, the Cummins ISBe4.5e5 185B turbodiesel, an in-line 4.5-liter “four,” is well known and widespread. This engine is easy to maintain, quite durable and has already taken root in domestic cars. Power setting 185 hp for a compact city car it seems sufficient, except that this is achieved already at 2100–2300 crankshaft revolutions. The maximum torque of 700 Nm remains in the range of 1200–1500 rpm, when the developed power only increases from 120 to 149 hp. Therefore the parity is 180 hp. you need to look in the green zone of the tachometer at a value of 1800–2000 rpm.

The engine compartment contains a Cummins ISBe4.5 turbodiesel, a cooling system, all pneumatic receivers and an AdBlue tank.

Since the environmental class is fifth, there was a “tank with a blue lid”. The AdBlue container is located on the right, right in the rear overhang near the fire extinguisher.

The engine is coupled with a quiet and popular 6-speed automatic transmission Allison T270R, which is specially designed for passenger transport and is actively used by various manufacturers; it is also found on Mercedes-Benz buses.
This automatic transmission model is designed for engines with power up to 240 hp. (179 kW) and maximum torque up to 900 Nm. Technical characteristics of the NEFAZ-4299-30-52 bus

Technical data

Getting acquainted with the technical part of the NefAZ-5299 bus will help you appreciate all the advantages of this model. KamAZ trucks were used as the base platform. These are reliable cargo platforms that will help the bus easily overcome a variety of obstacles on the way; they have been tested by time and a lot of tests of varying degrees of difficulty. Each part in the chassis of these machines has a huge resource and high safety margins, which has the best effect on the durability and operation of the machine.

All equipment intended for control and monitoring is in maximum compliance with the requirements of international standards for such equipment. This series of buses is distinguished by high safety indicators. There are devices and systems for both passive and active safety.

Salon

The car has 25 seats. As for the general data on the capacity of the domestic NefAZ-5299 bus, the technical characteristics allow transporting no more than 84 people. There is no ventilation system in the cabin as such. It is of a natural type and is organized through a large number of vents and hatches on the roof.

The interior heating system is autonomous, based on a gas stove. Heat is distributed as evenly as possible throughout the cabin. The heating system elements are located along the entire internal perimeter of the machine.

Chassis of a domestic bus

All modifications of vehicles are equipped with steel wheels. Tires are tubeless type. The brake system is dual-circuit, with a pneumatic drive. In order to make driving the bus as comfortable as possible, as well as for better control over the situation, NefAZ has ABS. It is available in all models, regardless of configuration. The car body is made entirely of metal. The layout is carriage type. The body here is the supporting structure of the bus. Inside there are durable metal reinforcements that protect the bus from various deformations. For the convenience of passengers there are three doors. Each of them is double-leaf.

The doors are opened by a pneumatic drive.

About repair and maintenance

Carrying out maintenance and repair of NefAZ-5299 is not difficult. The vehicle was developed on the basis of components and mechanisms of KamAZ trucks. The mechanics have a lot of experience in repairing trucks and they can easily handle this bus. Spare parts (NefAZ-5299) are maximally unified with parts and components of KamAZ trucks, so you can easily find anything you want, and even something that is rare. Any spare components and parts can be purchased from official dealers. As for the durability of the bus, with good driving, as well as timely maintenance, these vehicles can last for several years before the very first repairs.