Carrosserie Hess AG is a bus, trolleybus and commercial vehicle manufacturer based in Bellach (near Solothurn), Switzerland. Its products can be found operating in several countries, including the Netherlands, the United States and Canada.
History
The company was founded in 1882, when Heinrich Hess set up business in Solothurn to build customised car bodies. The company first began building buses in 1919, and production reverted to aluminiumproducts in 1933. It produced its first trolleybuses in 1940 for the Swiss cities of Basel and Biel/Bienne. In 1961, it commenced building of articulated vehicles, some of which were supplied to operators in the United States and Canada in 1975. The company soon began to expand, and businesses were set up in Portugal and Australia in 1957 and 1978. respectively. The U.S. business was set up in 1996. The company began production of low-floor buses and trolleybuses in 1991, and in 2003 built its first double-articulated trolleybuses.
Products
Buses
- N UB 2-2: A low-floor, two-door bus with 10m, 11.3m and 12m variants, which can accommodate approximately 82, 86 and 95 passengers, respectively.
- N UB 2-2-1: Identical to the N UB 2-2 with the addition of an extra door at the rear of the vehicle.
- N UA 2-2-2-2: A low-floor, 18m four-door articulated bus, which has a capacity of around 150 passengers.
- Hess LighTram : A 24.69m bi-articulated bus with a duraluminium body. Hybrid version available.
Trolleybuses
Hess Swisstrolley 3 of an old design in Lucerne(luzern)
- Eurotrolley 3: A 9.7m long half-low-floor trolleybus with a capacity of approximately 80 passengers. Built for Lyon with Kiepe electrical equipment and a Skoda traction motor.
- Swisstrolley 3: An 18m long articulated trolleybus which can accommodate not less than 140 passengers. It and LighTram have a duraluminium body.
- LighTram 3: A 24.7m long double-articulated trolleybus with a capacity of around 192 passengers.
- Trolleyzug: A 23.3m long trolleybus and trailer with a capacity of around 180 passengers.
Bus kits
As well as building complete vehicles, Hess also manufactures bus kits for its worldwide customers. These kits are imported and then assembled on reaching their destination.
Minibuses
Hess also builds smaller buses, mainly for the transportation of school children and persons with disabilities.
Commercial vehicles
Hess builds vehicles designed for commercial purposes, such as vans, some of which are fitted with tipper equipment, loading ramps and trailers.
1925 FBW-Seitz-Hess Zwitserland
1937 fbw hess
1940 VB Biel Nr. 21 Berna Hess Trolleybus
1948 TL605 FBW HESS
1950 Saurer Hess Typ 4ZP54L CT1DL BVB Wagen Nr. 16
1952 Amsteg UR 9031 Berna Hess (ex M+3143)
1952 Autobus Nr. 5 Berna Hess 4UPO-463-H2 (Achtzylindermotor)
1953 Berna Hess (ex AGO Olten Nr. 5)
1953 Berna Hess (ex AGO Olten Nr. 5)
1954 Berna Hess (ex Barenco, Faido)
1955 Berna Hess (ex SOO Olten Nr. 8)
1955 FBW Hess Bus BVB 8
1956 Berna-Hess 4UPO-458-T1 (Sechszylindermotor) Zwitserland
1957 Ex Zürich FBW HESS Trolleybus © P Kamm
1958 Hess Trolleybus Verein Schweiz
1959 SOO Olten Nr. 17 Berna Hess
1960 Berna Hess L4 bus
1962 fbw-hess trolley
1964 FBW Hess Trolleybus
1966 FBW Hess C50U index
1966 Saurer Hess Tb 40city267
1966 two Eastbourne Fords R buses with NZMB bodies Hess NZ
1967 Berna Carrosserie Hess Bus Ad Switzerland
1969 Basel FBW-Hess No.62
1970 FBW Hess Lugano
1974 Volvo B 58 Hess
1975 Volvo B58H Artic Hess 7168
Trolebús FBW-Hess-SAAS UST de 1975
1976 12m I suburbain Volvo B10m Hess
1976 Saurer -Hess Bus Geneve © J Veerkamp
1976 Volvo Hess demonstrator
1978 Ford R1114 with NZMB-Hess body originally with Eastbourne Bus Co
1978 Saurer Hess
1978 Trolley bus Volvo-Hess-SSW – Siemens electric © Bill MacDONALD
1979 Berna Hess SH550 D2KUT Nr. 70
1979 Bristol Hess Bus
1981 FBW Hess BBC-Sécheron
1981 Hess Volvo grenda 25
1982 Hess Trolley bus towing trailer
1984 Hess AG. LMC-D60 Flugzeugbus-Airportshuttle
1985 Berna Hess SH (ex OAK Wangen a.A. Nr. 10)
1986 Hess Mercedes-Benz Litouwen
1986 Friburg Saurer Hess T.Bus 33 Route 1 at Les Perolles
1986 Hess Kiepe Valparaiso 814 Chile © Jeff Wien
1986 saurer hess
1987 Nine articulated Sauer Hess trolleybuses from St. Gallen Plovdiv-269
1988 Saurer Hess GT 560
1992 Volvo Hess AG 92 USA Ovidius
1992 Volvo Hess AG 92 USA Ovidius
1997 Volvo-Hess Zwitserland
1998 BOGG MB Hess O405 Nr79 Front
1998 Hess 220 City Scania Estland
1998 HESS VAN HOOL Trolley Arnhem
1998 Schaffhausen NAW Hess BGT 5-25
1999 Hess 220 City Estland
2000 Two Saurer Hess trolleybuses St Gallen 1
2001 Hess 220 City Scania Estland
2001 Hess system co-bolt 4 Hybrid USA
2001 Hess system co-bolt 5 UK
2001 Hess Trolleybus te Bern
2001 Hess Trolleybuses in St. Gallen
2004 BBA 167 Scania Hess Aarau
2004 HESS bus trains 2
2004 Hess Regiobus LE13 Postbus
2004 MERCEDES BENZ 416 CDI Sprinter + Anhänger Hess minibus
2005 Hess BGGT-N2C Zwitserland
2005 Volvo Hess system co-bolt 3
2005 Hess Trolleybus for Zurich The website, Obus 269
2006 Hess BGT-N2 Zwitserland
2006 Hess Swisstrolley 3 of an old design in Luzern
2006 Hess system co-bolt 6
2006 HESS Trolley 4delig Luzern
2006 Hess Trolley derde gen
Saurer-Hess + Draize-Hess Anhänger TN Neuchâtel
2006 NAW-Hess BGT25 425
2006 NAW-Hess LightTram 94
2006 NAW-Hess SwissTrolley
2007 Hess (2007) Litouwen
2007 Hess system co-bolt 2 USA
2008 Hess system co-bolt 8
2008 Hess-Mercedes Citaro Nr.2 ZG 3352
2009 HESS bus trains 3
2009 Hess Scania system co-bolt 7
2009 HESS swisstrolley wint Zurich
2009 HESS-VW Kleinbus für die Postauto AG Brig
2009 Scania Hess 9,7 m – 10,9 m
2009 Scania-Hess mit anhanger, PT 12565 postbus-12949
2010 Articulated Carrosserie Hess lighTram 3 in Zurich
2010 HESS (AKIA) hybrid metro busses in state of assembly Iran
2010 HESS bus trains
2010 Hess Swisstrolley
2010 Hess Zwitserland
2011 Hess Hybrid
2011 HESS Zwitserland
2012 HESS delivers 11 BusTrains (BusZug) to the city of Zug
2012 Hess Lightram UK
2012 HESS presented TOSA
2012 HESS Supertrolley
2012 HESS sve-bus
2012 Hess Swisstrolley 3 of an old design in Luzern
New Hess Trolleys for Arnhem in the Netherlands
2012 Volvo Hess Kiepe BGT-N2C #210
2013 A 25m bi-articulated Zurich Hess ‘Lightram’ trolleybus
2013 BRENG TROLLEY HESS ARNHEM NL
2013 Hess Hamburg Germany 2 lighTrams Hybrid
2013 Hess system co-bolt COBUS Fluhafenbus
2013 HESS Trolley Arnhem richting Duifje 2013
2013 hess trolley busstation Arnhem NL
2013 Swiss Trolleybus Arnhem NAW Hess ABB BGT-N (type 1), BGT-N2 (type 2),
Hess-Vossloh Kiepe BGT-N2C (02268) (type 3) NL
2013 Luzern 272u Designbild HESS
2013 Van Hool and Hess as well as pure battery buses from Contrac, Rampini und SOR.
Parma’s first ‘ebus’ UK.
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