This beautiful regional bus left the service on the island of Texel many years ago, but was still shining at the old-timer truck show in Stroe on July 1. The bus is privately owned and we, van Auto Motor Klassiek, have the license - and the privilege - to track down remarkable vintage cars and share them with our readers.
Lost Companies
During the great wave of mergers in the 70s and 80s, many regional transport companies disappeared. An example of such a small company was NV Autobusonderneming Texel. The company was a continuation of TESO (Texels Own Steamboat Company), which maintained the ferry service between Den Helder and the Wadden Island. The arrival of the new company in 1972 marked the start of new bus equipment. DAFs with a body from the Belgian company Jonckheere were chosen. There were three pieces and a year later two more.
Remembrance of the NV Autobus Onderneming Texel
Surviving as an independent entrepreneur in an ever-growing market with all kinds of requirements in tenders was almost impossible. The company later became part of its big brother NZH. That also meant that the beautiful DAF buses with their beautiful bodywork were replaced by the standard NZH equipment. Fortunately, there are now two bright yellow buses that keep the memories warm: the AOT 5, a 1967 semi-touring car owned by the NZH Transport Museum, and this privately owned AOT 721.
Jonckheere
Jonckheere also had to deal with the large-scale production of buses and became part of VDL. We are in favor of maintaining employment in the high-quality Dutch manufacturing industry. The national and regional authorities could take more account of what we call “chauvinism” when tendering. This is not an exaggerated form of patriotism, but a plea for choosing the Dutch VDL buses. This way, the next generations of old-timer enthusiasts will be able to enjoy the old(!) VDL buses in 50 years' time. (There is not a word of Chinese among them.)
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Beautiful to see!
It can be called a miracle if Chinese buses become older than 1 years. The buses supplied by Bring Your Dollars (or did that abbreviation stand for something else?) are already struggling with almost ineradicable (teenage) diseases.
And if they are fully electric buses, it is hardly worth keeping, after all it lacks character and replacing a battery pack must be a very expensive history.
top to read a positive message about Jonckheere, now VDL
Nice, our AOT 721 in the picture!
Because of this bus I also started collecting everything about the bus transport of Texel.
Very fun to do and surprising what comes up!