DATV Heavy Duty Amfibus 010

The Heavy Duty Amfibus (type 010) is an amphibious tour bus built by Dutch Amphibious Transport Vehicles (DATV) and J. de Jong Scheepsservice of Nijmegen. It was one of two prototypes developed together, and was designed for heavy use in the rough water of the Port of Rotterdam. The first one was bought by the Rotterdam operator Splashtours and went into service in March 2010, carrying tourists on the River Maas.

Design

The bus is powered by a Volvo DH12E 12.1-litre six-cylinder Euro 5 diesel producing 308 kW and 2,000 Nm. It drives the rear wheels on land, and through a hydraulic system it powers twin Hamilton HJ322 waterjets afloat. The vehicle is 13.8 m long and 2.55 m wide, weighs 22,000 kg empty and draws 1.8 m in the water. It carries 50 people, including driver and mate, in boat-style seating, and has a toilet. Safety features include watertight compartments, two anchors, five emergency exits, ABS and a roll-over-tested body cage. It was certified as a Class 2 city bus and for Dutch Zone 2 waters.

Performance

The fact sheet gives a road speed of 60 mph (about 97 km/h) and 6.5 knots (about 12 km/h) afloat. A Dutch description claims 100 km/h on land and 15 km/h in the water.