De Lijn 4495 (ABB 339) in Mechelen - 1 Feb 1993

Monday 1 February 1993 – De Lijn 4495 (ABB 339) seen at work on Mechelen town service 3. In the mid 1970s NMVB, the predecessor to De Lijn, added 115 short length Van Hool AU124 buses to its fleet to operate local services in various towns and cities. They were 10.25 metres long with seating for 29 plus a capacity for a further 44 standees and were delivered in three batches 4475-4499 (40), 4825-4864 (50) and 5040-5089 (50).

4495 was seen in IJzerenleen one of Mechelen’s town centre shopping streets. The town network was branded ‘Die Mechelbus’ and the buses carried a colourful livery.

The building in the background is Het Oud-Schepenhuis (‘The House of the Alderman’) which housed the first courthouse of Charles V‘s Grand Council in the 16th century.

I had been waiting around for a few minutes for this bus to arrive listening to (but not understanding) the chatter and banter of the two men and the lady that were waiting to take this bus.