The Irisbus Agora (previously known as Renault Agora, Karosa City Bus or Ikarus Agora) was a

low-floor bus A low-floor bus is a bus or trolleybus that has no steps between the ground and the floor of the bus at one or more entrances, and low floor for part or all of the passenger cabin. A bus with a partial low floor may also be referred to as a low ...

designed and built by

Renault Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured ...

from 1995 to 2002, date upon which it has been built by

Irisbus IVECO Bus (formerly Irisbus) is a bus manufacturer with headquarters in Turin. IVECO Bus is now only a brand division of IVECO which is a company incorporated under Dutch law and listed on Borsa Italiana. History IVECO (1975 - 1999) In 1975 F ...

, firstly a joint-venture with

Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiar ...

subsidiary

IVECO IVECO, an acronym for Industrial Vehicles Corporation, is an Italian multinational transport vehicle manufacturing company. It designs and builds light, medium, and heavy commercial vehicles. The name IVECO first appeared in 1975 after a merger ...

from 1999, with

Iveco IVECO, an acronym for Industrial Vehicles Corporation, is an Italian multinational transport vehicle manufacturing company. It designs and builds light, medium, and heavy commercial vehicles. The name IVECO first appeared in 1975 after a merger ...

engines. It has also been built by Czech-based

Karosa Karosa ( cs, Továrna na Kočáry, Automobily, Rotory, Obráběcí stroje, Sekací stroje a Autobusy, en, Factory for carriages, cars, rotors, machine tools, cutting machines and buses) was a bus manufacturer in Vysoké Mýto in the Czech Republ ...

under the Citybus name as a diesel-powered bus, Skoda as a

trolleybus A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or trol ...

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, whi ...

an markets as the

Škoda 24Tr Irisbus Škoda 24Tr Irisbus (known as Irisbus Skoda 24Tr in Western Europe) is a low-entry trolleybus model built from 2003 until 2014 by Czech trolleybus manufacturer ''Škoda Electric'' (subsidiary of Škoda Transportation), supplying electrical equi ...

and Škoda 25Tr Irisbus, and by the Romanian-based

Astra Bus Astra Bus is a bus manufacturer based in Arad, Romania. The company was established in 1996, splitting from Astra Vagoane Arad, a company specialized in manufacturing railroad cars. Since 2003, it is part of the Cefin Holding Group and their p ...

. On February 8, 2006, the last Irisbus Agora was delivered to RATP, being replaced in production by the

Irisbus Citelis The Irisbus Citelis is a low-floor city bus produced by Irisbus from 2005 to 2013 when it was replaced in production by Iveco Bus Urbanway. Production and operation It was introduced in 2005 to replace the Agora. It comes in three varieties ...

Range

The range consisted of: * Standard 12-metre "S" version, available in one-, two- or three-door form * Articulated 18-metre "L" version in three- or four-door form * "Line" 12-metre version in one, two or three-door form (built from 1999). This version is distinct from the standard Agora by its engine layout, which is longitudinally-mounted (under the rear passenger seats) instead of being transversely mounted in the Agora S and L. That gives the Line version a slightly greater seating capacity and a better fuel economy over the S version. This version was briefly sold in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

, in right hand drive. * Intercity version called "Moovy" (unveiled in 2003) which was based on the Agora Line.

Operators

Over 11,000 were built, mainly for

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

an operators. Right hand drive countries for

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

n bus operators have 1 door only.

Europe

The

RATP Group RATP may refer to: Transportation: * RATP Group, or ', a public transport operator based in Paris, France * RATP Iași (), a transit operator responsible for public transportation in Iași, Romania * RATP Ploiești (), a transit operator respon ...

was the largest purchaser with over 2,500. Standard Agora buses have been used in

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...

bus operator

OASA The Athens Mass Transit System is the largest mass transit system of Greece. The system is run by the OASA S.A. organisation and serves Athens Urban Area and the Athens Metropolitan Area (most of the Region of Attica without the island section ...

in two versions:

diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engi ...

and CNG. In

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

the Agora (known as Renault/Irisbus Citybus) have been one of the most common buses in the 2000s and 2010s, with plenty of units in

Málaga Málaga (, ) is a municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 578,460 in 2020, it is the second-most populous city in Andalusia after Seville and the sixth most po ...

Sevilla Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...

Zaragoza Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Province of Zaragoza, Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Ara ...

from both Renault and Irisbus and also Standard and Long versions. In

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

321 Agora S (Citybus 12M) and 53 Agora L (Citybus 18M) were delivered to

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

and more than 350 buses to other Czech cities. They were manufactured in

factory in

Vysoké Mýto Vysoké Mýto (; german: Hohenmaut, also ''Hohenmauth'') is a town in Ústí nad Orlicí District in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 12,000 inhabitants. Its town square is the largest example of its type in the country. ...

(today part of Iveco Bus).

United Kingdom

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, 23 were bodied by

Optare Switch Mobility (originally called Optare) is an English bus manufacturer based in Sherburn-in-Elmet, North Yorkshire. It is a subsidiary of Indian company Ashok Leyland. The company would be responsible for the EV operations of the group with ...

, the majority for Norfolk Green for its rural and urban services.

Australia

In Australia, a batch was ordered by King Brothers. Six Northcoast Bus & Coach bodied examples were delivered, however a larger order for Custom Coaches and Australian Bus Manufacturers bodied examples was reneged on and amongst the operators to purchase them were

ACTION Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

(20),

Baxter's Bus Lines Baxter's Bus Lines is an Australian bus charter company in Sydney. Until August 2006, it operated route bus services in Western Sydney. History Baxter's Bus Lines was founded by Roy Baxter and his son Garry after the Merrylands based services o ...

(5), Fearne's (5) and

Thompsons Bus Service Thompsons Bus Service is an Australian operator of bus services in the northern suburbs of Brisbane. It operates eight services under contract to the Queensland Government The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority ...

(5).Kings for a day
''

Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'' 10 May 2003

Gallery

File:RATP128 PorteOrléansMétro.JPG,

''Standard (S)'' Renault Agora in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

in July 2010 File:213-5 TCAT.jpg, ''Standard (S)'' Irisbus Agora in

Troyes Troyes () is a commune and the capital of the department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within the Champagne wine region and is near ...

in November 2012 File:IrisbusAgoraLGNVNice.JPG, An ''Articulated (L)'' Irisbus Agora in

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative ...

in July 2007 File:Agora Line sur la ligne LA Claude Bernard à la Gare de Lieusaint - Moissy.jpg, A Irisbus Agora ''Line'' in Lieusaint in January 2012 File:Emt-madrid-15.JPG,

Empresa Municipal de Transportes de Madrid The Empresa Municipal de Transportes de Madrid (also known as EMT Madrid) is the company charged with the planning of public urban transport in the city in Madrid, Spain. The organization is wholly owned by the City Council of Madrid and is a me ...

Renault Agora ''Line'' in

in February 2007 File:Carousel Buses AL3 C3 WYC.JPG,

Carousel Buses Carousel Buses is a bus company based in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. Originally an independent company, it is a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group. It is grouped together with Oxford Bus Company and Thames Travel, both of Oxfordshi ...

bodied Irisbus Agora ''Line'' in

High Wycombe High Wycombe, often referred to as Wycombe ( ), is a market town in Buckinghamshire, England. Lying in the valley of the River Wye, Buckinghamshire, River Wye surrounded by the Chiltern Hills, it is west-northwest of Charing Cross in London, ...

in July 2009 File:Irisbus Agora S n°387 de la Ligne d'Azur.jpg, Lignes d'Azur's Irisbus Agora S in April 2017 File:Irisbus-Cluj3.jpg, CTPCJ Irisbus Agora in

Cluj-Napoca ; hu, kincses város) , official_name=Cluj-Napoca , native_name= , image_skyline= , subdivision_type1 = Counties of Romania, County , subdivision_name1 = Cluj County , subdivision_type2 = Subdivisions of Romania, Status , subdivision_name2 ...

in July 2006 File:Bus_Citybus_12M_Brno.jpg, Irisbus Citybus 12M (S) in

Brno Brno ( , ; german: Brünn ) is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 380,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic ...

in May 2007 File:Bus_line_253_Irisbus_Agora_L_-_Citybus_18M.JPG, Irisbus Citybus 18M (L) in

in 2007

References

{{Optare timeline

Agora The agora (; grc, ἀγορά, romanized: ', meaning "market" in Modern Greek) was a central public space in ancient Greek city-states. It is the best representation of a city-state's response to accommodate the social and political order o ...

Buses Low-floor buses Articulated buses Tri-axle buses Buses of France Vehicles introduced in 1995