Ikarus 556

The Ikarus 556 was a city bus built by the Ikarus body and vehicle factory in Hungary between 1965 and 1973, and the first Ikarus bus with a self-supporting body. Its engine sat under the floor between the two axles, which cut noise in the passenger area, and it had a roomier passenger space than earlier types, although the driver's cab became smaller and opened from the passenger compartment. A middle door gave a 1-2-2 door layout, and three window designs were planned for tropical, temperate and cold climates. A zero series of five buses with Csepel engines was ready in 1963 and went into service on Budapest bus line 4 in 1964; burst air springs and loose rear doors followed, and the RABA-MAN D2156 engine proved quieter and stronger than the Csepel unit. Between 1964 and 1972, 275 of them ran in Budapest. The long-distance Ikarus 557 and the articulated Ikarus 180 shared its styling, an approach later carried into the Ikarus 200 family. In 1968 two buses were joined into a double-decker that served in Pécs until June 1976, and Volánbusz finished restoring it in May 2022.