Bus KAVZ-3976 – the last Soviet “barbukhaika”

Meet now bus, created on the chassis of a truck car, it's complicated. They have survived only in rural areas, and are still used for their intended purpose - to transport passengers.


The very last production bus on the chassis lorry, was KAVZ-3976. This equipment is based on the GAZ-3307. It was created by the Kurgan plant and was produced from 1989 to 2008, which hints at its demand even in Russia at the beginning of the XNUMXst century.

Buses on truck chassis are no longer produced in Russia. They say that such models are irrelevant. However, everything is conditional. In rural areas, for example, they could be used for passenger transportation in remote settlements.


Only, firstly, this place has long been occupied by full-fledged PAZ buses. And secondly, such routes are financially unprofitable, and they are being abandoned everywhere.

KAVZ-3976 still occasionally appear on rural roads. Some collectors are slowly starting to buy them up, because they are not only history, but also a rarity.

The memories of the LIAZ-677 and LAZ-695 are still fresh. They were once used throughout the Soviet Union, and then they began to be cut up for scrap metal. And now it is difficult and expensive to find a similar bus in working order.

What is "barbuhaika"

This strange word appeared in the lexicon of Soviet citizens around the beginning of the 1980s. It was brought back by servicemen from Afghanistan. It cannot be translated literally, because the locals did not say anything like that.


Most likely, it was about wishing a safe journey. In the local dialect it sounds like "SafAr bakhAyr". For Soviet citizens it sounded like "barbukhay" or something similar. And since a safe journey was wished to bus passengers, accordingly, the local transport they called it that.

Even now, the equipment for transporting people is specific. Often these are trucks, simply converted into buses by their own efforts. And local owners are proud of their equipment, decorating it with everything they like, as in Pakistan and India.

In general, the name "barbukhaika" stuck to Soviet buses. Not all of them, of course. Only those that were built on truck chassis.

Soviet models on GAZ chassis

The USSR always had a shortage of public transport, especially in the early years of the country. It is not surprising that the shortage of buses was minimized by converting trucks.


The Gorky Automobile Plant became especially famous in this field. At first they assembled their own models, then transferred the chassis to third-party enterprises.

It all started with the GAZ-03-30. This bus was produced on the basis of the GAZ-AA and GAZ-MM from 1933 to 1950. During the war, assembly was stopped, but then resumed. The standard GAZ-03-30 was designed for 17 passengers. Despite its modest size, it was also used on regular routes.

The next model is GZA-651. But the passenger car was no longer produced at the Gorky Automobile Plant. It was transferred to the "bus" division - GZA. The GZA-651 was assembled from 1949 to 1951.

The model was then transferred to other companies:

✅ PAZ
✅ RARZ, hereinafter RAF
✅ KAVZ

The GZA-651 was produced for the longest time at the last enterprise on the list – until 1973. The GAZ-51 truck served as the basis for this bus.


The next model in the series is the KAVZ-685. It was produced from 1971 to 1993, changing indexes a couple of times. GAZ-53 trucks were used as chassis.

And the last bus in the series is KAVZ-3976. This is the hero of our article.

The story of

The development of a new model began at the Kurgan Bus Plant back in the second half of the 1980s. The fact is that the previous vehicle had a too low interior. According to the new UNECE rules, it was no longer suitable.

KAVZ engineers dreamed of getting rid of the "barbukhaykas". They wanted to produce modern models, that is, wagon-type buses. Alas, the Ministry of Automobile Industry issued a technical assignment for the creation of another bonnet vehicle, but unified with the PAZ-3205.

The "top" did not think about how such a hybrid would look. As for the designers of the Kurgan Bus Plant, they had no choice - there is a task, so it must be done.


Soon, prototypes appeared – KAVZ-3290 and KAVZ-3974. The buses were created on the GAZ-3307 chassis, but, as required by the technical specifications, the bodies were identical to the PAZ-3205.

The then Minister of the Automobile Industry of the USSR Pugin did not like the new model. He compared it with the "Pazik" and noted the obvious ugliness of the model. In general, he did not approve its serial production. He only said that the PAZ-3205 was better, and it would be good to organize its production in Kurgan.


But something had to be produced right away, so the plant workers hastily developed and launched the KAVZ-3976. It received a traditional design for such models, because the GAZ-3307 truck was used as a chassis.


The first serial buses debuted in 1989. Despite the fact that other models had appeared in the manufacturer's range by that time, it was the new model that became the main one. The KAVZ-3976 was produced until the end of 2007.

Technical features

The KAVZ-3976 is based on the frame chassis of the GAZ-3307 truck. An all-metal body of our own design is installed on top of it. Accordingly, the cabin is cut off - only a part up to the end of the hood remains.

The body is made in the traditional way for all buses - it is a steel frame covered with a metal sheet. For a long time it did not have any protective coating, so it rusted mercilessly. In the last years of production, galvanized steel sheets began to be used for the sheathing.

The suspension of the KAVZ-3976 is similar to the GAZ-3307 truck - it is spring. They decided not to change anything, deciding that for rural areas and bad roads this is the best solution, especially since it is also budget-friendly. For this reason, the bus shook quite a bit, especially if the driver did not slow down before the potholes.


The brake system is pneumatic-hydraulic. It had no differences from the "original", that is, GAZ-3307. The gearboxes are also from the truck - manual transmission with 4 or 5 steps, depending on the year of chassis production.

The engines are mainly petrol V8 from the Zavolzhsky Motor Plant. With a volume of 4,25 liters, they developed 125 hp. All these power units are carburetor. Starting from the mid-1990s, diesel buses were produced in small batches and individually to order.

The KAVZ-3976 salons are mostly simple, with seats covered with leatherette. But luxury versions were also available upon request. There, the seats were covered with velour and even genuine leather.

Modifications

As was customary in the USSR, KAVZ-3976 was produced in northern and southern versions. In 2001, a gas-cylinder version appeared.


After the collapse of the country, the manufacturer had to adapt to the requirements of the new market. Therefore, the number of modifications increased. Cargo-passenger buses, simplified and luxury versions appeared. The latter were even equipped with Japanese Hino diesel engines.

In 1994, the plant mastered the production of mobile shops and extended buses. The wheelbase of the latter increased by almost 80 cm due to the rear overhang. Such buses were widely used as school buses. They were bought not only in Russia, but also in Belarus. We are talking about the modification KAVZ-39765-023-01.

Nowadays, it is almost impossible to find a "barbukhaika" in an urban area. You can come across KAVZ buses in the countryside, and even then, they are gradually getting rid of them. These cars have already become history - maybe this is for the best...