LAZ-697 “Tourist” was a Soviet 2 axle, middle-class coach, which was produced in the Western Ukrainian city Lviv from 1959 to 1985. The model was derived from the LAZ-695, during the developing process of it. Because of that, both bus models are technically identical. LAZ-697 was used for touristic purposes as well as for shorter intercity-trips and so was more comfortable as the LAZ-695. It was taken out of production in 1985, in favor of the upper-class coach LAZ-699.
LAZ-697M
LAZ-697 “Tourist” on a soviet stamp from 1960
LAZ-697 (red), compare to LAZ-695E (blue) from rear, Saint Petersburg, 1968
A LAZ-697E “Tourist” could be transported by the soviet military transport helicopter Mil Mi-10
The LAZ-695 is a Soviet/Ukrainian 2 axle urban/suburban bus, which was produced in the Western Ukrainian city Lviv from 1965 to 2002. After the production stop at the main factory in Lviv, the documentation was handed over to the DAZ automotive facility in the Ukrainian city Kamianske, where the production continued up to 2010. In over 50 years of manufacturing there were built over 250 000 units of various modifications, made the model one of the most widespread buses in the Soviet Union and the LAZ factory the biggest bus manufacturer in Europe in the 1980s.
The bus belongs to the model series 69x, which includes also the LAZ-697 "Tourist" and the LAZ-699.
First generation of LAZ-695 (above); LAZ-695N in the Moscow city transport museum (below)
Image: LAZ 695 1957
Magirus Deutz O3500H with a similar design
The first LAZ-695 prototype