Two British Firsts

When was the last time you saw a new, conventional 53 seat single deck bus? Probably a Lynx (production ended 1992) or a Lance (1997); or a standard B10B (1997) or SB220 (similar).

Time was when you could accommodate 53 on 11m chassis such as these, and the Leyland National or Bristol RELL. The disability accessibility regulations have (rightly) put paid to that. It’s unusual to see more than 39 on a chassis of a similar size.

But surprisingly, the days of a rigid 50 plus seat service bus aren’t over quite. Nottingham City Transport’s three new Scania K270 OmniLinks are beginning to see the light of day, even if not yet in passenger service. At 13.7m, these tri-axle buses are Britain’s first over-size single deck buses.

The order was announced almost a year ago. The high capacity is required for the Link 1 park & ride service. Nottingham council, which subsidises the route, ruled out double decks because it didn’t wish to mix double and single decks, as part of one route is height restricted.

Why not artics, though? Ruled out again, because their trailing sections would be unable to draw full to the kerb. This would impede buses and traffic. The one batch of five NCT artics (currently on university Unilink services) have perhaps not quite lived up to their promise.

As for the new three 13.7m buses (more Scanias in a Scania-rich fleet), with steered rear axles, we trust that if the route is temprarily tighter than usual, there won’t be *too* must teal paint scraped on parts of Nottingham…

Three axles are required for any length of PSV over 13.5m

Beulas Stela

Roadliner of Poole never ceases to amaze. If you were in Brighton over the weekend, you’ll’ve seen the first ever UK Mercedes Atego/Beulas Stela, about to enter service with Roadliner. It features 24 reclining seats, floor level lavatory, full on board entertainment system including DVD & flat screen monitors, hot & cold drinks facility, refrigerator, and continental exit.

It joins an array of new or interesting vehicles with this surprsing and highly regarded Dorset operator. It's one of a growing number of Beulas bodied vehicles, especially since 2000.