82-710: The Alexander ALX400 (later known as the TransBus ALX400 and the Alexander Dennis ALX400 ) is a 2-axle double-decker bus body built by Walter Alexander Coachbuilders (later by TransBus International/ Alexander Dennis ). It was one of the ALX-series bodywork, all of which (except the ALX100 ) featured the same designs on the front and rear panels that were originally designed for the new generation of mainly low-floor bus chassis produced since
164-698: A national symbol of England. Most buses in London, as in the rest of the UK, are double-deckers. A particular example was the AEC Routemaster bus, which had been a staple of the public transport network in London for nearly half a century following its introduction in 1956. The remaining Routemasters in use were finally retired from general service in 2005 because of cited difficulties accommodating disabled passengers. Transport for London kept these vintage buses in operation on heritage route 15H until 2020, when it
246-461: A capacity of 132 passengers - 80 seated and fifty standing. Sweden bought in 1965 50 Leyland Atlantean double-decker buses with Park Royal bodies. Leyland claimed they were the first double-decker buses with one man operation. They had two staircases and two pairs of doors. The Atlanteans were not replaced at the end of their revenue service life in 1974. However, in 2011 double-deckers returned to Sweden on revenue duties with VDL Synergy on in
328-550: A day of work and drivers are not paid for all the time they work. By 2009, National Express East Coast had come under increasing financial pressure due to various factors, including compounding rises in fuel prices and the poor economic climate of the time, commonly known as the Great Recession . In contrast to the company's projected revenue increases during its franchise, NXEC's actual operating income (generated primarily from ticket sales) had decreased by 1 percent during
410-631: A feature of Alexandria 's bus network. In 2017, as part of a larger order of 850 new buses, the city of Addis Ababa purchased a fleet of 50 double-decker buses to operate routes on its public transportation system. Of these, 25 are operated by the Anbessa City Bus Service Enterprise and 25 are part of the Sheger bus company's fleet; both are government-owned. A fleet of double-decker buses operate in Mombasa , running
492-525: A junior transport minister, the Gillingham MP Paul Clark , listed a series of concerns to National Express in a letter following a meeting with an employee of National Express East Coast who lives in his constituency. The worker claimed that, due to reduced maintenance checks, some trains were in use with defective brakes, an allegation that was strongly denied by the company, which stated it would "never compromise on safety". He wrote: "As
574-484: A larger investment in 24 new buses for the region, and 30 ALX400s were delivered to Arriva Merseyside in 2006. On the Dennis Trident chassis, 30 ALX400s were delivered to Arriva Shires & Essex in 2000. Smaller operators of Alexander ALX400-bodied buses included Lothian Buses , who had five delivered on Dennis Trident chassis in 1999; UK North , who had four ALX400s on DAF DB250 chassis delivered in 1999;
656-505: A maximum length of 18.65 metres (61 ft 2 in). Double-deckers operate in Jersey. In the territory of Gibraltar , Calypso Transport operates using double deckers in red livery. Notably, this is the only British territory in Europe that drives on the right and hence the buses are left-hand drive. Bus Vannin operates about 24 double-deckers on routes all across the island. In
738-451: A new unified National Express identity. It was intended to achieve greater recognition for all the group companies, to coincide with recent acquisitions and after current rail operations had improved in reliability to warrant association with the established express coach image. It coincided with the appointment of a group director for all UK operations and relocation of the head office from London to Birmingham , bringing all operations under
820-721: A private operator. However, in October 2016, National Express elected to pull out, citing a delay in the ability to order new rolling stock while a challenge brought on by Deutsche Bahn was resolved, would make its bid unviable. In June 2015, it was announced that the parts 2 and 3 of the Rhein-Ruhr-Express which will be introduced in 2018 will be operated by National Express. This includes Regional-Express services RE4, RE5 and RE6 in Northrhine-Westphalia . In December 2016, coach operator Clarkes of London
902-646: A prominent businessman and industrialist, was asked to oversee the creation of this new business model and led the group as its chairman from 1972 to 1978. Initially branded as National , the National Express brand was first used in 1974. With the privatisation of the National Bus Company in the 1980s, National Express was subject to a management buyout in March 1988. The management team pursued various means of diversification; during 1989,
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#1732798159129984-443: A result of reduced maintenance checks, 'some long-haul sets [trains] are in use with brake defects'. Increasing cuts in staff combined with an increasing pressure to ensure that trains run safely has resulted in fears among staff that a major accident is 'just around the corner'." Passengers, he added, "have been 'poisoned' as a result of coffee machines not being cleaned correctly, with cleaning fluids left in situ". The minister said he
1066-564: A route aimed at tourists. The buses are open top , and run on a hop-on hop-off sightseein route around the city; they are manufactured by Yaxing Coach . Since 2014, a double-decker bus owned by the City Shguttle Bus Company also provides public transportation in Nairobi . In Malawi , multiple companies utilize fleets of double-decker buses for intercity bus services . Modern Marcopolo buses run direct routes between
1148-701: A single strategic management structure. Day-to-day management remained within individual companies. During February 2007, the Department for Transport announced that National Express, along with Arriva , First , and Virgin Rail Group , had been shortlisted to lodge bids for the InterCity East Coast franchise. In August 2007, the Department for Transport awarded the Intercity East Coast franchise to National Express, leading to
1230-720: A small minority of rail and airport link services; Summerhill based AV 116-130 were built with dual-door bodies for use on the Airlink services. Alexander ALX400s on both the Dennis Trident 2 and Volvo B7TL chassis were also extensively delivered to the National Express 's bus operations in the West Midlands , Coventry and Dundee , with over 400 orders received for all three operations from 2001 to 2005. Translink of Northern Ireland purchased over 150 Alexander ALX400s on Volvo B7TL chassis for its Ulsterbus and Citybus (later rebranded Metro) operations between 2001 and 2006, with
1312-671: A triple standard for the double-decker bus: highbridge bus (urban Britain), lowbridge bus (countryside Britain) and 4 metres height coach such as the Neoplan Skyliner that can traverse Europe. Outside the British Isles in Europe double-decker buses are most prominent in Skopje and Berlin. The first commercial horse-drawn double-decker omnibuses were introduced in England in 1847 by Adams & Co. of Fairfield, Bow ; it
1394-737: Is a bus that has two storeys or decks. Double-deckers are primarily for commuter transport, but open-top models are used as sight-seeing buses for tourists, and there are coaches too for long-distance travel. They appear in many places around the world but are presently most commonly used as mass transport in cities of Britain , in Ireland , in Hong Kong , Berlin and in Singapore . The earliest double-decker horse-drawn omnibus appeared in Paris in 1853 and such vehicles were motorised in
1476-763: The Enviro400 model, intended as a replacement for the ALX400. Despite the bulk of the 2006 Stagecoach double-decker bus order favouring the Enviro400 model, also chosen by London operator Metroline , in July 2006 Dublin Bus placed a repeat order for 100 of the type on Volvo B7TL chassis. Production of the ALX400 bodywork ceased after the delivery of these 100 ALX400-bodied Volvo B7TLs between late 2006 and early 2007. Double-decker bus A double-decker bus or double-deck bus
1558-659: The London Transport Museum before it was later sold into private ownership. From its introduction until 2006, the Alexander ALX400 on the Dennis Trident 2 chassis was the favoured 2-axle double-decker bus model for the Stagecoach Group . Stagecoach London operated the most ALX400s in the group, continuously taking delivery of 998 ALX400s to its various garages from 1998 to 2006. Stagecoach's first low-floor double-decker bus outside London
1640-798: The M>;Train , M>Tram and V/Line Passenger rail franchises in the Australian state of Victoria . During January 2000, National Express expanded into the American market by acquiring ATC, a public transportation operator. In July 2000, Prism Rail was purchased, though which the c2c , Wales & Borders , Wessex Trains and West Anglia Great Northern franchises were added to National Express' portfolio. In December 2002, National Express handed in its rail franchises in Victoria , Australia, having been unable to renegotiate financial terms with
1722-598: The Oxford Bus Company , who had 20 dual-door ALX400s on Dennis Trident 2 chassis delivered for use on the Oxford Park and Ride in 1999; East Yorkshire Motor Services and Finglands Coachways , who took delivery of two ALX400s each on Dennis Trident 2 chassis for evaluation against Plaxton President-bodied Volvo B7TLs in 2000; and Newport Transport , who took delivery of six ALX400s on Dennis Trident chassis in 2000. In late 2005, Alexander Dennis launched
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#17327981591291804-635: The Republic of Ireland , United States, Canada, Spain, Portugal, Malta, Germany, Bahrain, Morocco, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and South Korea, and long-distance coach services across Europe. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange . In 1972, the state-owned National Bus Company decided to bring together the scheduled coach services operated by its bus operating companies in the United Kingdom under one brand. Sir Frederick Wood ,
1886-544: The Republic of Ireland , the majority of the buses operated in and around the Greater Dublin area are double-deckers, operated by Dublin Bus . There are 1,000 double-decker buses (second largest in Europe after London ) in the company's fleet of 1,008 (October 2019). The private operator Go-Ahead Ireland also operate a mixed fleet consisting of both double and single deck vehicles. Bus Éireann also utilises double-decker buses on some of its commuter routes, such as
1968-637: The State Government . During February 2004, the London bus operations of Connex were purchased and rebranded Travel London . In April 2004, National Express East Anglia commenced operating the Greater Anglia rail franchise . In September 2004, National Express sold its Melbourne bus operations to Ventura Bus Lines , and Brisbane and Perth bus operations to Connex . After being placed in administration in January 2005, Westbus
2050-464: The 'Touromo' brand. Touromo aimed to provide day trips and short breaks to destinations across the UK and Europe as one combined brand, and National Express planned to expand the brand outside the West Midlands and South East England to operate across the United Kingdom. Six months later, however, it was announced that Touromo was to cease operations and that National Express Transport Solutions
2132-822: The 1900s. Double-decker buses were popularised in Great Britain at the start of the 20th century and today the best-known example is the red London bus , namely the AEC Routemaster . Double-deckers in urban transport were also in common use in other places, such as major cities of India , but were mostly diminished or phased out by the end of the 20th century. However it has been maintained and remains common in Britain as well as Ireland and Hong Kong, while in Singapore and Dhaka they have been introduced and expanded into large numbers after British colonial rule. There are several types of double-decker buses as shown in
2214-664: The 1950s when buses in general started to be used in the main cities such as Lisbon, Porto, Coimbra and Setúbal. The types used were the AEC Regent and later the Daimler Fleetline and the Leyland Atlantean, with Portuguese-built bodies. There was also one Leyland Olympian as a demonstration vehicle in Lisbon. In Porto, there were double-decker trolleybuses, produced by Lancia and with Dalfa bodywork, in use from
2296-499: The 1960s and 1970s, major cities like Turin, Milan, Rome, Florence, Verona, Bologna, Rimini, Naples, Bari and Palermo adopted Fiat double decker buses. The most common model was the Fiat 412 Aerfer , and in 1961 it was replaced by Fiat 413 Viberti Monotral CV61. Liemobil operates four double decker MAN A39 buses on service 11 between Sargans , Switzerland and Feldkirch, Vorarlberg , Austria and on other services 12, 13 and 14 in
2378-749: The Bahrain Public Transport Company in which National Express holds a 50% shareholding commenced operating a 10-year concession in Bahrain . In May 2009, National Express sold some of its bus operations to Abellio : In December 2020, National Express sold its Xplore Dundee business to McGill's Bus Services . Rail franchises formerly operated: National Express had a 17.5% shareholding in London & Continental Railways (L&CR) from its formation in September 1994 until it
2460-961: The Dublin to Wicklow service. Double-deckers are also common on some of the company's city routes in Cork , Galway and Limerick . More luxurious double-deckers are used on inter-city routes, such as the X1 Dublin-Belfast or X3/X4 Dublin-Derry routes. Double decker buses were in use on city services in Vienna between 1960 and 1991. They are used on services between Vienna and its airport, and also operated by Ötztaler Verkehrsgesellschaft (ÖVG) under contract to ÖBB-Postbus on service 4420 between Innsbruck and Lienz . Since 2020, two Scania UNVI Urbis DD CNG buses have been running on public transport lines in Ostrava . During working days on line 78. Over
2542-548: The National Express offer, in March 2022, the Stagecoach board of directors withdrew its recommendation in favour of a takeover offer from a DWS managed investment fund. In January 2023, the coach excursion business of seven National Express Transport Solutions companies (Coliseum Coaches, Lucketts Travel, Mortons Travel, Solent Tours, Stewarts Tours, Woods Tours and Worthing Coaches) were brought together under
Alexander ALX400 - Misplaced Pages Continue
2624-688: The Plaxton President, and Armchair Passenger Transport , who took 22 ALX400-bodied Tridents in 2002. The ALX400 was also popular with Dublin Bus of Ireland, which ordered 658 between 2000 and 2006. All but ten were fitted on Volvo B7TL chassis, with a batch of ten fitted on the TransBus Trident chassis delivered in 2003 to compare against the B7TLs with a view to splitting future orders. Most of these featured 76 seat single door bodies although there were various seating capacities used on
2706-698: The SL 676 Stockholm Östra - Norrtälje line. Norrtälje is located around 70 km north of Stockholm . In Switzerland Postauto operate double decker buses on a route between Engelburg – St Gallen – Heiden routes and in the Obertoggenburg region and in the regions of Rorschach and Goldach . 19 Alexander Dennis Enviro500 have been ordered to operate on these services, which seat 80 passengers and can carry 48 standing. Four double deckers are also operated in Graubünden which are due to be replaced within
2788-474: The UK are between 9.5 metres (31 ft 2 in) and 11.1 metres (36 ft 5 in) long, the latter being more common since the mid-1990s, though there are three- axle 12-metre (39-foot-4-inch) models in service with some operators. Double-decker coaches in the UK have traditionally been 12 metres (39 feet 4 inches) in length, though many newer models are about 13.75 metres (45 ft 1 in). The red double-decker buses in London have become
2870-674: The UK, in major cities including London, Birmingham, Manchester and Newcastle. The Alexander ALX400 proved to be a major success with national operators; large numbers of the buses served London and the rest of the United Kingdom. Arriva London took delivery of the first ALX400 in May 1998, numbered DLA1 and built on DAF DB250LF chassis, which was also London's first low-floor double decker. Arriva London would go on to order 388 more ALX400s on DAF DB250LF chassis between 1998 and 2005, and from 2017 to 2019, DLA1 would be restored to as-new condition by Alexander Dennis , with plans for it to be exhibited at
2952-537: The autumn of 2019, Public Transport of Turku , also known as Föli , was the first city to officially incorporate double-decker buses into local traffic. The first French double-decker bus was brought into service in Paris in 1853; it was a horse-drawn omnibus . The upper floor was cheaper and often uncovered. The first double-decker motor bus in Paris, the Schneider Brillié P2, appeared in 1906. It
3034-744: The capital, built in China 's Zhengzhou Yutong factory. The buses were put into operation on 8 September 2011, coinciding with the day of Macedonian independence. This model of bus has capacity for 80 passengers. They represent most of the 312 buses currently in operation by the Skopje public transport company. In June 2008 Boreal Transport on contract with Kolumbus introduced three double-decker buses to provide more seating for certain high-traffic departures in Stavanger . PKS Szczecin since 2021. Double-decker buses were introduced in Portugal during
3116-555: The company purchased Crosville Wales . Starting in early 1990s, National Express' financial performance began to deteriorate; this led to a new management team taking over the company in July 1991 which had the backing of ECI Partners , a mid-market private equity firm. The new team refocused the group on its core activities, leading to the sale of Crosville Wales to British Bus . During October 1991, it purchased Speedlink, an operator of coach services between Gatwick and Heathrow Airports . In December 1992, National Express Group plc
3198-516: The company's finances under stress largely as a result of having overbid for the National Express East Coast rail franchise, National Express became a takeover target in 2009. In June 2009, a takeover offer from fellow transport operator FirstGroup was rejected. On 3 September 2009, National Express' largest shareholder, Spain's Cosmen family with 18.5%, and CVC Capital Partners made a takeover offer of £765 million for
3280-461: The company. The Takeover Panel set a deadline of 11 September 2009 for all prospective bids. During September 2009, National Express agreed to allow the Cosmen/CVC consortium to undertake due diligence . During the following month, the Cosmen/CVC consortium had reportedly reached an agreement to sell the UK bus and rail operations to rival transport operator Stagecoach Group if its offer
3362-569: The country. It is only very recently that double-decker buses have started to be used in the Netherlands. On 10 December 2017 Connexxion put 18 three-axle double-deckers into service on route 346 between Haarlem and Amsterdam Zuid , a heavily used commuter route not served by rail. They are Futura FDD2s built by VDL Bus & Coach in Valkenswaard , are 14.1 metres (46 feet) long, and carry 86 seated passengers. Their introduction
Alexander ALX400 - Misplaced Pages Continue
3444-430: The creation of National Express East Coast (NXEC) shortly thereafter. Under the terms of its franchise agreement, National Express committed to paying a £1.4-billion premium to the Department of Transport over a time span of seven years and four months. However, numerous rail analysts promptly voiced concerns that the company had paid too much for the franchise, and had effectively repeated GNER's mistake in order to secure
3526-681: The first batch of 20 delivered to Citybus in 2001 marking the return of double-decker buses to Belfast for the first time since their withdrawal in 1989. Outside London, Arriva ordered ALX400s on both the Dennis Trident and Volvo B7TL chassis in comparatively smaller numbers compared to Stagecoach and the FirstGroup. On the Volvo B7TL chassis, 20 ALX400s were delivered to Arriva Yorkshire in 2000, 49 were delivered to Arriva Medway Towns in 2004 as part of Operation Overdrive , two ALX400s were delivered to Arriva North East in 2005 as part of
3608-443: The first half of 2009. According to Rail , the franchise had quickly garnered a reputation for cost-cutting and a decline in service levels, particularly in terms of the onboard catering. It had also introduced various new charges, such as a £2.50 per journey leg for seat reservations. During April 2009, National Express confirmed that the company was still pursuing talks with the government over possible financial assistance with
3690-462: The franchise, either through a reduction in the premium due or some other form of assistance. During these negotiations, the company had reportedly offered to pay over £100 million to be released from its commitment to operate the franchise. In July 2009, the Department for Transport announced that it would take the National Express East Coast franchise into public ownership at the end of
3772-451: The franchise. On 9 December 2007, National Express East Coast commenced operations, taking over from Great North Eastern Railway . In May 2009, National Express sold Travel London and Travel Surrey to Abellio . On 3 January 2007, a speeding National Express coach overturned on the M4 / M25 slip road, leaving three passengers dead. The driver was jailed for five years. In July 2009,
3854-712: The group are: In July 2023, National Express announced they would be ceasing the operation of coach tours having only launched the Tourismo brand of coach tours in January the same year. National Express Germany operates a number of train services in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia . Following the financial difficulties of Abellio GmbH, National Express was awarded an emergency contract to operate further services in North Rhine-Westphalia from February 2022 to run for two years. In February 2015,
3936-427: The imagebox below: Early double-deckers put the driver in a separate cab. Passenger access was via an open platform at the rear and a bus conductor collected fares. Modern double-deckers have a main entrance door at the front and the driver takes fares, thus halving the number of workers aboard, but slowing the boarding process. The rear open platform, popular with passengers, was abandoned for safety reasons, as there
4018-561: The largest double-decker fleet on continental Europe with 197 vehicles operating as of 2023 (compared to 484 single-deckers and 928 articulated buses). However it used to be higher: 1,000 in 1992, reduced to 450 in 2002. The city originally had double-decker buses at least since the 1920s. The models in operation in 2004 were 13.5 metres (44 ft 3 in) long and held around 95 passengers. The replacements, which are supplied by Neoman Bus , are 1.8 metres (5 ft 11 in) longer. The new buses are able to hold 128 passengers. During
4100-400: The late 1990s. First unveiled in 1997, the Alexander ALX400 replaced the step-entrance Alexander R-series and was fitted to numerous chassis, including the Dennis/TransBus Trident 2 , the DAF/VDL DB250LF and the Volvo B7TL . Various seating configurations were available, with Transport for London (TfL) specification models fitted with a central exit door. There are typically 45 seats on
4182-526: The mid-1960s until the mid-1990s. Double-decker buses were not in widespread use for normal service but were mainly used for sightseeing purposes. They were most commonly Portuguese-produced vehicles, including rebodies of regular service buses (for example, the Volvo B10R from Carristur), as well as some from former companies, such as the MAN SD202 from BVG Berlin, many of them still in circulation. The absence of double-decker buses on regular service lasted until 2011, when STCP acquired 15 double-decker buses, of
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#17327981591294264-469: The mid-1990s, some double-deckers were operated briefly in Saint Petersburg . Double-decker buses were introduced in 2014 in Bilbao by the city bus operator Bilbobus . They are not the first double deck vehicles in the city as ex-London Transport Q1 trolleybuses were sold to Bilbao after the end of London trolleybus operations in 1962 and were operated until the system's closure in 1978. Initially, six vehicles are operating on Bilbobus route 56. They have
4346-546: The nation's two largest cities, Lilongwe and Blantyre . New double-decker buses are also in use on more regional routes, including those connecting cities like Mangochi , Mzimba , and Mzuzu . Mobico Group Mobico Group , formerly National Express Group , is a British multinational public transport company with headquarters in Birmingham , England. Domestically it currently operates bus and coach services under brands including National Express . The company also operates transport services including trains abroad: in
4428-684: The next two years. In Turkey , the Istanbul public transit system ( IETT ) runs 89 double-decker buses on longer-distance routes, most notably commuter buses crossing the Bosphorus Bridge linking the European and the Asiatic sides of the city. Double-decker buses are also used on routes to and from Taksim Square to far-flung western suburbs such as Büyükçekmece and Bahcesehir. Several cities in Egypt use double-decker buses as part of their public transportation systems, including Cairo. The MAN Lion's City buses, manufactured in Egypt in 2018, were introduced in Cairo to address provide greater capacity on its bus network. Red double-decker buses are also
4510-490: The permanent public ownership of the InterCity East Coast franchise, or even the complete scrapping of the entire franchise system. In November 2009, the government announced that National Express East Anglia would not be granted a three-year extension that it had otherwise qualified for; this was reportedly a result of the East Coast default. However, National Express were subsequently granted an extension until October 2011, followed by another through to February 2012. With
4592-498: The previous owners. In April 2007, National Express acquired Continental Auto, the second-largest bus and coach operator in Spain. During November 2007, South East England coach operator The Kings Ferry was purchased and an airport to hotel shuttle service in London branded Dot2Dot was launched. Dot2Dot did not prove to be commercially viable and thus ceased operations in November 2008. In November 2007, National Express announced plans to re-brand all of their operations under
4674-399: The privatisation of airports, purchasing East Midlands , Bournemouth , and Humberside Airports . In a move to concentrate on bus and rail provision, Humberside was sold to Manchester Airports Group in 1999 followed by Bournemouth and East Midlands in February 2001. Until November 2007, the group also operated Stewart International Airport in New Windsor, New York . However, the lease
4756-408: The top three United States school bus operators. In May 1999, National Express purchased Australia's largest private bus operator, National Bus Company . National Bus Company had bus operations in Brisbane , Melbourne and Perth , and also held a 57% shareholding in Westbus , Sydney 's largest bus operator. Westbus also had a London coach operation. In August 1999, National Express was awarded
4838-465: The type MAN A39 (as used in Berlin). They were introduced at an event by the company, named "Duplex Tour", on 26 February 2011 and put into normal service on the 28th of that month. These buses can be seen usually on route 500. Until 2011 double-decker buses were operating in the city of Barnaul . The double-decker fleet consisted of seven MAN SD200 and MAN SD202 second hand buses imported from Berlin. Those buses were used on routes 3, 10 and 17. In
4920-413: The upper deck, and between 17 and 22 seats on the lower deck depending on chassis variant and length. Longer models for use elsewhere have up to 47 seats on the upper deck, and 24 below with a central door. Stagecoach subsidiaries outside London have ALX400s on long-wheelbase Dennis Trident 2 chassis, fitted with 51 seats upstairs (47 on later models) and 28 downstairs. These buses have been used all over
5002-495: The weekend and holidays during the summer season on line 88. Since 1970, various operators of Copenhagen city transport were using double-deckers—originally Leyland , in the 1980s–1990s MAN and in the 2000s Volvo , derivates of model B7. Double-decker buses are relatively rare in Finland, but there are known to be at least four Routemasters in Finland: one in Helsinki , one in Heinola , one in summer tourist charter in Espoo and one in summer tourist traffic in Kuopio . In
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#17327981591295084-409: The year after National Express announced it would not invest any further funds into the franchise, effectively declaring it planned to default. In defaulting on the franchise, National Express directly incurred losses of £72 million by forfeiting bonds. Directly Operated Railways took over the East Coast franchise on 14 November 2009. The franchise failure sparked public and industry calls for
5166-609: Was "shocked and appalled at the information with which I've been provided. You will understand that these allegations are exceptionally serious". School bus drivers in the US have raised concerns about the safety of the buses run by Durham, a subsidiary of National Express, and the second-largest operator of school bus services in North America. According to representatives of Durham bus drivers, fluid leaks, tyres that need to be replaced, black mould and non-functional emergency equipment are regular concerns, whilst workers continued to operate buses while sick because they cannot afford to miss
5248-645: Was a risk of passengers falling when running and jumping onto the bus. Cities listed here have double-decker buses as part of their regular mass transit fleet. Cities with only tourist and sightseeing double-decker buses are excluded. In the European Union , the maximum height for any vehicle is 4 metres, for motor vehicles in categories M2 and M3 and their trailers in category 0 and motor vehicles in categories N2 and N3 and their trailers in categories 03 and 04, in national and international traffic according to Council directive 96/53/EC of 25 July 1996 and in continuity of council directive 85/3/CEE. The United Kingdom has
5330-493: Was acquired and rebranded Travel Dundee . During September 1998, Crabtree-Harmon, the seventh-largest student transportation bus company in the United States was acquired, with 82 school bus contracts mainly in Missouri , but also in other Midwest states including Colorado , Iowa , Kansas , Oklahoma and Utah . During February 1999, Robinson Bus Service was purchased; it was followed in August 1999 by Durham Transportation . These acquisitions placed National Express as one of
5412-508: Was acquired in April 1995. During April 1996, National Express commenced operating its first UK railway franchises, Gatwick Express and Midland Mainline . One year later, three other franchises were awarded, these being Silverlink , Central Trains and ScotRail . To comply with a Monopolies & Mergers Commission ruling on it winning the ScotRail franchise , National Express sold the Scottish Citylink operation to Metroline in August 1998. In February 1997, Taybus Public Transport
5494-451: Was awarded two regional rail contracts by the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr , Zweckverband Nahverkehr Rheinland and Zweckverband Nahverkehr Westfalen-Lippe authorities that commenced in December 2015. In January 2015, the Bayerische Eisenbahngesellschaft announced that National Express had been selected to operate the Nuremberg S-Bahn system from December 2018. It was to have been the first Deutsche Bahn S-Bahn network to be taken over by
5576-419: Was designed to carry more passengers and to replace the horse-drawn double-decker omnibus. Like trams and omnibuses, double-decker motor buses included two classes of travel: first class inside the car and second class outdoors on top. But this type of vehicle was withdrawn in 1911 because one of them overturned at place de l'Étoile ; following this incident the P2s lost their upper deck and were renamed P3s. It
5658-682: Was developed that year and entered service on 20 February 2012. In October 2015, London added five all-electric double-decker buses - the world's first - made by Chinese firm BYD . The maximum permissible length of a rigid double-decker bus and coach in the UK is 15 metres (49 ft 3 in) with 3 axles and 13.5 metres (44 ft 3 in) metres with two. However, the total maximum dimensions, including trailer or articulated section, in normal circumstances are: Coaches are normally built to 4.38 metres (14 ft 4 in) high, while 'highbridge' buses are normally about 20 centimetres (8 in) taller. Articulated double-deckers are also allowed at
5740-515: Was discontinued due to the COVID-19 pandemic . The contract expired in November 2020 and was not renewed; in 2021 it was announced that the service would no longer continue. There was formerly a second heritage route ( 9H ) but this ceased operation in 2014 due to low patronage and increased operation costs. In 2007, a hybrid-powered double-decker entered service on London Buses route 141 . By late 2008, more hybrid double-deckers from three manufacturers entered service in London. A New Routemaster
5822-435: Was floated on the London Stock Exchange . In 1993, Scottish Citylink , Eurolines and East Midlands Airport were acquired. During April 1995, National Express purchased West Midlands Travel , the formerly council-owned bus network of Birmingham and the West Midlands ; it was rebranded Travel West Midlands in September 1996. This move began the brand family of Travel ... local bus operations. Bournemouth Airport
5904-472: Was found to be poorly suited to the structure of the Paris network, the stops being too close to each other, preventing people from going upstairs. Consequently, there are no Parisian bus routes using double-deckers. SITAC operates a service 5 between Calais and Sangatte using a double decker bus. In Germany , double-decker buses in Berlin are operated by Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG). Berlin has had
5986-647: Was nationalised by the Government of the United Kingdom in 2009. L&CR was responsible for building the High Speed 1 project. National Express also held a 40% stake in the Inter-Capital and Regional Rail consortium which held the management contract for the UK arm of the Eurostar operation, L&CR's subsidiary Eurostar International from 1998 to 2010. In the 1990s, National Express moved into
6068-680: Was not entirely without issues since their route initially had to be diverted to avoid passing under a dangerously low tram overhead wire near the VU Medical Centre stop. Also in December 2017, Qbuzz introduced five double-deckers on its route 300 between Groningen and Emmen . These are Van Hool TDX27 Astromegas, also 14.1 metres (46 feet) long and carrying 85 passengers. The Macedonian government bought 217 Yutong City Master double-decker city buses for local transport in Skopje ,
6150-550: Was not until 1966 that the RATP re-tried double-deckers on two lines in Paris. A prototype built by Berliet (type E-PCMR), was put into service in 1966, with an order being placed for 25 vehicles. The first production car was commissioned on 19 June 1968 for line 94, Gare Montparnasse - Levallois. On 17 February 1969, line 53, Opera - Porte d'Asnieres was in turn equipped with this model. But traffic problems caused RATP to definitively abandon this vehicle in 1977, because this type of bus
6232-960: Was one of a pair of ALX400-bodied Dennis Tridents that were delivered to Stagecoach Manchester in 1998; this bus would later be donated to and restored by Museum of Transport, Greater Manchester . Deliveries were made to Stagecoach operations across the United Kingdom such as in Oxford , Devon , Canterbury , Cambridge , and Kingston upon Hull , among others. In London, other operators of Alexander ALX400s on Dennis Trident 2 and Volvo B7TL chassis included Arriva London, who took delivery of 179 ALX400-bodied B7TLs alongside their DAF DB250LFs; London United , who took delivery of 156 ALX400-bodied Tridents and 62 B7TLs; Metroline , who took delivery of 154 ALX400-bodied Tridents; Connex , who took 128 Trident-bodied ALX400s; First London , who took delivery of 64 Tridents and 27 B7TLs; London Central , who took one batch of 46 ALX400-bodied Volvo B7TLs in 1999 before moving onto
6314-406: Was purchased with 56 vehicles. In March 2020, Lucketts Travel was purchased. During September 2021, it was reported that National Express had entered into talks to acquire Stagecoach Group. In December 2021, a deal was agreed between the boards of the two companies: however, it was subject to both shareholder approval and regulatory scrutiny. Having originally recommended shareholders accept
6396-736: Was sold to ComfortDelGro Cabcharge in August 2005. In June 2005, the London bus arm of Tellings-Golden Miller was purchased by National Express, after which it was rebranded as Travel London. During July 2005, National Express sold ATC to Connex. In October 2005, the company agreed to buy most of the operations of privately owned Spanish transport operator ALSA , which operates bus and coach services in Spain, Portugal and Morocco, and long-distance coach services to other parts of Europe. Alsa's operations in South America and China were retained by
6478-480: Was sold to the public Port Authority of New York and New Jersey . Australian bus companies previously operated: In 1999, the Group gained the Australian franchises M>Train , M>Tram and V/Line Passenger , following the privatisation of rail and tram services by the Government of Victoria . After incurring large losses and being unable to renegotiate the franchise contracts, the operations were handed back to
6560-517: Was successful. The deadline for offers was subsequently extended to 16 October 2009. On 16 October 2009, the Cosmen/CVC consortium announced that they had withdrawn their offer. That same day, Stagecoach submitted its own all-share bid to acquire National Express. This, too, did not proceed and, in November 2009, National Express announced it would raise the necessary capital through a share issue. During February 2013, National Express Germany
6642-646: Was then improved upon by John Greenwood, who introduced a new double-decker in 1852. William Gladstone , speaking of London 's double-deck horse-drawn omnibuses , once observed that "...the best way to see London is from the top of a bus". Double-decker buses are in common use throughout the United Kingdom and have been favoured over articulated buses by many operators because of the shorter length of double-deckers and larger seating capacity ; they also may be safer to operate through narrow streets and round tight corners. The majority of double-decker buses in
6724-420: Was to cease offering day trips and holiday excursions in October 2023. In June 2023, National Express changed its name to Mobico Group. In August 2024, Mobico announced that they had begun the process of selling its North American school bus division, including Durham School Services , in order to reduce its debt. National Express' operations are summarised below: The bus and coach services operated by
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