90-538: The Switch Solo (formerly sold as the Optare Solo ) is a low-floor minibus / midibus with one or two doors manufactured by Switch Mobility in the United Kingdom since 1998. The Solo name is a play on its low-floor status, the manufacturer marketing its vehicle as having an entrance that is "so low" from the floor, namely 200 mm (8 in) with kneeling suspension. In January 2012, Optare announced
180-502: A MAN engine later became available. There was also the option of a 4-speed Allison AT545 gearbox. In 2005 a hybrid Solo was constructed, using a small diesel unit and an Eneco (now known as Traction Technology) battery propulsion unit. The Switch Solo is available in various lengths: 7.8 m (25 ft 7 in), 8.5 m (27 ft 11 in), 9.2 m (30 ft 2 in) and 9.9 m (32 ft 6 in) - all 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) wide. The chassis type code of
270-409: A hydraulic or pneumatic 'kneeling device', which can be used when the bus is not in motion, tilting it or lowering it at the front axle even further, often down to normal curb height. Depending on how close to the curb the bus is parked and wheelchair design, this can allow wheelchair users to board unaided. Though such technology has been available and in use on high-floor buses since the 1970s, it
360-536: A 36A 3phase cable to feed into the chargers to provide 377V at 36A across 2x chargers. The batteries being a 26S2P in each pack. The first-generation electric Solo SR was fitted with a 100 kwh battery pack, giving a maximum range of 90 miles (140 km). First-generation electric Solo SRs were commonly distributed across rural towns in Scotland with funding from the Scottish Green Bus Fund, while
450-579: A First Manchester licence. In June 2012, it was announced that the FirstGroup were looking at selling off some of its operations, which included First Manchester's Wigan depot. On 2 December 2012, Stagecoach Manchester purchased the Wigan operation. The transaction saw 300 employees, 120 vehicles (although 20 were owned by TfGM) and the Wigan depot purchased by Stagecoach, with these being operated under
540-608: A fleet of new Otokar buses were being manufactured. These buses were eventually returned to the United Kingdom off lease in September 2015. The Solo Slimline saw frequent use on local bus services from Bray, County Wicklow operated by Finnegan Bray, with further examples operated throughout the rest of Ireland by Bus Éireann . Netherlands operator Syntus purchased 25 Solos in 2010. In 2015, Solo EVs were delivered to Karlstad in Sweden. In Hungary, Kapos Volán bought one, which
630-724: A fleet of six electric Solo SRs delivered to Stagecoach Highlands in 2015 for services in Inverness would receive battery pack upgrades that saw their range increased to a total 130 miles (210 km). Under Switch Mobility, the first six "next-generation" Solo SRs, with a maximum battery capacity of 135 kWh, were first delivered to Ulsterbus for use in Coleraine , with two of the six being allocated for Giant's Causeway shuttle services. The first 32 production Optare Solos entered service in Poole in 1998 with Wilts & Dorset , with
720-485: A frequency of either every 30 minutes or every hour from midnight to 3:30am and offered a flat fare ticketing system. Until December 2012, First Greater Manchester also operated the Nightbus network in Wigan town centre, providing a number of late night services to various areas across Wigan, as well as the 598 service to Leigh, which allowed connection with the 39 service to and from Manchester. From 2 December 2012,
810-785: A high floor bus where the floor is flat in order to align with the high platforms in certain Bus Rapid Transit systems. Thereby, referring to it as a non-step high floor bus. The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) mandates the use of low-floor or low-entry buses on city bus routes in the Philippines since 2016. Low-floor buses are used on city bus networks in Metro Manila , Metro Cebu and Davao City , and on some provincial routes, and most Point-to-Point Bus services, although older coaches are still largely used for such services. Buses used on
900-533: A hybrid drive system consisting of a Volkswagen 1.9-litre engine paired with an electric generator. This system was fitted to the Solo shells, which were sold to a handful of operators, and was also retrofitted to a First Manchester Solo first delivered in 2002. However, operational issues with the hybrid system, including high fuel consumption and engine noise, meant that most of these early hybrid Solos would be converted back to diesel power. Optare would later launch
990-589: A hybrid electric Solo in 2010, this time featuring a Euro VI Mercedes-Benz OM904LA engine paired with a Siemens electric drive system, with Bluways battery capacitors mounted on the roof of the Solo body. This combination allowed for a power output of 130 kilowatts (170 hp) and a 30% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions compared to diesel Solos. On the original Solo body, the first ten Solo hybrids were exported to Arriva Malta in 2011, with further deliveries of Solo hybrids being made to Cumfybus of Southport and Uno of Hatfield . In March 2009, Optare launched
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#17328017503621080-539: A low floor throughout the length of the bus (more popular in Europe ), and low-entry buses with step-free access to only a part of the bus, most commonly between the front door and the middle door (more popular in North America). In North America, both types are commonly called low-floor, as the majority of the vehicle has a low floor, without steps at the doors. The main reason for choosing a low-entry configuration
1170-464: A low-floor bus "no-step bus (ノーステップバス)". At Enshu Railway Company in Hamamatsu Area, a low-floor bus is called "omnibus (オムニバス)", " cho-teisho bus (超低床バス; very low-floor bus)" and " cho-teisho omnibus (超低床オムニバス; very low-floor omnibus)". Japanese government calls a low-floor bus " cho-teisho non-step bus (超低床ノンステップバス; very low-floor non-step bus)". The term non-step bus may also refer to
1260-492: A low-floor bus therefore requires careful design. Low floor configuration is also known to have poor side to side dead load distribution within the chassis due to the asymmetrical off-centre placement of driveline components - mainly engine and transmission. As a result, many of such buses require electronically controlled air suspension to compensate the lopsided configuration. Low-floor buses usually include an area without seating (or seating that folds up) next to at least one of
1350-508: A low-floor design. A small number of higher capacity articulated low-floor buses are used to service the city's southern busways. In Sydney , routes may be operated by both high-floor buses and low-entry ones. Selected routes can be set aside specifically for low-entry buses which are considered to be wheelchair-accessible routes. A recent all-low-entry bus network is the Metrobus system. First Manchester First Greater Manchester
1440-684: A number of routes in the Tameside area to First Manchester. A new management team was put in place and First Manchester was relieved of its responsibility for the Potteries subsidiary. By September 2010, First Manchester had taken over the management of the Cheshire and Merseyside depots of First Potteries , with the Staffordshire depots transferring to the management of the new First Midlands division. The Cheshire and Merseyside depots fell to
1530-512: A period on lease to Diamond North West, were dispersed around the FirstGroup. Various other GM Buses North garages were closed shortly after the company was purchased by FirstBus. These included Atherton in 1998; Bolton and Rochdale in 2004, the former replaced by a new depot on Weston Street; Trafford Park in 2005 and Knowsley in 2008. Temporary depots have also been previously set up, with sites at Lowton and Bolton used to temporarily store buses acquired from other operators in 1998, while
1620-413: A smaller low floor area with a small underfloor bin for some luggage. Whilst these buses do not provide a full amount of luggage space, they can be used to house more luggage than what can be held inside the bus itself. Another drawback is the arrangement means the section of the bus that is at curb height is very short—consisting of enough space to house the wheelchair area and then rising up, to accommodate
1710-439: Is a bus or trolleybus that has no steps between the ground and the floor of the bus at one or more entrances, and low floor for part or all of the passenger cabin. A bus with a partial low floor may also be referred to as a low-entry bus or seldom a flat-floor bus in some locations. Low floor refers to a bus deck that is accessible from the sidewalk with only a single step with a small height difference, caused solely by
1800-566: Is a bus operator in Greater Manchester . It is a subsidiary of the FirstGroup , operating franchised Bee Network bus services on contract to Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM). The operator was once dominant in the northern areas of Greater Manchester, competing against Stagecoach Manchester , which was dominant in southern areas of the county; however in recent years it has scaled back its operations, now primarily serving
1890-669: Is a very low or non-existent availability of high-floor electric buses. The majority of standard and truncated vehicles were and are the Caio Millennium and Millennium BRT "toco" models, on Mercedes-Benz O500U, Scania K270 and K310, Volvo B7RLE and B290RLE and Volkswagen 17.240 and 17.260 chassis. For articulated vehicles, Caio Mondego HA and Millennium BRT vehicles with Mercedes-Benz O500UA and O500UDA chassis were and are used. The Biarticulates were made with Caio TopBus PB and Millennium BRT TopBus bodies on Volvo B360S and B9Salf chassis. In Brisbane , all Translink buses are of
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#17328017503621980-495: Is of significant utility on low-floor vehicles only where it enables less-mobile passengers to board and leave the vehicle without help from others. Many vehicles are also equipped with wheel-chair lifts, or ramps which, when combined with a low floor, can provide a nearly level entry. An implementation of the low floor design exists in Australia where custom coaches make a "hybrid" variant of its CB60 bodywork. These buses combine
2070-466: Is one of the first cities in India that introduced Low Floor buses. The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation, BMTC operates many services using the premium Volvo 8400LE Low-floor buses. These buses are air-conditioned, and offer features such as automatic transmission, kneeling and wheel-chair ramp, typical of modern city buses. They are also fitted with LED display boards as well as ITS to announce
2160-638: Is operating in Siófok . In Hong Kong , AMS Public Transport (Chinese: 進智公交 [ zh ] ) and Koon Wing Motor Limited (Chinese: 冠榮車行 [ zh ] ) respectively bought Optare Solo SRs in 2018 for trials on public light bus services, becoming the first low-floor public light buses operated in Hong Kong. In the United States, a left hand drive version of the Solo was sold from 2003 to 2005 by North American Bus Industries (which at
2250-643: Is to allow better placement for the powertrain and other technical equipment in the raised floor section, in addition to allowing a more comfortable ride on rough roads. Some manufacturers use the initials LF or L in their model designations for fully low-floor models (or in the case of German manufacturers, NF or N , based on the German word Niederflur , which means low floor), and in North America buses that are partially low-floor are often also designated LF. In some countries, LE , short for Low Entry ,
2340-403: Is used by some manufacturers in their model designations for low-entry buses. Most bus manufacturers achieve a low floor height by making rear-engined rear-wheel drive buses with independent front suspension , so that no axle is needed to pass under the floor of the front part of passenger compartment, or a lowered front axle. Some full low-floor buses also have a lowered rear axle, while
2430-662: The Den Oudsten B85/B86 [ nl ] . Other competitors followed suit, with the Orion VI (1995), Nova Bus LF Series (1996, also derived from the Den Oudsten B85), Gillig Low Floor (1997, derived from a shuttle bus design for the Hertz rental car agency), and Neoplan AN440L (1990/94/99). By 2008, most new bus orders in the United States were for low-floor buses. In the capital of this country,
2520-871: The EDSA Busway are usually equipped with 1-2 doors on the left side for boarding at the median stations, although not all units currently have them installed. Low-floor buses often use upholstered coach-style seating in a 2-3, or 2-2 configuration, although plastic seats may be found in some buses. Low-floor wheelchair-accessible buses were first introduced in Singapore in 2006 with 150 Volvo B9TL CDGE buses procured by SBS Transit . These buses were registered SBS7300P - SBS7499A. Volvo B9TL CDGE buses were fully retired in 2023. In 2007, SBS Transit procured 1101 units of low-entry Scania K230UB buses bodied by Gemilang Coachworks of Senai , Malaysia . Afterwards, all new city buses procured by SBS Transit, SMRT Buses and
2610-564: The Land Transport Authority are low-floor. Low-floor buses are first adopted in Germany in 1989, and to make them easier to use for wheelchairs and strollers, the minimum ground clearance of the entire vehicle is lowered and the floor is proportionately raised by 30 centimetres (12 in) above the road surface. The Dennis Dart SLF (Super Low Floor) marked the wholesale introduction of single-deck low floor buses in
2700-474: The Optare Alero and Hino Poncho . Accessibility was previously achieved in paratransit type applications, which use small vehicles with the fitment of special lifts. The inception of small low-floor buses has allowed the development of several accessible demand-responsive transport schemes using standard 'off-the-shelf' buses. A disadvantage of the low floor is accommodating the bus's own wheels. With
2790-507: The metropolitan boroughs of Oldham and Rochdale . Before deregulation in 1986, buses in the Greater Manchester area were publicly funded and went under the name of Greater Manchester Transport. In 1986 Greater Manchester Transport became known as GM Buses , which was owned by the metropolitan borough and city councils of Greater Manchester , but were at arms' length from the local town halls. In December 1993, GM Buses
Optare Solo - Misplaced Pages Continue
2880-595: The 'new' Optare unveiled the Solo – a completely restyled variant to celebrate ten years of the Solo as a new low-entry bus and was launched at the Euro Bus Expo 2008. It shared the same styling with the Rapta , which was launched at the same show. It sees the return of the flat side windows and roof as well as a steeper front end with an integral destination box. Proposed options include a full electric drive. However,
2970-405: The 4.5 miles (7.2 km) North West Guided busway between Leigh and Ellenbrook . A fleet of 25 Wright Gemini 3 bodied Volvo B5LH hybrid buses equipped with guidewheels were operated by First on the service, branded in a dark purple Vantage livery. First's operation of Vantage services transferred to Go North West upon commencement of Tranche 1 of Bee Network franchised services, with
3060-623: The AC volvo bus and MW series are served by the Tata Marcopolo buses operated by WBSTC. AC Marcopolo buses serve the MH series route operated by WBHIDCO and the MB series route operated by BHBL. Calcutta State Transport Corporation (CSTC) also run AC Volvo Bus & Ashok Leylan JanBus. In Japan , a low-floor bus is called "non-step bus (ノンステップバス)". Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation used to calling
3150-809: The Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, since 1997 the legislation governs that all buses of lines of "national" jurisdiction (bus lines that circulate within the capital district and/or cross from here to the suburbs). The first low-floor bus produced in Argentina and marketed in this country was the El Detalle OA105, and the first low-floor bus imported by Argentina was the Marcopolo Torino GV Low-Entry brought from Brazil in 1998. Within Paraguay's public transit system, it
3240-708: The M990, the Slimline is identified by having an SL-suffix in the chassis code, e.g. M780SL for a 7.8 m (25 ft 7 in) long version. The Optare Solo Slimline is a 25-seated low-floor bus to replace the Optare MetroRider . The compact size of an M780SL, with its seating capacity of 25, has made it a popular choice for replacing earlier-generation minibuses , such as the MCW Metrorider , and other van-based buses. In June 2006, Optare announced
3330-515: The Solo denotes the length – M780 corresponds to 7.8 m, M850 to 8.5 m, and so forth. However, the Cummins-powered Solos required extra rear bodywork in order to accommodate the larger engine, which increased the overall length by 0.3 m (1 ft). This is reflected in the chassis code, so a Cummins-powered Solo was coded M810, M880, M950 or M1020. Along with the launch of the 9.9 m (32 ft 6 in) model,
3420-501: The Solo such as the curved front windscreen and the unusual chassis layout, with the front wheels ahead of the doorway, were retained. Another new unusual feature to the Solo SR is the lack of a destination box on the standard model. However, Optare offers this as an option to individual customer specification. In January 2012, Optare announced that the facelifted Solo SR would replace the standard Solo for both UK and export markets, with
3510-517: The Solo was also first offered with LED -type rear lights, as opposed to the standard rectangular clusters. Seating capacities range from 25 for an M780, 29 for an M850, 33 for M920 and 37 for an M990. A narrow-bodied version named the "Slimline" was launched in 2004 with the first examples entering service in August. It is 2.33 m (7 ft 8 in) wide, and identifiable by small rear wheel wheelarch extensions. Available across all lengths except
3600-495: The United Kingdom in 1995, after many small-scale demonstrator usages. Low floor buses were rapidly introduced on high-profile routes, notably becoming a requirement for London Buses contracts. The Optare Solo introduced in 1997 marked another step change with inroads into smaller usages traditionally served by minibuses . The final phase came with low floor double-deckers the Dennis Trident 2 and Volvo B7TL entering
3690-659: The Vantage brand being withdrawn in favour of standard Bee Network yellow livery. In the years following the purchase of GM Buses North, First Manchester were routinely criticised for operating an outdated and poorly maintained fleet of buses, many of which were either inherited from the GM Buses era or transferred in from across the FirstGroup; this fleet stood in comparison to more modern fleets operated by competitor Stagecoach Manchester. First Manchester's final ' GM Standard ' Leyland Atlantean double-decker buses , dating back to
Optare Solo - Misplaced Pages Continue
3780-898: The WBSTC. These buses connects places like the Kolkata Airport , Barasat (Capital Town of North Suburb), New Town , Salt Lake , Howrah , Santragachi (a station on the Howrah-Kharagpur railway line), Kudghat and Tollygunge . The road network in Kolkata is vast. Under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, air conditioned buses have been included as a part of travel comfort to commuters. Air-conditioned buses are operated by West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation (WBSTC) directly & through outsourcing. These buses are served by Tata Marcopolo Buses and Volvo Low Floor Buses. The V Series and VS series bus routes are served by
3870-536: The Wigan Nightbus network passed to Stagecoach Manchester with the sale of First's Wigan operations. In January 2015, First withdrew six night bus journeys which served Rochdale, Bury and Eccles, including service 135, as part of wide-ranging cuts to its bus network. In Spring 2016, First's remaining night bus services were withdrawn on services 8, 36 and 39 due to low passenger numbers. On 3 April 2016, First Greater Manchester commenced operating services on
3960-487: The all-electric version of the Solo, the Solo EV . The vehicle's top speed is limited to 90 km/h (56 mph). Since the summer of 2013, the vehicle uses a high-efficiency MAGTEC P180 Permanent Magnet Motor-Gearbox rated at 150 kW and powered by two banks of Valence lithium-ion phosphate batteries . The two packs work in parallel and provide 307 V with a total capacity of 92 kWh. In November 2008
4050-461: The arrival of another Solo model – the Solo SE . At just 7.1 m (23 ft 4 in) in length, it is the shortest Solo offered, and is capable of seating 23. It also uses a single-piece entrance door as an option. This is a variant of the Slimline – hence it is 2.33 m (7 ft 8 in) wide, but noticeably the rear track has been reduced compared to previous Slimline models, eliminating
4140-624: The benefits achieved on the Tempo SR design, which reduced both weight and cost and further improved fuel economy. After having been stopped following Switch Mobility's repositioning towards manufacturing zero-emissions vehicles , production of conventional diesel Solo SRs was restarted in October 2023 when the Stagecoach Group announced the purchase of 70 buses, 60 of them being Euro VI diesel Solo SRs, to replace its older buses within
4230-542: The city center. Low-floor buses have become popular on the Structural and Regional Articulation lines, and have been a mandatory model to be purchased for these since 2015. Until then, exceptions for local lines with low-floor buses were rare, but this has been changing since 2019 and especially since 2023. In 2023, the city banned the purchase of new diesel buses. With the mandatory use of electric buses, new buses on local lines are also being made with low floors, as there
4320-605: The company down to only three garages across Greater Manchester. In February 2019, it was announced that the Queens Road depot in Cheetham Hill had been purchased by the Go-Ahead Group to form Go North West , which commenced operations on 2 June 2019, having acquired 25 bus routes and a fleet of over 160 buses from First. First's Bolton depot was then purchased by Rotala on 11 August 2019, expanding
4410-502: The conventional buses. A revamp plan is underway to improve bus-shelters in the city and to integrate GPS systems in DTC buses and bus stops so as to provide reliable information about bus arrivals. The Delhi Government decided to expedite this process and procured 6,600 low floor buses for the DTC before commonwealth games in 2010. Kolkata has an extensive network of government run buses. Recently air-conditioned buses have been introduced by
4500-427: The design and any impacts of stresses it would see in service were undertaken by finite element analysis firm Analysis by Firth . It is powered by a Mercedes-Benz OM904LA engine , which produces 122 bhp (91 kW) or 147 bhp (110 kW) according to specification, and it is typically mated to an Allison 2000 automatic gearbox. Options of a Cummins ISBe 6-cylinder 185 bhp (138 kW) engine or
4590-424: The diesel generator. A battery electric variant of the Solo SR first debuted in 2012. Equipped with a Enova Systems P120 electric drivetrain as well as a water-cooled 15.2 kW on-board charger capable of reaching full capacity in six hours, using dedicated charging this could be reduced to less than 2 hours but the caveat being it only charges to 90% using dedicated Chademo chargers. On board charging requires
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#17328017503624680-562: The difference between the bus deck and sidewalk. This is distinct from high-floor , a bus deck design that requires climbing one or more steps (now known as step entrance) to access the interior floor that is placed at a higher height. Being low-floor improves the accessibility of the bus for the public, particularly the elderly and people with disabilities , including those using wheelchairs and walkers . Almost all are rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout . Low-floor buses are generally divided into two major types: fully low-floor buses with
4770-445: The doors, where wheelchairs , walkers , strollers/prams, and where allowed even bicycles, can be parked. This is sometimes not the only purpose of this area, though, as many operators employ larger standee areas for high occupancy at peak times. Despite the space existing, operators may also insist that only one or two wheelchairs or pushchairs can be accommodated unfolded, due to space/safety concerns. Low floors can be complemented by
4860-459: The end of 2005, 10 years ahead of the national requirement. London was one of the first major cities in the world to have a fully accessible bus fleet. Due to the deregulated nature of the public transport system in the UK, adoption of the higher cost low floor buses was usually in conjunction with some sort of grant or quality partnership with a local authority , as the profitability of many routes
4950-449: The end of production for the original Solo design with a modified Solo SR taking over. The original innovative design, featuring a front axle ahead of the entrance door, gained a Millennium product award, along with a Queen's Award for Enterprise , in 2000. The Solo is an integral midibus (as opposed to a separate chassis and body) built in a modular design, with steel frame and GRP panels. Detailed analysis and computer modelling of
5040-446: The enforced sale of non-compliant existing vehicles, allowing operators to retain a high floor vehicle until "the end of their economic life". In reality, as the prevalence of low floor buses spreads, combined with grants/incentives, it is likely that the prevalence of high floor vehicles in the national fleet will markedly reduce before all buses were de-registered by 27 October 2014. In the past, in times of reduced economic investment, it
5130-920: The first of 190 Solo SRs for Cape Town 's MyCiTi bus rapid transit system. These were supplied as knock-down kits and assembled locally, entering service in the city from March 2013. In New Zealand, Reesby Buses imported nine Solo M880s to operate in Rotorua . In Australia, Optare Solos have been purchased by SkyBus , Transdev Melbourne and Ventura Bus Lines in Melbourne and the Donric Group for school transport in Victoria , and Bus Queensland for services in Toowoomba and Hamilton Island . [REDACTED] Media related to Optare Solo at Wikimedia Commons Low-floor bus A low-floor bus
5220-749: The fleet of 41 buses, most of which were retained within the EYMS Group. The deal was approved on 27 January 2014, with First taking over Finglands services under a joint ticketing scheme on 9 February 2014. The FirstGroup began scaling back its operations in Greater Manchester in an attempt to stem financial losses across the group in 2017, closing its Bury , Dukinfield and Tameside depots, with buses and operations transferring to its remaining four garages in Bolton , Queens Road, Oldham and Rusholme. Rusholme depot would later close in January 2019, bringing
5310-941: The fleet. The first of these were delivered in mid-2024, with the order being increased to 118 SRs in July 2024; Solo SRs from this order were delivered to Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire , Stagecoach Manchester for Bee Network franchised bus services, Stagecoach South for services in Andover , Stagecoach South Wales and Stagecoach West Scotland . As of 2024, the Centrebus group ordered 2 brand new SRs, of which entered service during August 2024, under High Peak . The diesel-electric hybrid single-decker bus had room for 53 passengers; its configuration can be changed to provide seating for up to 34 passengers plus one wheelchair with additional standing room. Its peak power demands are met by batteries that are recharged on-board by
5400-653: The following March for not improving their service reliability. As of March 2024, the First Greater Manchester fleet consisted of over 65 buses, over half of which are operated on franchsised Bee Network services. Prior to the sale of the Bolton and Queens Road depots in 2019, First Greater Manchester operated a fleet of 583 buses, consisting mainly of Wrightbus -bodied Volvos and Alexander Dennis Enviro400s . Up to 160 buses at Queens Road were sold to Go North West and 125 buses based at Bolton, following
5490-614: The former A Mayne & Son legal entity. On 1 August 2013, the FirstGroup announced that subject to regulatory approval by the Office of Fair Trading , it had agreed to purchase the bus operations of south Manchester based company Finglands Coachways from its parent, the EYMS Group . The purchase included the lease of Finglands's depot in Rusholme , South Manchester routes and approximately 100 members of staff, but did not include
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#17328017503625580-653: The franchise to operate Bee Network services in Rochdale , based from Transdev Blazefield subsidiary Rosso 's former depot, which was sold to TfGM some months prior. These changes, taking effect from 24 March 2024, reduced First Manchester's fleet to over 65 buses. First Greater Manchester previously operated the three Metroshuttle services that operate around Manchester city centre. These services were free for passengers, and were operated using Optare Versas based from Queens Road garage. The Metroshuttle service and buses transferred to Go North West when Queens Road garage
5670-644: The halts. The corporation also had tried Mercedes-Benz Low-Floor buses as well as Ashok Leyland ULE coaches, but chose to stick to the Volvo offering. In order to keep the bus ticket prices low, the BMTC operates the majority of their services using Non-Airconditioned Semi-Low Floor (SLF) buses that have a floor height of 650mm as against the 400mm floor height of the true Low-Floor buses. These buses are from Ashok Leyland and Tata Motors, with future procurements planned to be from Eicher (VECV). These cheaper alternative to low-floor buses do not have kneeling or wheel-chair accessible ramps, but they have air suspension and use
5760-402: The lack of steps, studies have found the opposite effect in the UK. This is apparently due to the prevailing system of operation where passengers enter and exit through one single front door. It has been suggested that the previous 1980s/90s high floor step entrance buses which featured a centre rail, encouraged a bi-directional flow of entering and exiting passengers simultaneously. The removal of
5850-412: The late 1970s and early 1980s, were withdrawn on 5 January 2002, and investment between 2002 and 2004 saw 278 new low-floor buses introduced to the fleet. In February 2012, the company were warned by the Department for Transport 's North West traffic commissioner after a performance survey found an average of 26% of First Manchester services were not running on time. The company were fined £285,000
5940-423: The low floor, the wheels protrude into the passenger cabin, and need to be contained in wheel pockets of waist height, and this occupies space which would otherwise be used for seating. To allow space for technical equipment, many low-floor buses have the seats mounted on podiums, making a small step up from the floor, while others are able to mount the seats directly to the floor, avoiding the step. Seating layout for
6030-698: The luggage bin. These buses also lack the ability to have a center door. Many bus rapid transit systems employ a level boarding by using high-floor buses stopping at "station" style bus stops. Specially raised sections of curb may also be used to achieve accessibility with lesser low floor models, although this is more expensive for the operator, and only attractive for regular busy scheduled routes. For infrequent routes or routes with hail and ride sections, or demand responsive transport , raised curbs would only be feasible in terminuses . Some transit agencies refused to order low-floor buses altogether, such as New Jersey Transit and MUNI owing to terrain conditions in
6120-420: The mass market, even though they were introduced after the Optare Spectra . London Buses was one of the earliest major users of low-floor buses, with the first low-floor single decker vehicles entering service in 1993 and the first low-floor double decker vehicles entering service in 1998. Following withdrawal of older, high-floor vehicles such as the AEC Routemaster , the bus fleet became fully accessible at
6210-477: The need for wheelarch extensions on the rear of the bus. Optare also produced a 7.8 m (25 ft 7 in) long version of the SE. The first SE built, the former Optare demonstrator, entered service with Regal Busways, of Essex , in September 2006. The company has since acquired a further four examples. Optare first experimented with a hybrid electric variant of the Solo in 2005, supplying Solo body shells for Dutch utility company Eneco , who had developed
6300-613: The operation of Diamond North West with the acquisition 18 routes, reducing First Greater Manchester to only its Oldham depot; this depot was also planned to be sold by the FirstGroup, which would have seen the operator cease operations, however the depot was announced to have been retained in August 2019 after no offers were accepted to buy it. In June 2023, it was announced by Transport for Greater Manchester that as part of Tranche 2 of Bee Network bus franchising , First Manchester would lose its Oldham depot, staff and services to Stagecoach Manchester. However, First Manchester also acquired
6390-987: The operator eventually taking delivery of 85 Solos to replace its fleet of Optare MetroRiders. Arriva , FirstGroup , Go-Ahead Group , Stagecoach Group , Wellglade Group , Translink in Northern Ireland, and Travel West Midlands made subsequent orders, with all having operated large fleets. Solos have been operated by Transport for London operators Arriva London , Quality Line , Metrobus and Travel London . A fleet of 33 Solo SRs are also operated by LibertyBus in Jersey . In 2011, Arriva Malta purchased ten Optare Solo Hybrids for some of its routes in Malta and Gozo . These were passed on to Malta Public Transport in early 2014 after Arriva pulled out from Maltese bus operations, but their use declined and, after summer 2015, they sporadically appeared in summer 2016 and summer 2017 before being withdrawn. Between 2014 and 2015, Malta Public Transport leased 23 Optare Solo SRs from United Kingdom lessor Dawsonsrentals as temporary cover while
6480-609: The plan of producing the Solo was dropped afterwards. The new product met with a poor market response and never made it beyond the prototype stage. In October 2007, Optare unveiled the Solo SR at the Coach & Bus Show. It is a completely-restyled version of the Solo drawing styling features from the Versa , such as the curved side windows and sweeping roof (with the destination screen and air conditioning unit underneath). Some features of
6570-436: The pole to allow wheelchair/buggy access created the situation where the quintessentially polite British bus passenger would wait for all passengers to alight before boarding, leading to an increase in dwell times . Moscow was the first city to introduce low floor as the compulsory requirement for the suppliers of the city buses. By 2005 a few hundreds of low-floor buses started intra-metropolitan service. At first, PAZ-3237
6660-535: The rear axle is not an issue on a low-entry bus. Many low-floor buses, including the Irisbus Citelis (also in Skoda 24Tr trolleybus version), have the engine in a vertical cabinet at the rear of the bus. Van Hool have a series of "side-engine mid-drive" buses that puts the engine off to one side of the cabin longitudinally between the first and the second axle, to maximize usable cabin space. The same concept
6750-506: The rear end of the bus. The same applies to trolley buses that are mostly of low-floor design. Other cities that use low-floor buses on the regular routes are Kazan , Sochi , Tyumen , Pskov and more. Most of these vehicles are domestically manufactured by LiAZ , GAZ , KAMAZ and Volgabus . In the United States, the Americans with Disabilities Act is credited with motivating the development of low-floor buses, directly affecting
6840-408: The regions to the center, or connect two large terminals of two regions passing through the center Regional Articulation, which connect distant neighborhoods to the center without passing through large terminals, or connect two distant neighborhoods passing through important regions. Locations/distributors, which connect neighborhoods to large terminals or stations. None of these lines pass through
6930-618: The same or better seats as those found in the Volvo buses. They also feature manual transmission as against automatic transmission With the introduction of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and the development of dedicated corridors for the service, bus service is set to improve. The Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) has started introducing air-conditioned buses and brand new low-floor buses (with floor height of 400 mm (15.75 in) and even higher on one third area as against 230 mm (9.06 in) available internationally) on city streets to replace
7020-558: The same year, the first low floor bus specification was drafted by DPTAC. The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 provided for the completion of the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000, which specified that all new public service vehicles over 22 seats should be low floor from 31 December 2000, with smaller vehicles mandated from 1 January 2005. The 2000 regulations do not require retro-fitting of pre-existing vehicles or
7110-558: The service area. DART still has a preference for high floor buses. Although New York City Transit runs some 40-foot low-floors, it originally refused to order low-floor buses, namely D60LFs from New Flyer , after the D60HF, a high floor model, was discontinued mid-delivery. However, they have demonstrated both the D60LF and NovaBus LFSA, the latter of which they have decided to order. Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation Bangalore
7200-448: The standard design being withdrawn from sale. The Solo SR was then available in 7.2 m, 7.9 m, 8.9 m and 9.6 m variants, all available in the Slimline (2.35 m wide) version. 8.9 m and 9.6 m models are available in the wider 2.5 m body width. All 2012 Solo SRs feature curved side glazing and high specification interiors allowing up to 37 seats in the longest derivative. Some of the bodywork components had been redesigned to take advantage of
7290-613: The standardized design of the Transbus Program , which concluded with the introduction of so-called 'interim' Advanced Design Buses with a lower floor height but which required lifts to board passengers in wheelchairs. The first low-floor (low-entry) buses to be delivered were the New Flyer Low Floor D40LF, to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in 1991. The New Flyer LF was derived from
7380-562: The time owned Optare) as the 30-LFN. Major purchasers were American Eagle Airlines and Miami-Dade Transit . NABI 's sale of Optare coupled with poor sales led to its discontinuation from the US bus market. In 2010, four Solos were purchased by Israeli operator Dan Bus Company . A fleet of 94 air-conditioned Solo SRs were also purchased by the RTA in Dubai in 2018. In 2012, Optare began delivering
7470-436: Was also utilized by Volvo on their B9S articulated chassis. For smaller buses, such as midibuses , the low-floor capability is achieved by placing the front wheels ahead of the entrance. One of the last types of buses to gain low-floor accessibility as standard was the minibus , where a similar front-wheel arrangement allows around 12 seats and a wheelchair space to be accommodated in very small low-floor minibuses , such as
7560-574: Was not high enough to justify conversion based purely on increased revenue. It has been reported however that adoption of so-called Easy Access buses does have a positive effect of ridership and revenue levels. Under the Transport Act 1985 the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) (or commonly DiPTAC) was established to provide independent consultation on accessibility issues. In
7650-439: Was not uncommon for service buses to be used for 15 to 20 years. While some coaches have been produced with a small front low floor section at the driver's level, most coaches in the UK are being made accessible through the use of wheelchair lifts , with the 2005 Caetano Levante being one of the largest introductions. While another widely stated benefit of low floor buses is quicker boarding for able-bodied passengers due to
7740-459: Was not until 2012 that the first low-floor bus in the country were added to its fleet, being a 1999 Marcopolo Viale imported used from Argentina. In São Paulo, low-floor buses began to become popular in the 2000s with the creation of the so-called Sistema Interligado (Interconnected System, in English) which divided bus routes into so-called lines: Structural, which connect the large terminals of
7830-532: Was selected for the city centre, while LiAZ-5292 were chosen to serve city outskirts. Later the articulated version of the latter, specifically designed for Moscow, the LiAZ-6213 was introduced. In St.Petersburg the transition to low-floor-only city bus services was completed only by 2021. Besides LiAZ-5292 and LiAZ-6213 and other full low-floor models that account for 85% of the city buses, there are also semi low-floor buses in service, with elevated floor in
7920-505: Was sold in June 2019. First Greater Manchester operated several night bus services across Greater Manchester on Friday and Saturday nights. The routes mainly operated the same routes as their daytime equivalents with some exceptions, such as service 67 not serving Shudehill on nights, with service 135, which did not normally serve Shudehill, taking its place. The Nightbus services, mainly originating from Piccadilly Gardens bus station , ran to
8010-483: Was sold to FirstBus for £47 million (equivalent to £111,432,942 in 2023) and rebranded First Manchester. After a period of experimentation with the livery, a deep orange livery featuring a blue stripe was adopted. First Manchester soon ended up managing two other FirstBus subsidiaries, First Potteries and First Pennine . Eventually the First Pennine and Manchester subsidiaries were merged, adding
8100-607: Was split in two companies: GM Buses North and GM Buses South. It was planned that the two companies would compete against one another, however they operated without doing so through to their respective buyouts. GM Buses North was eventually sold in March 1994 by the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority to a management buyout team for £27.1 million (equivalent to £68,083,164 in 2023). In March 1996, GM Buses North
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