I've just seen a news story at
http://www.route-one.net/articles/Operators/30_Mercedes_Benz_Sprinter_City_45s_in_Ashford regarding the introduction of a fleet of 17 seater minibuses in Ashford.
I'm sure it's not just me who wonders if this is a case of trying out something that previously occurred in the mind 1980s, first in Exeter, when Harry Blundred introduced a fleet of minibuses running at high frequency in the city. It led to the 'minibus revolution', where all over the country, there were Ford Transits, Freight Rover Sherpas, Ivecos and Mercedes Benz minibuses with 16-25 seats running bus services every few minutes in towns and cities.
I guess that these new vehicles will be a lot more comfier than the 'bread vans' we had in the 1980s!