Overseas buses for the UK market

[mb88]

I can't help but think that there is very little variety in the UK bus market these days in terms of what is available. Bored of seeing endless Enviro MMCs and Streetlites. Got me wondering what buses currently not available in the UK people would like to see over here?

I'd love to see a right hand drive version of the Solaris Urbino. The Mk4 version looks really cool I think.

Quite like the VDL Citea as well.



Any others?

 

[Bletchleyite]

I'd quite like to see Dutch-style mid-engined buses with front and rear (not middle) doors. Very efficient operation on busy routes there. I believe VDL do some examples.

 

[carlberry]

I'd quite like to see Dutch-style mid-engined buses with front and rear (not middle) doors. Very efficient operation on busy routes there. I believe VDL do some examples.

Are they capable of passing our regulations if they're mid-engined?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Are they capable of passing our regulations if they're mid-engined?

Do UK regulations specify the position of the engine? (Genuine question!)

 

[RT4038]

Do UK regulations specify the position of the engine? (Genuine question!)

Not directly, but getting Flat floors / DDA compliance is usually the governing factor.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Not directly, but getting Flat floors / DDA compliance is usually the governing factor.

A benefit of the mid-engined vehicles you see in the Netherlands is that there is usually a flat low floor throughout. Electric transmission and eventually battery operation will ease this further - no need for a live beam axle, for example, when you can just have a motor on each wheel.

 

[carlberry]

A benefit of the mid-engined vehicles you see in the Netherlands is that there is usually a flat low floor throughout. Electric transmission and eventually battery operation will ease this further - no need for a live beam axle, for example, when you can just have a motor on each wheel.

How can you have a low floor (as specified in the UK) with a mid engineed vehicle without it's configured like an AEC Q chassis which will take up more seats than a rear engined configuration would?

 

[TR673]

Scania Citywide... is literally just a renamed, facelifted Omnicity/Omnilink, which they already had developed RHD versions of and sold successfully in the UK. I know the market for heavy, 12m single deckers isn't huge but if they offered different variants of diesel, electric, CNG (which is already a proven product as shown by E300 bodied K-series) I'm sure they'd be able to stir up some interest. Scania have an existing sales and aftermarket network in the UK, their gas powered double decker is sold here by Alexander Dennis as the Enviro 400 CBG... while simultaneously leaving a gap in the market by not offering an MMC version of the E300 on 3rd party chassis; besides anything political there's no reason why British operators shouldn't have the Citywide as an option, and I fail to understand why it isn't available.
Sure they may be a bit uglier than their predecessors, but I'd like to see some Citywide LEs or LFs over here.

 

[GusB]

Please also see this thread for previous discussion:

Should UK manufacturers develop more products for Continental Europe?

*MOD NOTE* - The discussion in this thread was originally in this thread, but due to it being speculative rather than actual news it warranted a separate thread: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/uk-bus-manufacturer-news-adl-optare-wright-etc.185467/ A bit too ambitious I know, but it would...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[Bletchleyite]

How can you have a low floor (as specified in the UK) with a mid engineed vehicle without it's configured like an AEC Q chassis which will take up more seats than a rear engined configuration would?

The engine bay (vertically mounted on the ones I've seen, I think) takes up about a bay (i.e. 2 rows) of seats. Yes, that's less space efficient than having the floor go up at the back and putting it under that, but it does allow a low floor throughout. I'm not quite sure how the transmission works to fit, though.

 

[Markk1990]

Scania Citywide... is literally just a renamed, facelifted Omnicity/Omnilink, which they already had developed RHD versions of and sold successfully in the UK. I know the market for heavy, 12m single deckers isn't huge but if they offered different variants of diesel, electric, CNG (which is already a proven product as shown by E300 bodied K-series) I'm sure they'd be able to stir up some interest. Scania have an existing sales and aftermarket network in the UK, their gas powered double decker is sold here by Alexander Dennis as the Enviro 400 CBG... while simultaneously leaving a gap in the market by not offering an MMC version of the E300 on 3rd party chassis; besides anything political there's no reason why British operators shouldn't have the Citywide as an option, and I fail to understand why it isn't available.
Sure they may be a bit uglier than their predecessors, but I'd like to see some Citywide LEs or LFs over here.

It's actually a decent looking bus. A lot of black which doesn't seem very popular in the UK but I agree, seems little reason why it isn't sold to uK operators other than the fact its a heavyweight.

 

[Man of Kent]

The engine bay (vertically mounted on the ones I've seen, I think) takes up about a bay (i.e. 2 rows) of seats. Yes, that's less space efficient than having the floor go up at the back and putting it under that, but it does allow a low floor throughout. I'm not quite sure how the transmission works to fit, though.

I think the bus you are referring to is a Van Hool New A300. There's a short Youtube clip, which towards the end, shows part of the interior layout including the side-mounted engine

Earlier Van Hools also featured side engines (including the little A308 midibuses that could be found in all sorts of corners of Europe).

However, all of the examples I am aware of have centre doors as well as a rear set. And I think the model itself has not been available for around 10 years - certainly Van Hool's own website no longer shows it, offering only conventionally rear-engined buses instead.

​

 

[Bletchleyite]

Yeah, that's the one. VMCV in Vevey (CH) also have some short ones without the middle door:

http://www.ipernity.com/doc/jvernet/43814686 for a photo.

Low floor throughout with that kind of arrangement is probably made easier with electric operation, as you no longer need an axle - each rear wheel could be motored and suspended independently.

 

[johnw]

I believe Scania didn’t offer the Citywide for the UK market due to its partnership with ADL.

 

[L401CJF]

I've spend a fair bit of time riding the buses around Berlin, have to say I find their buses much more interesting than ours! I quite like the Solaris buses.

Not to mention the 70s/80s/90s MAN SD200/202 series deckers which are knocking around on Sightseeing tours and Traditionsbus Berlin preserved examples on BVGs 218 route.

 

[Jordan Adam]

The only reason European buses often have fully low floors is due to them being three door. There's not demand for a three door bus in the UK market so the need for a low floor right to the back doesn't exist. It's also somewhat of an irrelevant idea most of the time. Look at the Volvo B7L / Wright Eclipse for example. The floor is low right to the rear but you still have to go up a step to get to the seats.