Vehicle History - The MCW Metrobus

[CBlue]

I have vague memories of some mark 1s being used by Arriva in the north east post 2010, but that could be my mind playing tricks on me.

I seem to remember Arriva (then RATP after they sold the business) were still operating open top tri-axle Metrobuses around London on sightseeing duties until the PSVAR legislation kicked in.

 

[GusB]

I seem to remember Arriva (then RATP after they sold the business) were still operating open top tri-axle Metrobuses around London on sightseeing duties until the PSVAR legislation kicked in.

Weren't they Metroliners rather than Metrobuses? I recall that there was one operator (Ensign?) that bought up a load of ex National Bus Company Metroliners. I think a few Scottish examples may have been added too.

 

[CBlue]

Weren't they Metroliners rather than Metrobuses? I recall that there was one operator (Ensign?) that bought up a load of ex National Bus Company Metroliners. I think a few Scottish examples may have been added too.

Nope, they operated Metrobuses too!

 

[Swanny200]

The Triaxle open top ones were indeed Metroliners, they used ex City of Oxford and Shamrock and Rambler examples if memory serves me correctly.

 

[CBlue]

Original Tour XMB778 OKZ 9778

Original Tour London XMB778 - OKZ 9778 (A737 WEV) MCW Metrobus. Westminster Bridge, London.

www.flickr.com

Certainly there were still some in use as late as 2016 if the photo date is to be believed.

 

[Swanny200]

Original Tour XMB778 OKZ 9778

Original Tour London XMB778 - OKZ 9778 (A737 WEV) MCW Metrobus. Westminster Bridge, London.

www.flickr.com

Certainly there were still some in use as late as 2016 if the photo date is to be believed.

I stand corrected then, I must admit I had never seen them at all, only the Metroliners, must have been ex Hong Kong I assume

 

[Strathclyder]

The open-top Metrobuses once operated by Arriva/RATP on the Original London Tour discussed above were indeed ex-Hong Kong. Specifically, they were new to China Motor Bus, but sourced from New World First Bus after the latter had taken over what was left of the former's bus franchise in September 1998.

GAKEI.com | The Original London Sightseeing Tour (Arriva)

 

[busesrusuk]

The open-top Metrobuses once operated by Arriva/RATP on the Original London Tour discussed above were indeed ex-Hong Kong. Specifically, they were new to China Motor Bus, but sourced from New World First Bus after the latter had taken over what was left of the former's bus franchise in September 1998.

GAKEI.com | The Original London Sightseeing Tour (Arriva)

Big Bus also had some ex CMB tri-axle metrobuses. Unlike the OLST examples which had the front door rebuilt to standard (for UK) size, the Big Bus metro's retained the narrow CMB front entrance.

 

[SuspectUsual]

Coventry did have Metrobuses, how early I can't remember, as I believe did Washwood Heath.

Im pretty sure the first Metrobus in Coventry was BOK16V. I used to get two buses each way to and from school and even now 35-odd years later the registration numbers of some of them stuck in my mind. I can vividly remember the ‘new bus smell’ they arrived with. The first ones had very primitive sounding gearboxes that frequently made a massive ‘bang’ on the few occasions they got as far as top gear.

 

[Brooke]

The Halifax ones were withdrawn around October 2010 when Halifax Joint Committee sold out to CentreBus.

West Midlands ones lasted until July 2010, and may have been the last ones with a major operator as against an independent.

This and the Yorkshire Traction posts above got me wondering: who/when was the last one around Huddersfield or West Yorkshire?

Certainly not Yorkshire Traction, but is it close between Halifax Joint Committee and First West Yorkshire?

The First fleet in Huddersfield seemed to get older & ropier around that time, including a load of Mark 1s.

My memory thinks it was all around the same time - but probably completely wrong!

 

[cnjb8]

This and the Yorkshire Traction posts above got me wondering: who/when was the last one around Huddersfield or West Yorkshire?

Certainly not Yorkshire Traction, but is it close between Halifax Joint Committee and First West Yorkshire?

The First fleet in Huddersfield seemed to get older & ropier around that time, including a load of Mark 1s.

My memory thinks it was all around the same time - but probably completely wrong!

First Huddersfield and Halifax seem to be the dumping ground for elderly buses (except for Kernow), if I remember correctly Huddersfield still had Olympians running up until the PSVAR deadline

 

[Brooke]

First Huddersfield and Halifax seem to be the dumping ground for elderly buses (except for Kernow), if I remember correctly Huddersfield still had Olympians running up until the PSVAR deadline

Yes, wasn’t it! In my opinion it hit a high in the Badgerline era, then quickly reached a real low in the early First years...

To keep it on topic: As well as a lot of other dross, I seem to remember a couple of Mark 2s at one point plus maybe 10 or so Mark 1s.

No idea where they came from, but hopefully they went to the scrap man after!

 

[APT618S]

This and the Yorkshire Traction posts above got me wondering: who/when was the last one around Huddersfield or West Yorkshire?

Certainly not Yorkshire Traction, but is it close between Halifax Joint Committee and First West Yorkshire?

The First fleet in Huddersfield seemed to get older & ropier around that time, including a load of Mark 1s.

My memory thinks it was all around the same time - but probably completely wrong!

From my records of travelling around W Yorks I would expect it to be the Halifax Joint Committee.
I had several of their Metrobuses in 2005 and 2006 but never had any First Metrobuses. The oldest First buses seemed to to be the Olympians A ** KUM, B ** PJA & B *** SJA.